Chris Willis - Volleyball Coach - Davidson College Athletics

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Chris Willis

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
chwillis@davidson.edu
Phone:
2633

Please send recruiting correspondence to vbrecruiting@davidson.edu

Chris Willis became the head coach of the Davidson volleyball program at the start of the 2011 season.

Entering his 13^th season at the helm, Willis capped off one of the strongest three-year periods in program history at the end of the 2023 season.

The Wildcats played host to the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship, while collecting a 56-34 overall record and 35-17 conference ledger since the start of the 2021 campaign.

The ‘Cats finished fourth in the A-10 during 2023, led by senior libero Bella Brady, who captured her third consecutive Libero of the Year honor from the conference. In addition to Brady’s major award and First Team All-Conference honors, Willis also coached Sola Omonije ’24 and Elena Garcia-Guerrios ’27 to Second Team and All-Rookie honors, respectively.

During the 2022 campaign, the Saint Louis native guided his program to arguably the most successful season in school history. The 2022 campaign consisted of an early-season 3-1 win over Virginia Tech, a 7-0 start to A-10 play, a weekend sweep over Dayton for the first time ever and the first 20-win season in two decades.

Along the way, Willis and the Wildcats recorded the first three postseason wins in program history as Davidson went on a run to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship semifinals. As of a result of their success, Willis clinched his second-straight Co-Coach of the Year honor, while also coaching Bella Brady to back-to-back Libero of the Year awards and guiding Emma Slusser to a Rookie of the Year honor.

Willis' 10th season at the helm in the fall of 2021 proved to be one of his bests, as the Wildcats finished the regular season 14-12 overall and 10-6 in A-10 play, marking their best finish since the 2013 season and best season in the Atlantic 10 Conference in program history. With the success, Willis captured Co-Coach of the Year honors from the league, along with Bella Brady earning Co-Libero of the Year recognition. In addition to the major awards, Willis also coached freshman Isabel Decker and senior Hattie Rodriguez to All-Rookie and Second Team All-Conference seasons, respectively.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wildcats held their traditional 2020 season in the spring of 2021, picking up one of their most dynamic wins in program history by defeating VCU for the first time since 1994. The win over the Rams was just the second in program history, as the 'Cats won the first two sets, dropped the second two, and pulled out a 15-11 victory in the fifth, defining set.

That same season, Willis coached rookie libero Bella Brady to a breakout season, with the Florida native earning Rookie of the Week honors in the first week of her career as she recorded double-digit digs in 12 of the 13 matches in her debut season. Brady had four outings with 20+ digs, totaling 216 on the year.

The Wildcats posted 5-9 conference records in the A-10 for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, as Willis coached Mason Rooney to an All-Conference Second Team honor in 2018, and led Hattie Rodriguez and Madeline Wynn to earn 2019 Second Team and All-Rookie team recognition, respectively. Rodriguez and Wynn's awards marked the third time a Wildcat has been named to both the Second Teams and All-Rookie teams since Davidson joined the Atlantic 10 in 2015.

The 2017 campaign found Willis and the 'Cats overcoming adversity after losing seniors to season-ending injuries. His tutelage led captain Mason Rooney to national recognition, ranking second in the country in triple doubles. Freshman middle Ellie Crosley was also recognized, claiming A-10 Rookie of the Week and All-Rookie team honors.

Willis guided the 'Cats to their first Atlantic 10 Tournament appearance in 2016, where senior standout Emily Franklin was named Second Team All-Conference and led the league in blocks and blocks per set. Franklin was also ranked nationally for the statistic, and fellow veteran Mikayla Derochie graduated and signed a professional contract with the Iceland Mizuno League. Derochie is Willis' first professional player during his Davidson tenure.

2015 saw much improvement from its first season in the new conference. Willis guided the Wildcats to a 6-8 overall mark. Under his tutelage, Sabrina Shepherd was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. Shepherd became the second Wildcat to earn the honor, and the first since Michele Augustin was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 1992. Morgan Shannon ’16 represented Davidson on the conference’s all-academic team for the second consecutive season.

Willis led the transition into the Atlantic 10 in 2014. In the first season in their new conference, the Wildcats posted a 2-12 mark. Davidson rallied to overcome a 2-0 deficit to defeat Atlantic 10 foe St. Louis, Oct. 5. Morgan Shannon ’16 represented Davidson on the conference’s all-academic team.

