Chris Werner joined the Southern Utah University coaching staff as a full-time assistant coach in 2014 after having served in a volunteer capacity in 2013.
Werner has had previous coaching experience as head coach of Umpqua Community College for one year, where he led the Riverhawks to its only winning season in 20 years. He inherited a team that went 19-25 and led the squad to a 31-19 record under his tutelage.
The majority of his experience came with Pocatello Elite, one of Idaho's prominent volleyball clubs, where he was co-owner, director and head coach. In his nine years on the club level, Werner recorded a winning percentage over .800 and, with co-head coach Tawna Ellis, guided Pocatello Elite to top-15 rankings in the USA Volleyball National Division. Werner and Ellis' Pocatello Elite squads generated numerous high school all-Americans, a pair of Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year awards, an AVCA junior college all-American and numerous high school players going on to play at colleges and universities throughout the nation.
In addition to coaching on the floor, Werner is also a contributor to The Art of Coaching Volleyball website, owned and operated by the head coaches of Penn State, Stanford and Oregon State.
"I would like to thank Debby Baker, athletic director Ken Beazer and President Wyatt for the opportunity to be a part of the SUU volleyball staff," Werner said. "I am humbled by the chance and excited to learn from a great coach and look forward to contributing what I can."
Werner graduated from Idaho State in 2004 with a degree in economics and a graduate degree in business administration from Northwest Nazarene in 2012. He is single and resides in Cedar City.
