Finishing as the NCAA runner-up for two of the previous three seasons, Rich Luenemann won his second national championship in 2007.

Already one of the most successful coaches in Division III volleyball history, Luenemann added another tier to his impressive resume when Washington U. defeated the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 3-2, to win the 2007 national championship, its Division III record ninth title. The Bears began the season with a 7-4 record, but Luenemann's squad rebounded to end the year winning 26 of its final 27 matches, finishing 33-5 overall. During that closing stretch, WU fell only to Emory University, 3-2, in the University Athletic Association championship match.

After 23 seasons and 1,053 matches, Luenemann won his first national title in 2003. The Bears cruised through conference play, winning their 15th straight UAA championship. WU, which went 38-3, ended the season with a 28-match winning streak, culminating in a 3-0 triumph over conference rival New York University in the national championship match. It was the Bears’ Division-III record eighth title and their first since 1996.

Luenemann nearly won his second championship in 2006, falling to top-ranked Juniata College, 3-2, in the national championship match. WU ended the season with a 38-2 overall record, and it picked up its 18th UAA championship in the process.

In 2005, the Bears opened the season with a 33-match winning streak, the third-longest streak in program history and the eighth-longest in Division III history. Furthermore, a program-best five student-athletes earned AVCA All-America accolades as WU finished with a 35-2 overall record.

In 2004, Luenemann led the Bears back to the national championship match for the third-consecutive season, where they fell to Juniata College, 3-0. WU finished the year with a 32-7 overall record and its 16th-straight UAA title.

In his first season in 1999, he coached the Bears to a 31-9 record and advanced to the NCAA Regionals. In 2000, Luenemann led the Bears to a 34-5 record and a NCAA third-place finish. Luenemann was rewarded for his efforts by being named South Region Coach of the Year. In 2001, he led the Bears to a 32-6 record and an appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. WU went 41-2 en route to a second-place finish in 2002.

Luenemann has compiled a record of 314-41 (.885) in nine seasons at the helm of the Washington University Bears volleyball program. During those nine years, he has mentored WU to seven conference championships and nine postseason appearances (including five trips to the NCAA title match). He picked up career win No. 900 midway through the 2007 season; his career record is 904-303 (.749); those 904 career wins rank second among active Division III coaches.

Luenemann, who was one of the most successful coaches in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) history, came to Washington U. from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., where he compiled an 18-year record of 590-262 (.692) and coached the Fighting Saints to the NAIA Tournament seven times. Luenemann's most successful season came in 1990, when he posted a 37-11 record and led St. Francis to a fourth-place national finish. The Saints made their most recent post-season appearance in 1994, finishing fifth.

A 1996 inductee into the NAIA's Volleyball Hall of Fame, Luenemann ranks fifth among NAIA coaches in career victories, and his win total rated third among active NAIA coaches at the conclusion of the 1998 season. He was twice (1990, 1994) been named the NAIA's Central Region Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

Luenemann coached 15 NAIA All-Americans at St. Francis and eight of his players were named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. His teams won at least 30 matches in a season 11 times, including a career-best 53-6 record in 1989.

An associate athletic director at St. Francis since 1986, Luenemann also won eight District 20 and six Bi-District titles. His 1994 squad captured the NAIA Great Lakes Region crown. A member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Hall of Fame, Luenemann guided the Saints to 14 conference titles, including the last 13 in succession. He was named the league's coach of the year seven times (1984, 1986-88, 1990, 1994-95) and served as the chair of the CCAC's volleyball committee.

Active in the profession, Luenemann served two terms as the president of the National NAIA Volleyball Coaches Association, as well as a vice president's role. A member of the NAIA All-America selection committee and the NAIA national championship tournament selection committee, he also served on the selection committee for the 1990 U.S. Sports Festival at the University of Iowa.

The 57-year-old Luenemann coached freshman and sophomore baseball at Joliet East H.S. from 1975 to 1978 before he became an assistant coach with the renowned Windy City Volleyball Club in Chicago from 1979 to 1981. He also served three years as an assistant coach at St. Francis (1978-1980) before assuming the head coaching duties in 1981.

Quick Facts About Luenemann

Years at WU: Nine (314-41, .885)

Additional Coaching Experience:
University Level --
1978-80: Assistant volleyball coach, University of St. Francis, Joliet, Ill.
1981-98: Head volleyball coach, University of St. Francis. Career record of 590-262 (.692).

ClubLevel --
1979-81: Assistant coach, Windy City Volleyball Club, Chicago, Ill.
1984: Head coach, Prairie State Games, Champaign, Ill. College

Education:
Bachelor's degree in psychology from Eastern Illinois University, 1972. Master's degree in education with an emphasis on physical education from Eastern Illinois, 1974.

Coaching Honors:
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee in 1996; NAIA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year, 1994; NAIA District 20 Coach of the Year, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1990; American Volleyball Coaches Association NAIA Central Region Coach of the Year, 1990, 1994; Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, 1984, 1986-88, 1990, 1994-95; University Athletic Association Coach of the Year, 2002, 2004, 2006; Central Region Coach of the Year, 2003, 2005; National Coach of the Year, 2003, 2007.

Family:
Married to Joan Luenemann. The couple have three children: Holly (36), Brian (32) and Emily (17).

Year-by-Year with Rich Luenemann