Coaching Honors
AVCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year: 2008
CCAC Coach of the Year: 2008 2005, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1997
Region VII Coach of the Year: 2003, 2002, 2001
NCCAA Coach of the Year: 2002, 2001
CCAC Hall of Fame Inductee: 2005
Brenda Williams faced a daunting task when she became the head coach of the Olivet Nazarene University volleyball program in 1996. After all, the Tigers had only a handful of wins the previous two seasons and would be hosting the NAIA National Championships the following year. No stranger to reclamation projects, Williams guided the Tigers to an astounding 25 wins in just her first season. This dramatic turnaround ushered in a new era of ONU volleyball.
Now entering her 14th season at the helm of Olivet, Williams has established an impressive legacy, amassing 678 career wins, which places her fifth among active NAIA coaches. The 2008 season may have been one of Williams finest as the Tigers secured their place among the NAIA’s elite with their third consecutive trip to the NAIA National Championships. The team nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the national tournament in a five-game thriller against No. 3 Concordia University (Calif.), a team that eventually finished as the NAIA National Runner-Up. With often five freshmen and sophomores on the court, ONU faced 17 ranked opponents, won its seventh Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Championship since 2000 and fourth straight CCAC Tournament Championship.
Overall, Williams has led the Tigers to seven NAIA National Tournament appearances, seven CCAC Regular Season Championships and back-to-back NCCAA National Championships. Williams has guided Olivet to a 388-221 overall record and a 90-15 league mark. The program has also rattled off ten-straight winning seasons and has become one of the most respected and talented programs in the NAIA. With six starters returning from a team that reached the NAIA National Championships, excitement builds for the 2009 campaign.
Under Williams’ direction, Olivet has produced 19 NAIA All-Americans, five CCAC Players of the Year, five CCAC Freshmen of the Year, three NAIA Region VII Players of the Year, 28 NAIA All-Region VII selections, two NCCAA Players of the Year and 15 NCCAA All-Americans. The Tigers have also combined for 61 All-CCAC awards and 26 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete certificates. Julie Leman, the Tigers three-time All-American setter who played from 2000 to 2003, holds the NAIA and collegiate record for career assists with 7,442. The team's effort in the classroom has been just as impressive, winning six-straight AVCA Team Academic Awards. The 2007 squad posted the strongest academic year in the history of the program with a cumulative 3.65 GPA, second-highest among all NAIA volleyball schools.
Williams’ accomplishments have not gone unnoticed as she was recognized as the 2008 AVCA NAIA Mideast Region Coach of the Year. She has been named the CCAC Coach of the Year on seven occasions and the NAIA Region VII Coach of the Year three times. While the Tigers were competing in the NCCAA, Williams was named the National Coach of the Year in both 2001 and 2002. She was also inducted into the CAC Hall of Fame in 2005.
Often referred to as a visionary around the volleyball community, Williams has been instrumental in helping to expand the NAIA’s visibility through her involvement with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and USA Volleyball, serving on the board of directors. In 2005, she spearheaded the AVCA-NAIA Head Coaches Committee dedicated to developing the image of NAIA volleyball, while also enhancing professionalism within the sport. Williams oversees NAIA volleyball operations as the president of the NAIA Volleyball Coaches Association and the CCAC Volleyball chairwoman.
Building the Blazers
Williams became one of the youngest NCAA Division I head coaches at the age of 24 when she took over the University of Alabama-Birmingham program in 1980. What began as a part-time program, Williams led the Blazers to a 290-227 overall record and three postseason appearances in her 12 seasons as the Blazers’ head coach. She was named the 1989 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Blazers to a second place finish in the league and a 25-19 overall record.
1989 also marked the inception of the National Invitational Volleyball Championships (NIVC), a tournament Williams co-founded and for which she served as president. When the NIVC was developed, the NCAA Tournament left a majority of NCAA Division I conferences little hope of participating in a nationally visible postseason event. Williams, along with Eastern Kentucky’s Geri Polvino and Western Kentucky’s Charlie Daniel, sought to increase postseason opportunities through the creation of this event. With the support of the AVCA, the tournament was a huge success during its seven years of existence and helped to pave the way for the expansion of NCAA Tournament. The championship trophy, The Founders Cup, was named after them.
In her final season at UAB in 1991, the Blazers migrated to the Great Midwest Conference, where Williams guided the program to a school-record 33 wins, a conference championship and an AVCA National Rating Index of 50 out of 264 Division I teams. That year also saw the Blazers earn the program’s third appearance in the NIVC, where two players were named to the all-tournament team.
An additional four players were named all-conference while another was named Great Midwest Newcomer of the Year.
During her career in Birmingham, Williams coached three AVCA All-Region selections, 16 All-Sun Belt honorees, two Sun Belt Players of the Year and one Sun Belt Conference Tournament MVP. She also mentored two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, two Sun Belt Conference Female Academic Athletes of the Year and 19 All-Sun Belt Academic selections. Tammy Robertson, Williams’ starting setter from 1989 to 1991, still holds the NCAA I record for career assists with 6,650.
Diverse Volleyball Background
Williams brings other volleyball experiences to the Olivet staff. As a defensive specialist at the University of Alabama in 1976, she helped the Crimson Tide to a 52-6 record, a national ranking of 17th and a bid to the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Tournament. Williams’ leadership in volleyball also transcends into the club ranks as she founded the state of Alabama’s first volleyball club, Birmingham Juniors, and served as director and coach. After moving to Illinois, Williams directed and coached with Divers Volleyball Club from 1993 to 1997.
Williams keeps busy away from the court as an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise & Sport Science at Olivet. She remains active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), serving on the South Suburban Chicago Board of Directors and co-sponsoring the huddle at ONU. She has also directed and coached numerous FCA volleyball camps throughout the past two decades.
A graduate of the University of Alabama, Williams earned her bachelor’s degree in 1977. She completed a master’s degree in education from the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1979. She and her husband, Steve, reside in Bourbonnais. They have two grown children, Douglas (28) and Lisa (23).
Career Record at Olivet: 388-221 (13 years)
Collegiate Career Record: 678-448 (25 years)