Position: Head Volleyball Coach
Years at EIU: 3rd season (hired March 23, 2015)
Alma Mater: Earlham College, 1996
Twitter: Coach Wolinski |
Panther Volleyball
Samantha Wolinski enters her third year as head coach for the Eastern Illinois volleyball team in 2017 after being named to the position in late March of 2015 by EIU Director of Athletics Tom Michael announced the hiring, making Wolinski the 11th all-time head volleyball coach in program history and 8th Panther skipper during the current NCAA DI era.
In her second season, Wolinski led a young Panther team with no seniors in a rebuilding year for the program. The Panthers battled injuries all season long as well. Freshman Maggie Runge was named as an honorable mention Freshman All-American by PrepVolleyball.com following the 2016 season.
Wolinski led the Panthers to a 16-15 overall record and a 11-5 record in the OVC during her first season. The Panthers earned a birth in the OVC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Under the direction of Wolinski, two members of the 2015 volleyball program -- Allie Hueston and Taylor Smith -- earned OVC recognitions. Hueston was named to the All-OVC team, with Smith being named to the OVC All-Newcomer team.
Wolinski came to EIU after two seasons as an assistant coach at Mississippi State, following a very successful 14-year head coaching stint at NCAA Division III Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.
In just two seasons the Bulldogs made significant improvements under Wolinski’s leadership, as MSU signed one of the top recruiting classes in the nation under her guidance as the team’s recruiting coordinator. She also helped the squad produce the first three AVCA All-Americans in program history, in addition mentoring two AVCA All-Region honorees and helping a pair of players nab post-season All-SEC kudos as well.
While working with the Bulldog defense, and comparing Wolinski’s first season to her second year, the squad not only increased both their dig and blocking totals, but also decreased MSU’s ball handling errors. In addition to her recruiting duties, Wolinski also coached the MSU middle hitters and also handled on-court and administrative duties for the Bulldogs.
In her first season with the Maroon and White, the Bulldogs picked up several key victories, including the Bulldogs’ first win in Knoxville since 1995 and first back-to-back sweep of SEC opponents in program history, blanking Tennessee and South Carolina. Last year the Bulldogs also earned a five-set upset over NCAA and SEC power LSU.
A native of Lancaster, N.Y., Wolinksi earned the status as the winningest volleyball coach in Rhodes College history, as she notched 261 victories from 1999 to 2012. She guided Lynx volleyball to seven 20-win campaigns, including a 29-12 finish in 2006 which culminated in the school’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
She also earned a pair of Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2004 and 2006, while coaching numerous All-Conference, All-Region and All-American performers. Her teams have also enjoyed success in the classroom, as her squads garnering several AVCA Team Academic Awards. During her Lynx program tenure, Wolinski also assumed the additional role of assistant athletics director.
As a three-sport letter winner, Wolinski's collegiate athletic career included her role as a middle blocker on the Earlham College volleyball squad, in addition to playing both basketball and softball in Richmond, Ind. Upon her graduation in 1996, she worked briefly for Americorps' Athletes in Service to America program before embarking on a coaching career as the varsity volleyball coach at Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo, N.Y.
Wolinski also served one season (1998) as an assistant coach at her alma mater in Indiana before accepting the head coaching post at Rhodes College in 1999.
A former Division III Women’s Representative for the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Board of Directors, Wolinski has also been actively involved with Memphis area youth volleyball programs, most recently serving as the director for the Memphis Juniors Volleyball Association (MJVA). In 2003 she was the recipient of the Robert L. Lindsey Meritorious Service Award for her work with the Delta Region of USA Volleyball.
She received a Master’s Degree in Sport Administration from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1999, while also becoming a 2006 graduate of the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy and a 2010 graduate of the WCA’s Dimension II program.
Head Coach … Eastern Illinois (NCAA DI)
2015 … 16-15 / 11-5 OVC
2016 ... 5-26 / 2-14
Totals ... 21-41 (.339)
Assistant Coach … Mississippi State (NCAA DI)
2014 … 7-26 / 2-16 SEC
2013 … 12-20 / 3-15 SEC
Head Coach … Rhodes College (NCAA DIII)
1999 … 9-18 … AVCA Team Academic Award
2000 … 20-19
2001 … 17-20
2002 … 22-19
2003 … 23-15
2004 … 25-11 … SCAC Coach of the Year
2005 … 23-14
2006 … 29-12 … NCAA DIII Regional Finalist … SCAC Coach of the Year … AVCA Team Academic Award
2007 … 20-16 … AVCA Team Academic Award
2008 … 18-22 … AVCA Team Academic Award
2009 … 14-25 … AVCA Team Academic Award
2010 … 18-21 … AVCA Team Academic Award
2011 … 16-22 … AVCA Team Academic Award
2012 … 7-25 … AVCA Team Academic Award
Totals … 261-259 (.502)
Assistant Coach … Earlham College (NCAA DIII)
1998 … 11-21
Education
Masters … Canisius College, 1999
Bachelors … Earlham College, 1996
Playing Career
Basketball, Softball & Volleyball ... Earlham College (1992-95)