Kris Grunwald returned to the Plains as an assistant coach for the Tigers in March 2019.

A native of Germantown, N.Y., Grunwald is no stranger to the Auburn volleyball program. He spent 2012 and 2013 as an assistant coach with Nold and held a similar position from 1994-97 before stepping into the head coaching job with the Tigers for the 1998 and 1999s. 

Auburn had a winning record in all eight years with Grunwald on staff. As a head coach for the Tigers, he amassed a 41-20 record, which included a 22-win campaign in 1998. He was also a part of the 1996 squad that finished 22-9 overall and 11-4 in SEC play, winning the SEC Western Division title. 

Grunwald comes to the Plains after a five-year stint at UConn as the program’s head coach. He finished with a 70-86 overall record, including back-to-back seasons with 16 wins and a 10-win conference record in 2015.

Grunwald is no stranger to the SEC as he spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Arkansas. With the

Razorbacks, Grunwald focused his attention on recruiting and opponent breakdown. He helped coordinate the Razorbacks' top-45 recruiting class in 2009, which included All-American Jasmine Norton and SEC All-Freshman Amanda Anderson.

In the PrepVolleyball.com release of the nation's top recruiting classes in 2010, Arkansas received honorable mention accolades. That class included setter Raymariely Santos, who went on to be named a member of the 2010 Freshman All-SEC Team, the third such honor for the Razorbacks in two seasons.

Grunwald is a 1991 graduate of George Mason University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He earned his master's degree in mathematics education at Florida State in 1993.