Wisconsin sets three school records and 11 personal bests in win
The winningest coach in Wisconsin volleyball history, Pete Waite has led the Badgers to new heights in his tenure.
In 13 years at the UW, the Badgers are an impressive 288-131 (.687) with nine 20-plus win seasons. Waite, a native of the Madison area, is the all-time winningest volleyball coach in UW history, both in number of wins and winning percentage. He is also the only Badger volleyball coach to win 100 Big Ten Conference matches.
Overall, Waite ranks 21st among active Division I head coaches with a .705 winning percentage (556-233) in 24 years. He also ranks 19th in total number of wins. Waite won his 500th career match on Sept. 12, 2008, becoming the 24th action Division I coach and the 41st coach of all time to win 500 matches.
Waite has led his Badgers to nine NCAA appearances. Wisconsin made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA championship match in 2000, finishing second. The Badgers finished among the top-eight teams in the country in 2004 and 2005, made sweet 16 appearances in 2001 and 2006, and advanced to second-round action in 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2007.
Waite's Honors
Coach of the Year
2006 Big Ten Conference
2001 Big Ten Conference
AVCA Mideast Regional
2000 Big Ten Conference
AVCA Mideast Regional
1997 Mid-American Conference
1993 Mid-Continent Conference
1992 Mid-American Conference
1985 North Central Community College
Professional Players
Amanda Berkley - Cyprus
Erin Byrd - AVP
Lizzy Fitzgerald - Puerto Rico, France
Audra Jeffers - New Zealand
Kelly Kennedy - USPV
Sherisa Livingston - Puerto Rico, Netherlands, Indonesia, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece
Jenny Maastricht - AVP
Taylor Reineke - Switzerland
Lori Rittenhouse - Spain, Croatia
Claudia Rodriguez - Mexican National Team, Spain, Puerto Rico
Sheila Shaw - France, Germany
Morgan Shields - Sweden, Portugal
Jackie Simpson - Germany, Cyprus
Individual Awards
• 12 AVCA All-Americans
• 8 Asics/Volleyball All-Americans
• 17 AVCA All-Region
• 2 Big Ten Players of the Year
• 25 All-Big Ten
• 1 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
• 11 Big Ten All-Freshman Team Members
Academic Awards
• 77 Academic All-Big Ten Honorees
On the Big Ten level, Wisconsin won league titles in 2000 and 2001 with identical 19-1 records. In 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2007, the Badgers finished second in the conference. Waite is 165-95 (.635) in Big Ten play.
Waite was honored by his colleagues by being named the Big Ten and AVCA Mideast Regional Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001. He was also honored in 2006 as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
At Wisconsin, Waite has coached 10 All-Americans, 14 AVCA All-Region first-team selections, two Big Ten Players of the Year and 20 first-team All-Big Ten honorees. He has also coached one Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 13 members of the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Wisconsin has placed at least one player on the Big Ten All-Freshman team 11 of the 12 years that the award has been presented, including two honorees in 2008 and 2011.
Waite came to Wisconsin from Northern Illinois where he was the winningest volleyball coach in program history. He had an 11-year record of 266-102 (.723 winning percentage) including nine 20-plus win seasons. The Huskies were 81-19 (.810) in his last three years, including three consecutive NCAA tournament bids. NIU appeared in four NCAA tournaments under Waite, advancing to the second round three times. The Huskies also appeared in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 1991, 1992, and 1994, and declined an invitation to the NIVC in 1995.
Northern Illinois won eight regular-season conference titles and six conference tournaments under Waite. Three times he was named the conference coach of the year. Individually, Waite coached four AVCA all-region players, four conference players of the year, 14 first-team all-conference honorees, one conference newcomer of the year and four members of the conference all-newcomer team.
Prior to being named the head coach at Northern Illinois, Waite spent two years as an assistant coach at Illinois State. In 1984 and 1985, he was the head coach at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Ill., leading the Cyclones to the 1985 North Central Community College Conference championship. Waite was named the conference coach of the year in 1985.
Waite spent one year as the director and coach of the Chicago Power Volleyball Club in Orland Park, Ill., and two years as a coach with the 2nd City Volleyball Club in Chicago. He started his coaching career in 1981 at Muncie (Ind.) Northside High School and spent the next year as a junior varsity coach at his alma mater, Monona Grove (Wis.) High School. Waite also coached one year at Bremen High School in Midlothian, Ill.
Waite played volleyball and graduated from Monona Grove High School. He played volleyball at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., from 1977-81 with a team that consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally. The 1979 Cardinal squad finished fourth in the NCAA tournament after winning the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title with a perfect 14-0 record. Waite received All-MIVA honors his junior and senior years, and was named team co-captain and co-MVP in 1980. He received his bachelor's degree in education from Ball State in 1981.
In 2008, Waite was honored by his alma mater, receiving the Don Shondell Lifetime Achievement award for 25 years of outstanding volleyball coaching.
Waite and his wife, Carrie, have two sons, Ryan, 27, a 2006 graduate of the UW, and Eric, 24, a 2010 graduate of UW-Oshkosh where he played volleyball. Ryan and his wife Carissa were married during the summer of 2011 while Eric got engaged to Katie Steil during the summer as well.
