Head Coach Bill Gleeson

Bill Gleeson enters his fourth season as the head men’s volleyball coach at St. Ambrose. The native of Oak Lawn, Ill., has served multiple roles in the St. Ambrose volleyball program, coaching both men and women. Gleeson took over the men’s program in 2007 after being the assistant coach in 2006.

In Gleeson’s’ three seasons he has racked up an impressive 65-38 (.631) overall record and led the Fighting Bees to two consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances, finishing fifth in 2007 and third in 2008.

Gleeson and the Bees posted their best record in school history in 2008 - 29-10 overall and 7-1 in the MAMVIC East. During this stint, St. Ambrose went on a 16-match winning streak and captured the program's first-ever MAMVIC East Conference Championship. So far, Gleeson has coached 10 all-conference players, the 2007 and 2009 Freshmen of the Year (Rob Brannigan, Dan Dowjotas), the 2008 Libero of the Year (Kyle Bolinder), the 2008 MAMVIC East All-Tournament MVP (Bill Kramer), and the 2008 NAIA All-Tournament Team nominee (Mike Westendorf). Gleeson is also a two-time recipient of the MAMVIC East Coach of the Year award (2008, 2009). St. Ambrose will host the NAIA National Invitational Tournament in 2010 and 2011.

While a student, Gleeson was a four-year starter at SAU, progressing from an outside hitter to a right-side hitter. In 2003, he played in the NAIA National Tournament hosted by St. Ambrose and received tournament honors for the most digs per game. Selected as team captain in 2005, Gleeson is currently ranked third in career kills at SAU and was a first team all-conference selection following his senior campaign.

As an undergrad at St. Ambrose, Gleeson earned a B.A. in both General Business and Management with a minor in economics and is currently working towards a Masters of Business Administration degree through St. Ambrose.

A two-year varsity starter at Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Ill., the 2001 team tri-captain was chosen as third team all-state, first team all-area and all-conference selection as a senior. He also helped his team win the program’s second-ever CCL conference championship in 2001.

Gleeson currently resides in Davenport, Iowa, and also works as a St. Ambrose admissions counselor.

Assistant Coach Jim Finn

The 2008-2009 season marks Jim Finn's fourth year coaching the women's varsity squad at St. Ambrose and his second year assisting the men’s varsity squad and serving as the head coach of the men’s junior varsity team. In his first campaign, Finn led the men’s JV team to 31 wins and six top-three tournament finishes.

Finn finished his volleyball playing career at St. Ambrose in 2007. He was a four-year starter and a captain during his senior season. During his sophomore season, he led the CCVA Conference in digs per game and in his junior year, he led the team in total digs and digs per game. He currently ranks second on the all-time digs list at SAU.

During his junior year, Finn was the male representative from St. Ambrose for the A.O. Duer Award given by the NAIA for excellence in academics and athletics, and was also named Academic All-Conference and All-Region in 2006 and 2007. He is planning on graduating in December 2009 with his Master's in Business Administration (MBA).

Finn is from Mokena, Ill., where he attended Lincoln-Way East High School and graduated in 2003. His parents, Tom and Mary, still reside in Mokena along with his sister, Sara. Finn is excited for the 2008 and 2009 seasons for both the men's and women's programs and is looking forward to making National Tournament appearances with both squads as well as improving on last year’s 31-win season with the JV team.

Assistant Coach Bruce Billingsley

Bruce Billingsley, the winningest coach in St. Ambrose volleyball history, enters his sixth season as an assistant for the Fighting Bees after starting the program for the university in 1999 and serving as head coach for the first four years. Billingsley entered his 12th season at the helm of the Queen Bees in the fall of 2008.

In 12 years at St. Ambrose, Billingsley's teams have six conference championships, seven regional and one men's and one women's national tournament appearance. Billingsley has coached eight All-Americans and six conference Players of the Year.

Milestones: Billingsley recorded his 400th career victory against Grinnell College in a home women's match on September 17, 2005. His 300th career victory came in a home men's match against Milwaukee School of Engineering on March 30, 2001, and his 200th women's volleyball victory against Tiffin, OH, in the 2002 Early Bird Tournament. He became the winningest coach at SAU after notching his 157th St. Ambrose win in 2004.

Billingsley earned national recognition in 1995 by winning conference championships and coach of the year honors in the same school year with both his men's and women's teams. Billingsley has attended Level III training in USA Volleyball's Coaching Accreditation Program and is a regional instructor for USA Volleyball's Impact coaching certification program for Junior Olympic volleyball coaches.

Prior to coaching volleyball, Billingsley was President and CEO of Cinarco-Elliott Audio-Visual and Computer Centers and MicroAge Computer Center of Davenport. Billingsley earned his BA in Economics and Business Administration at Knox College and his Masters in Business Administration at the University of Iowa.

In addition to coaching, Billingsley is an assistant athletic director working with all 20 sports, and teaches one or two activities classes per semester in the Department of Kinesiology.

Coach Billingsley and his wife Linda have two boys, Randy (19) and Matt (15).

Kyle Bolinder Assistant Coach	Bill Kramer Assistant Coach	Zak Krumlinde Assistant Coach	Kyle Warrenfeltz Assistant Coach