Kari Pestolesi is making a return to the Irvine Valley coaching staff as an assistant with the women's indoor team.

Pestolesi previously coached at Irvine Valley for a season in 2012.

She then joined the Concordia women’s volleyball staff in 2013.  And she led the Concordia beach volleyball program as head coach in its first year as a club program in 2015. 

Pestolesi finished her college career in 2010. She was one of the best players ever at UC Irvine.

She was UCI's first four-time All-Big West Conference first-team selection and left the program second in the career records in kills with 1,602 and digs with 1,491.

Pestolesi was a three-time AVCA All-West Region choice and was also recognized as an AVCA All-American honorable mention in 2009. She led the Anteaters as a senior in 2010 with a 2.92 kill average, posting 301 kills to go along with 352 digs.

Before that, she was a standout at Edison High in Huntington Beach.

She was named the 2007 Most Valuable Player of the Orange County All-Star Game. Pestolesi recorded the school record for most aces as a senior at Edison and also holds the top marks in career kills with 1,118, digs with 1,048 and aces with 232.

She was a 2004 and 2005 All-CIF Southern Section first-team selection and a second team selection in 2003.

Pestolesi helped lead Edison to a CIF championship in 2004.

After college, she played professionally in Switzerland for Volley Franches Montagnes in the 2011-2012 season.  They were Swiss Cup Finalists and won the CEV Cup Championship.

Her mother, Diane, and father, Tom, both played volleyball at the University of Hawaii. Kari’s brother Tommy played volleyball for Long Beach State and professionally in Holland. Her other brother Danny played volleyball at Irvine Valley College.

She graduated from UC Irvine in 2010 with a B.A. in sociology, while minoring in education.  Pestolesi is currently pursuing her M.A. in education and working to obtain her teaching credential.  She enjoys beach volleyball, friends, bike rides, hiking, and all outdoor activities.