Price Is Right to Replace Ker for Short Term : College volleyball: Northridge men’s coach decides to assume double duty and take on women’s program for one season after five candidates turn down the job.

Cal State Northridge’s nationwide search for a women’s volleyball coach ended in the same place it started.

John Price, chairman of a search committee formed to gather candidates for the job, Thursday was hired as interim coach of the Matador women’s team.

Price, 34, is in his seventh season as coach of the school’s third-ranked men’s volleyball team. He will perform in a dual capacity starting today, when he will meet with the women’s team for the first time. The team begins spring practices Monday.

The job has been open since January, when longtime Coach Walt Ker resigned, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. It was later learned that Ker had been accused of sexual harassment by two members of the Matadors’ 1992 team.

Price became the choice of the committee he headed two days after the school’s fifth choice as coach declined an invitation to interview and accepted another job.

“Our choices were to look at the second tier of candidates, which we really didn’t want to do, reopen the position, which we didn’t want to do either, or go the route we went,” Price said. “I didn’t really push for it, but I’m happy it went the way it did. I think at this point it’s best for the program.”

The job will be reopened in October, immediately after the conclusion of the women’s season, Price said.

“I can do both for a year,” Price said. “But I would have no interest in doing it beyond that. It’s too much.”

Arizona Coach Dave Rubio, Stanford assistant Denise Corlett, Michigan assistant Mora Kanim and USC assistant Kelley Sliva all turned down the job earlier this month. Price would not identify the fifth candidate.

Price, who has never coached women’s volleyball, said his dual coaching responsibilities would not affect his efforts with the Matador men’s team, which is 14-4 and tied for first place with UCLA in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s Mountain Division with an 8-2 record.

“I’m not going to spend one less second on the men’s team in these next five weeks than I was before this new responsibility,” said Price, a graduate of Northridge and Crespi High. “I’ve just got to be more organized. I’ll practice with the girls in the afternoon and the guys at night. If anything, where I’m going to lose my time is in my private life. That’s where things will change.”

The Northridge women’s team has made 14 consecutive postseason appearances. The Matadors were 27-8 last season, their third in Division I, and finished ranked No. 20.