Ben Staupe Selected to Lead Western Volleyball Program

Ben Staupe will become the 11th head volleyball coach in WIU history.

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois University welcomed Ben Staupe to staff as the 11th head coach for the Leathernecks' women's volleyball program. No stranger to success, Staupe's coaching career has featured several appearances at the NCAA Division III Championships, six conference championship titles and winning percentages above .750 in each of his last two stops.

"Ben's resume immediately caught my attention. His enthusiasm and passion for volleyball is infectious and will certainly serve our program well," said the interim director of athletics Danielle Surprenant. "Ben brings with him a background of success, which coupled with his commitment to the student-athlete experience, will make him a great fit for the program and the University."

"I'm thankful for the opportunity given to me by Danielle Surprenant and the rest of the search committee," said Staupe. "This is an amazing opportunity that I'm ready and very motivated for; after meeting with the team and administration, I think we have some very positive things to build on here at Western Illinois. I was drawn to Western because of the family atmosphere, and it seems to be a great fit for myself and my family."

Staupe joins the Leathernecks after eight seasons on staff at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he served in various roles before being promoted to associate head coach in 2012. With the Warhawks, he assisted the team to seven straight NCAA Championship appearances crowned by a spot in the Sweet 16 in the 2016 season.

The team compiled a record of 161-53 during his tenure, and he also coached 20 All-Americans, 31 All Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selections and three WIAC Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

Before UW-Whitewater, Staupe spent eight seasons as head coach at Rock Valley College in Illinois. Posting a combined record of 110-30 in his last three seasons, he guided RVC to conference championships in each campaign. He was named Coach of the Year on nine occasions, including the American Volleyball Coaches Association Midwest Coach of the Year in 2004, because of his knack for developing student-athletes both on and off the court.

While at Rock Valley, Staupe coached seven NJCAA All-Americans and five academic all-Americans.

He received both a bachelor's and master's degree at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse with a focus on exercise sport science (2001) and human performance (2003), respectively.

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