Craig Bere,Craig Bere enters his third season at the helm of the University of Southern Indiana volleyball coach after leading his squad to within three points of a second consecutive GLVC Tournament title and trip to the NCAA II Tournament.
Bere's Screaming Eagles finished 2003 with a 21-9 record and an 8-6 mark in the GLVC. Despite finishing fifth in the GLVC regular season standings, Bere rallied his Eagles to the GLVC Championship game, a place the Eagles have now been at for four straight seasons.
During his first season with the Eagles, Bere led USI to a 26-8 overall record, an 11-3 mark in conference play, and USI's first GLVC Tournament crown, NCAA II Tournament appearance, and NCAA II Tournament win.
He is well on his way to becoming the fastest coach in USI history to reach the 50-win plateau, something only two coaches in the program's 24-year history have done. With six wins, he would move into second all-time at USI in victories.
Prior to taking the job at USI,
Bere was at Mississippi State University where he had been an
assistant coach since 1997. He served as the coordinator of the Bulldog
defense and worked closely with MSU's outside hitters on the court. Bere
coordinated MSU's recruiting efforts and handled additional administrative
duties off the court.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Bere was a standout four-sport letterman at
Doss High School, competing in football, basketball, baseball, and soccer.
Bere attended Morehead State University, where he was a kicking specialist on
the Eagles football team and became a member of the men's club volleyball
team. His involvement with the club team launched his career as a volleyball
coach.
He joined Morehead's varsity women's volleyball coaching staff in 1993, first
as an undergraduate and then as a graduate student, before filling a full-time
assistant coach position.
While Bere was on the Morehead State staff, the Eagles claimed regular season
runner-up honors, captured the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title, and
advanced to the 1993 NIVC. In 1995 Morehead State marched to the finals of the
OVC Tournament, taking runner-up honors.
A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Bere has served as a
camp instructor in summer volleyball camps in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and
Michigan.
Bere earned a bachelor's degree in health in 1995 and a
master's degree in health, physical education, and recreation in 1997 at
Morehead State. He and his wife, Shannon, reside in Evansville.
Shannon
Wells
Assistant Volleyball Coach
Shannon Wells enters her first season as an assistant coach for the USI volleyball program. Wells will assist in all facets of the USI volleyball program.
Arguably one of the greatest players in USI volleyball history, Wells is
the Screaming Eagles’ all-time leader in career kills (1,866), service aces
(319), and digs (1,353). She also finished second in her career at USI in
attacking percentage (.285).
The three-time All-GLVC and All-Region performer led the Eagles to the 2002
GLVC Championship and a berth in the NCAA II Tournament, both firsts for the
USI volleyball program.
Wells was named the GLVC Player of the Year as a senior in 2002 after leading
the league in total kills (553), kills per game (4.81), total service aces
(125), and service aces per game (1.09). She was second in the league as a
senior in total digs (458), third in digs per game (3.98), and tied for 12th
in attacking percentage (.284).
She was named the 2002-03 GLVC Paragon Award winner in May of 2003 and was the
inaugural USI/Integra Bank Female Student Athlete of the Year in 2002-03.
Following her volleyball career, Wells played basketball for the Eagles where
she averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in two seasons. The
Merrillville, Indiana, native helped lead the Eagles to a 20-10 mark in
2003-04 and a berth in the NCAA II Tournament.
