Janelle Hester

Janelle Hester will begin her second year as the head volleyball coach at Augustana heading into the 2009 season. She was selected as the head volleyball coach at Augustana on March 10, 2008. Hester, who enjoyed a remarkable high school career locally at Davenport Central High School, is the ninth head coach in Viking history.

During her first year she led Augustana to a 23-12 overall record and a second place finish in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin tournament, losing to Carthage in the championship in four sets. The 23 wins ties the school record for victories by a first year coach with Liesl Fowler (23-17 in 1992) and Betsy Knott (23-17 in 2002).

Three of her players in 2008: Jaime Spolum, Angela Baumgartner and Courtney Jungnickel, were named to the all-conference team and Baumgartner and Jackie Rust were selected to the CCIW all-tournament team. In addition, Baumgartner was a first team ESPN - The Magazine academic all-district performer. Also, Spolum established a new school record for career assists in 2008, breaking the old mark established by Kiersten Madden from 1997-01.

She was a three time all-state volleyball player in high school for the Blue Devils and she took her talent to the University of Tennessee where she was a two year starter and served as team captain of the Vols as a senior. Hester was twice named second team all-conference in the Southeastern Conference and was twice "Player of the Week". She recorded 436 kills as a junior in 2001.

After her playing career at Tennessee ended, she was selected to participate in the A2 Training Camp and was one of 32 players invited to try out at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Most recently, she took her talents to Europe where she played for the Nova KBM Branik Volleyball Club in Maribor, Slovenia during the 2006-07 season. She was third in kills on a team that eventually won the Slovenian Cup.

Hester started as a graduate assistant coach at St. Ambrose University in August of 2004 and was instrumental in many facets of the Queen Bee program, including physical conditioning, game plans and developing practices. She has also been involved in directing summer camps throughout the Quad City area since 2004. She served as the head coach for the "Dig This" club in 2004-05 and for the QC Platform Elite's from 2007 until the present.

"I am very excited about this opportunity," said Hester. "I really like the Augustana program and coach Ruff has left things in great shape. I am anxious to get started."

Hester graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in early childhood development and received her Master's degree in social work from St. Ambrose in the spring of 2008.

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