Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Brenda Winkeler Named Women's Volleyball Head Coach
06/14/2005 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
June 14, 2005
By Shalae Schulte
www.siusalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University named Brenda Winkeler head volleyball coach Tuesday, replacing Sonya Locke, who resigned in April.
Winkeler, who has served as head coach at Eastern Illinois since 2000, becomes just the sixth head coach in the 43-year history of Saluki volleyball.
"We are tremendously excited to hire someone the caliber of Brenda Winkeler," athletics director Paul Kowalczyk said. "She's been a winner every step of her career, has Southern Illinois roots and is a person of unquestionable character and integrity."
In five years as a Division I head coach with the Panthers, Winkeler recorded an 82-72 record. She revitalized the Eastern Illinois program, making a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and capturing a share of the Ohio Valley Conference title in 2004.
Prior to coaching at Eastern Illinois, Winkeler won a junior college national championship in 1999 at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill. In 11 years at Parkland, she compiled a 428-164-9 record and earned `Coach of the Year' honors by both the National Junior College Athletic Association and American Volleyball Coaches Association.
"I'm a players' coach," Winkeler said. "I'm about as far from being Bobby Knight as you could be. I enjoy helping players grow into well-rounded student-athletes. I want them to have a good experience playing volleyball, as well as being good students at SIU."
Winkeler inherits a team that posted a 9-21 record in 2004, but lost just one senior.
"Saluki athletics has experienced a great deal of success in the past few years," Winkeler said. "I think the foundation is there for the volleyball program to grow, because Sonya has done a good job."
Winkeler said her priorities will be getting to know the current players as quickly as possible and getting them comfortable with a new coaching style.
In sixteen years of coaching at the collegiate level, her teams have produced five junior college All-Americans and eight All-OVC picks.
Along with the swing offense, Winkeler said her team will emphasize audibles, quick offense and ball control. As a coach, she places a strong emphasis on communication and leadership and will meet regularly with an appointed team council.
A Bartelso, Ill., native, she graduated from Breese Mater Dei High School, received her undergraduate degree in physical education from Milikin University in 1984, and went on to the University of Illinois where she earned her master's degree in educational administration in 1991.
"I am confident she will do an outstanding job, and we're happy to welcome her to the Saluki family," Kowalczyk said.
