Former Lewis libero Perakes hired as Toledo assistant coach

A former all-conference libero from Lewis will move to the college sidelines for the upcoming season.

The Toledo athletics department announced Monday that it hired Nick Perakes to serve as a women’s volleyball assistant coach for the 2012 season.

Perakes was a four-year starter at Lewis from 2006-09 and set the school record with 964 career digs. The libero as a senior was a First-Team All-MIVA selection after finishing eighth in the nation with a 2.82 digs per game average.

After graduating from Lewis, Perakes was a high school girls’ volleyball coach and club volleyball coach in Michigan. He also coached the University of Michigan club team — guiding the team to a top 10 nationally ranking and an appearance in the national championships.

“Nick is very energetic and possesses experience at both the collegiate and club level,” Toledo head coach Greg Smith said in a statement. “He brings an added component to our coaching staff. We are looking forward to meshing Nick’s knowledge of floor defense and passing into what we’ve already implemented with our program.”

Toledo finished last season 10-18 and failed to qualify for the eight-team Mid-American Conference Tournament.