Beginning his second year at Judson University, Craig Vlietstra has started to lay a foundation for a championship program with new ideas for the Eagles.  His coaching experiences from top NCAA Division I and II programs and club programs have given him the knowledge to push Judson to become one of the top teams in the CCAC.  Vlietstra has been a part of NCAA Division I and II National Tournament teams and was on the coaching staff of the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championship team of Grand Valley State.   

"I am confident that Craig is the right coach to lead our volleyball program," says Director of Athletics Nancy Smith. "His outgoing personality, passion for volleyball and his desire to see student-athletes succeed in all facets of life will all contribute to furthering the success of our program. He has a wealth of experience at various levels and knows what it takes to win."

Success seems to follow Vlietstra wherever he goes. He has had the opportunity to coach at the NAIA, NCAA Division I, and NCAA Division II levels and been successful at each stop.

He came to Judson after one year at Michigan Tech (NCAA Division II). In just one year at Michigan Tech as an assistant coach, he helped the Huskies to only their sixth berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament and their first in 10 years. It was also Michigan Tech's first winning conference record in a decade.

In 2005, Vlietstra was an assistant coach at Grand Valley State University where he trained the setters. GVSU went 32-6 that season, won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, NCAA regional and then the NCAA Division II National Championship over the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Vlietstra received the head coaching job at Siena Heights, a NAIA university in Michigan, in 1999. Vlietstra's six years as the head volleyball coach at Siena Heights was his longest tenure to date. He was able to improve their winning percentage immediately and in 2000, his fellow coaches honored him with the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. He was also the academic liaison and the intramural director during his time at SHU.

Prior to that, Vlietstra spent the 1998 campaign as an assistant coach at Michigan State University in the Big 10. The Spartans tallied a 23-6 record and hosted a NCAA Tournament sub-regional during his stay. While at MSU, he had the chance to coach Jenna Wrobel who was an AVCA All-American, led the nation in kills per game, and was a member of the U.S. National Team. He also coached three players that were named all-Big 10.

He began his collegiate coaching career at Glen Oaks Community College in 1996 as an assistant coach the team went 82-27 in two years.

Vlietstra also has extensive, high-level club experience working with junior players. He is currently coaching the Sports Performance 18-Blue team in Illinois.  He has worked with the Premier Volleyball Club in Toledo, Ohio, for four years as the Director of Player Development. Vlietstra was in charge of all the training of the top teams for Premier. In 2003, the Premier 17-1 team won a National Championship. Vlietstra also has experience with Chicago-land club volleyball when he spent the 1998 club season at Sports Performance Volleyball Club in West Chicago, Ill. He was the head coach of the 14-1 team that went 69-17 and placed 15th at Nationals.

Vlietstra hails from Kalamazoo, Michigan where he received a bachelor of business administration in management and marketing from Western Michigan University in 1994. Vlietstra recently earned his master's degree in organizational leadership from Siena Heights in 2006.

Starting her collegiate coaching career at Judson, Jill Pearce adds several coaching years of experience to Craig Vlietstra's staff. Pearce, who has been coaching club volleyball the past nine years, bring six years of high school coaching from Crystal Lake South High School to Judson.  She will also have a chance to coach her sister, Carly Campioni.

While coaching at Crystal Lake South High School, Pearce was the assistant varsity coach. Her teams won the Illinois Regional Championships twice in 2003 and 2006 while also winning the Aurora Tournament Championship in 2006.

In high school at Crystal Lake South, she helped her team to second at the Illinois State Tournament in 1995 and to the Elite Eight in 1996. She also received the team blocking award.

Pearce was recently married in July 2008 and resides in Crystal Lake. She has a bachelor's degree in education and psychology from Beloit College and earned her master's degree in teaching and leadership from St. Xavier University in 2006. She currently is a third grade teacher in Crystal Lake.