UIC Athletics

Lucas Yanez joined the UIC volleyball staff in July, 2021 as an assistant coach. No stranger to the Chicagoland area, Yanez joined the Flames following a year as an assistant men’s and women’s volleyball coach at nearby North Park University. He enters his fifth season with the Flames. 
 
In 2024, Yanez assisted UIC to a Missouri Valley Conference Championship Game appearance, finishing 13-5 in conference play and a 23-10 overall record. 

In 2023, Yanez helped the Flames reach the MVC semifinals for the second consecutive season, finishing the season with a 21-12 overall record.

In 2022, Yanez assisted UIC in its transition to the Missouri Valley Conference as the Flames finished third in the league standings with a 22-10 overall record. He helped UIC to a Horizon League title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2021, as the Flames finished the year 20-12 with a 13-3 record in league competition.
 
While with the Vikings for the 2020-21 academic year, Yanez assisted with the overall coaching, skill development, supervision and organization.
 
Prior to his stint at North Park, Yanez spent two seasons at the University of Miami, helping the Hurricanes rank first in the ACC in aces per set in 2018 (1.52) and 2019 (1.45). During his time in Coral Gables, Yanez helped develop serve and pass reports along with match strategies while focusing his coaching on Miami’s back line of defense.
 
Yanez has collected coaching experience across the country, serving on the staffs at Benedictine (2017-18), Coastal Carolina (2016-17) and Kansas (2015-16). His team at Coastal Carolina reached the 2016 NCAA Tournament and advance to the second round for the first time in program history while the Jayhawks finished second in the Big 12 and No. 4 nationally in the final AVCA Coaches Poll in 2015 after a run to the NCAA semifinals.
 
A decorated student-athlete at Lewis University, Yanez helped the Flyers finish as National Runner Up at the 2015 NCAA Division I men’s volleyball tournament. During the 2015 season, Yanez was named 2^nd Team All-American by two different outlets. Additionally, Yanez was a First Team All-Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association selection in 2015 after earning Second Team honors in 2014. A two-time MIVA Player of the Week recipient, Yanez was the 2015 MIVA Preseason Libero of the Year. Yanez graduated from Lewis in the spring of 2015 with a degree in Sports Management.