Feb. 9, 2009

Champaign, Ill. - Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly is in the process of filling his staff for 2009 and has announced that one of the those spots will go to five-year assistant coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg.

Oldenburg and Hambly both joined the Illinois staff in 2004 and have worked side-by-side in the growth of the program, which included a third-place Big Ten finish, a Sweet 16 appearance and a no. 11 final national ranking in 2008.

"Jen has been a significant part of our success here," Hambly said. "She brings a great knowledge of the Big Ten, both as a player and as a coach and is very familiar with our system and technique. She has also been a big part of our success in recruiting. Having her with us will help make this a seamless transition for both myself and the players."

Oldenburg assists in all aspects of the program, with her main focus being on court training, recruiting coordination, travel, summer camps and compliance/equipment/facilities liaison. She has been a motivating force during practices and matches. Her work with the serving and passing as well as the defensive specialists was instrumental to the success of the 2008 season. During her time at Illinois, she has also shared her expertise with the setters.

"I'm really excited about the future here at Illinois," Oldenburg said. "We have a group of players going for even bigger and better things and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of it. Once offered, the decision to stay was really a no-brainer."

A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Oldenburg is a charter member of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Hall of Fame, which includes golf legend Arnold Palmer. She earned Gatorade/Pennsylvania Volleyball Player of the Year and was named the Female Athlete of the Year by both the Pittsburgh Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune. Oldenburg has been inducted into the Baldwin High School Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

As a collegian, Oldenburg helped Ohio State to four straight NCAA appearances from 1996-99 and was twice named All-Big Ten, including first team all-conference honors in 1999. She remains the only volleyball player to be named All-Big Ten at two different positions (outside hitter and setter). Oldenburg ranks sixth in OSU history with 3,213 assists, ninth with 1,138 digs and 10th with 274 blocks.

Oldenburg was one of the top setters in the country in the early part of the this decade, starting for the USA National Team and leading the Americans to the silver medal at the 2002 World Championships. She was also a starter for the Grand Rapids Force of the USPV and played on the USPV "Dream Team," starting at setter for the Millennium Cup champion USPV All-Stars, during which she was named to the all-tournament team.

Her husband, Steve, is a strength and conditioning coach for the University of Illinois. He trains the volleyball team as well as women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and men's golf.

Hambly has interviewed candidates for the other assistant spot and is expected to fill that vacancy in the coming weeks.