Roosevelt University

Nicasio Paquiz Jr. is set to begin his eighth season as the Lakers' women's volleyball coach in 2025.

The 2023 season was one of the best in Roosevelt history with two players named to the All-CCAC team and the team's first postseason appearance in six seasons. During his tenure, the Lakers have had six all-conference performers and five CCAC players of the week for performances on the court. In the classroom, Roosevelt has had 29 NAIA Scholar-Athletes and six players named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District under Paquiz's leadership.

Paquiz brings nearly three decades of coaching experience at the collegiate, club and prep levels. He was most recently an assistant coach at DePaul University, where he led recruiting efforts for the Blue Demons in his second stint in Lincoln Park after serving as a volunteer assistant from 2008-09. While at DePaul, Paquiz had the opportunity to coach the women in the USA Premier Volleyball League (PVL) with Great Lakes Lightning, where they placed 5th at the PVL Championships in 2015. Prior to his time at DePaul, Paquiz served as an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

With club volleyball stops at New WAVE, Legacy (MI), Santa Monica Beach Volleyball Club (SMBC), and SOVA, Paquiz spent nearly eight years as the head coach at 1st Alliance VBC in Western Springs, Ill. He coached his squads of 17s and 18s to a variety of top finishes in national tournaments.  As head coach of the 1st Alliance 18 Silver squad, Paquiz led his team to a 2012 first-place finish in the Great Lakes Power League. His 2009 squad earned a bronze medal at the AAU Girls’ 18 Open Junior National Volleyball Championships and a ninth-place finish at the Junior Volleyball Directors Association (JVDA) Championships.

Paquiz spent over eight years in Southern California prior to returning to the Chicagoland area. Paquiz served as head coach of the boys’ and girls’ teams at the Brentwood School in Los Angeles and as head coach at SMBC.  During his time at the Brentwood School, the girls’ program compiled a record of 124-22, with a CIF Championship in 2003.

Paquiz is a 1998 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he earned a degree in architectural studies. While at UIC, Paquiz spent two years (1995-96) playing as a defensive specialist for the men's volleyball club program.