Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Volleyball Adds Tim Walenga To Its Staff
08/20/2004 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 20, 2004
By Lou Antoine
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois head volleyball coach Sonya Locke has announced that Tim Walenga has been added to her staff as an assistant coach. "Tim has good experience, has worked with good volleyball people and has some great recruiting ties in the Chicago area which should be a plus for our program," said Locke. He has played competitive volleyball and will bring that experience to the table. Tim has a genuine enthusiasm for the sport, which is important. I feel lucky to get someone here at this late a date of his caliber and experience." Walenga comes to SIU from Elon University and has eight years of college coaching experience, including a stint as an interim head coach during the spring of 2002 at Marshall University. Once he gets comfortable at SIU, Walenga will coordinate the Saluki recruiting effort, and will also be responsible for scouting opponents, preparing player scouting reports and match statistics. Prior to Elon, Walenga served as the first assistant at Marshall University for three seasons and was the summer volleyball camp director during his time there. Marshall went from four wins the year before he arrived to 21 wins in 2002, two years later. In the spring of 2002, Walenga served as the head coach at Marshall on an interim basis leading the team in practice, tournaments and individual workouts. He also handled recruiting, team travel, game day management and team community relations. Walenga also worked as a graduate assistant and summer volleyball camp director at Minnesota State University from 1998-2001 and served as an assistant coach at South Suburban College during the 1995 season. The native of South Holland, Ill. also has plenty of experience coaching club volleyball. He co-founded and was assistant director of the Mankato Juniors Elite Volleyball Club, where he served as the head coach for 14 and 16-year-old teams. In both 1997 and 2001 his teams qualified for the Junior National Tournament. Walenga also gained valuable playing experience as a member of the men's volleyball club at Illinois State University for four seasons from 1992-1995. In both 1994 and 1995, the team finished 25th at the NIRSE Collegiate Club Nationals. He continued playing at Minnesota State, where he was not only a player, but also the coach and the president of the men's volleyball club there three seasons from 1998-2000. Walenga also played five years as a member of a Chicago-based USAV club team that finished in the top five in the nation in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Walenga earned a bachelor's degree in environmental health from Illinois State in 1995 and a master's degree in athletic administration from Minnesota State in 2000. He replaces Matt Affolder, who accepted a similar position at Indiana University, and completes a staff that includes Locke and fellow assistant Lenika Lamar.
