Head Coach Bill Gleeson

Bill Gleeson is in his second 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 program in 2007 after being the assistant coach in 2006.

In Gleesons’ first year as the head coach he was able to lead the team to the most wins in a season with 17, maintain a top six NAIA ranking for most of the season and earn the first ever bid to the national tournament. He coached four all-conference players and the league’s Freshman of the Year.

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 second in career kills at SAU and was a first team all-conference selection his senior season.

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.

“I am extremely excited to be coaching the same program that I played for,” said Gleeson. “There is a lot of support from both administration and the Ambrose community.”

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

Assistant Coach Jim Finn

The 2007 season marks Jim's third year coaching the women's varsity squad at St. Ambrose. Beginning this year, he will be expanding his duties, taking on the responsibilities of Assistant Men's coach and Head Coach for the Men's JV team. 

Jim just finished his volleyball career at St. Ambrose. He was a four year starter and a captain during the 2007 season. During his sophomore season, Jim led the CCVA Conference in digs per game and during 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. Also during Jim's junior year, he 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. Jim is planning on graduating in May 2009 with his Master's in Business Administration (MBA).

Jim is from Mokena, Illinois 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. Jim is excited about the 2007-2008 season for both the men's and women's programs and hopes to add to a wonderful tradition of volleyball here at St. Ambrose University.

Assistant Coach Bruce Billingsley

Bruce Billingsley, the winningest coach in St. Ambrose volleyball history, enters his fourth 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 10th season at the helm of the Queen Bees in the fall of 2006.

In ten years at St. Ambrose, Billingsley's teams have five conference championships, six 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 works in the Sports Information Office at St Ambrose, and teaches one or two activities classes per semester in the Department of Kinesiology.

Coach Billingsley and his wife Linda have two boys, Randy (18) and Matthew (14).