BERKELEY – Matt McShane, who helped guide the Cal volleyball team through arguably its greatest stretch ever, was named the sixth head coach in program history on Tuesday.

McShane, who spent last season as Cal's associate head coach but previously served as an assistant in Berkeley from 2005-09, replaces Rich Feller, who retired last month after 18 seasons at the helm.

"We are thrilled to have Matt as the new leader of our volleyball program," Cal athletic director Mike Williams said. "Matt has a true passion for Cal, and his ability to train and teach is at the very top of the collegiate game. He's competitive, he's driven, and he understands Cal. He's a perfect fit."

While serving as Feller's top assistant, the Bears amassed a 114-47 record during McShane's first stint at Cal. That included the first-ever NCAA Final Four berth in program history and two other Elite Eight appearances.

McShane became the head coach at Air Force in 2010 and remained in that role for six years before returning to Berkeley last season as associate head coach.

"I am honored, thrilled and excited, but at the same time it's a little daunting having to follow Rich," McShane said. "Rich has absolutely been a legend of Cal Athletics. It's Cal. Only the best of the best students, best of the best teachers and best of the best coaches come here. I think we are going to do some amazing things, but one of the tough things is the best things have already happened here. We just get to do them again."

While at Air Force, McShane's teams improved on its win total in four consecutive years and produced 22 Mountain West All-Academic selections. McShane has also served as an assistant at Utah, New Mexico and BYU, as well as with the U.S. National Team.

"The players we have right now in the gym are wonderful," McShane said. "They are working hard, they care for each other, they like becoming better, and they are inquisitive. It's a huge desire for me to have the players grow in every aspect of their life. I am going to try to make the players as good volleyball players and human beings as possible."

McShane is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, where he helped the Gauchos to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the NCAA Championships in 1974 and 1975.