The Wildcats started the season with a 3-0 showing at the Wildcat Classic to claim the championship, including a season-opening win over cross-county rival Charlotte. Davidson also claimed wins over Sam Houston State, High Point and Winthrop before going 7-9 in SoCon action. Despite finishing one game out of the SoCon Tournament, the ‘Cats took down top-ranked Georgia Southern on Senior Day to finish their home slate. Freshman Mikayla Derochie turned heads, claiming SoCon Rookie of the Week honors a league-record six times before earning all-freshman team accolades. Both Caroline Brown and Tindall Sewell graduated with their names etched in the Davidson all-time record books, with Sewell departing as both Davidson and the SoCon’s all-time leader in hitting percentage. Brown also earned all-conference second team honors for the second straight season.

The ‘Cats went 11-16 in 2012 with junior Caroline Brown earning All-SoCon Second Team honors for her stellar play throughout the season. Both Molly Crenshaw and Ariel Ley finished their careers ranked inside Davidson’s top-10 for digs and assists, respectively.

In his first season, then-sophomore Brown earned All-SoCon Second Team honors, finishing the season ranked second in the conference in both kills and assists. Middle hitter Tindall Sewell led the SoCon and the nation in hitting percentage, while setter Ariel Ley ranked third in assists.

The ‘Cats picked up nonconference wins over UNC Wilmington, NC Central, Coastal Carolina and Gardner-Webb, among others, before embarking on a 5-11 SoCon campaign. As a team, the Wildcats finished the season ranked fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.220) and digs (15.84).

Willis, who was an assistant coach at Davidson under Lisa Marston for two seasons from 1995-97, joined the Davidson staff to begin the 2011-12 season, after spending the past seven years as the head volleyball coach at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.

At Missouri Southern, Willis led the Lions to their first NCAA Tournament bid and a Top-25 ranking for only the second time in program history. He compiled a 104-126 overall record over seven seasons to leave as the program’s third winningest coach, and coached one Division II All-American, six all-region and 19 all-conference players over his tenure. Four of his seven teams were ranked in the regional polls, and in 2006, he led the Lions to a 23-12 record, a national ranking, an appearance in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Tournament and a berth in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.

Willis’ teams have also been successful off the court, earning the athletic department’s Highest Team GPA Award at Missouri Southern for the 2010 winter semester. Over seven seasons, he placed 40 student-athletes on the MIAA Commissioners Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to taking over the program at Missouri Southern, Willis worked as an assistant coach at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., for five seasons (1999-2004), where he was responsible for setter training, game management, film exchange, scouting, booster clubs and summer camps. He helped the team to its first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship and NCAA tournament bid in 20 years, and coached an All-American, an MVC Conference Player of the Year and 26 all-conference selections.

Willis also spent two seasons as an assistant at both Northern Arizona University (1997-99) in Flagstaff, Ariz., and Davidson (1995-1997). At Northern Arizona, Willis was responsible for outside hitter training, maintaining and developing the recruiting database, film exchange and managing the Lumberjack Court fundraising project and summer camps. He coached six all-conference players, including one Big Sky Conference Player of the Year.

Under Marston, Willis was responsible for training setters, developing and implementing the strength and conditioning program, film exchange and analysis and handling travel arrangements during his two seasons at Davidson. He began his coaching career in 1994 at Harris Stowe State College in St. Louis, Mo., where he was responsible for all aspects of coaching, training, recruiting and development within the volleyball program.

In addition to his coaching experience, Willis has taught classes in social aspects of physical education, lifetime wellness, volleyball theory and volleyball at Missouri Southern, Missouri State and Northern Arizona. He was a member of the NCAA D-II Regional Advisory Committee from 2005-07 and the NCAA D-II Awards Committee from 2006-10. An American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) member since 1994, Willis was the MVC representative on the AVCA D-I Assistant Coaches Committee during the 2003-04 season, and he is CAP Level II, IMPACT teacher and ACEP certified.

Willis earned his B.A. degree in psychology in 1991 from Baylor University, where he was a four-year setter and team captain for the men’s volleyball team. He also holds an M.S. in human performance and sport studies from the University of Tennessee, where he was a setter for the 1993-94 men’s volleyball team. Willis and his wife, Leslie, have two daughters, Hayden and Harper.