Liesl has been coaching volleyball at a variety of levels for over 30 years. She was the head women's volleyball coach at Augustana College from 1992-2002 and has the record for most wins in the school's history, along with several accolades, including two CCIW championship titles, two CCIW coach-of-the-year honors and the school’s only appearance in the NCAA postseason tournament.
While coaching the women’s program, she founded the Augustana Men's Volleyball Club and served as the head coach for three seasons. She stays connected to the program by serving as the faculty mentor for the NCAA III women’s team. In addition to coaching at Augustana, Liesl served as women's athletic director, assistant track coach, compliance officer and chair of the health and physical education department. Liesl also assisted with the coordination and management of the NCAA III National Volleyball Championships for seven years in her role on the NCAA III National Volleyball Selections Committee. Liesl has coached youth and high school programs for both boys and girls through several Quad City area clubs and feeder programs. She has experience as a camp coach at the Iowa Volleyball Region’s elite High Performance Camp, is an IMPACT and CAP II certified coach and is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
An Iowa Select coach since 2018, Liesl started as a co-director of the regionally acclaimed Iowa Select Youth Program. Attracting kids from two states, varying in ages U9 through U12, the Youth Program, youth clinics and camps reach hundreds of boys and girls in developmental programs that run year round. Along with veteran Select coach Kelly Kelley, the youth program successfully implemented fun, innovative programs focusing on introductory skills, building confidence, individual and team concepts, all while having the opportunity for real tournament level competition at a young age.
Liesl was a part of the 2022 coaching staff that led the 12 Mizuno team to the club’s first regional championship. In 2023 she served as assistant for the 13 Mizuno team, who also won a regional title. In 2024, Liesl will partner again with Head Coach Greg Cotton on the staff of 14 Mizuno. Liesl continues her role as Director of Club Dynamics. With an emphasis on communication among families, players and coaches, Liesl oversees the All-Star Parents, the Team-to-Team mentoring, the player-nominated Select Effect recognition program and is a conduit for connecting coaches with the resources they need to build team unity.
"Working directly with coaches and our team parent representatives puts the family culture at the center of everything we do. By focusing on team cohesiveness and fostering the capacity for leadership within our players, we can emphasize the importance of giving back to the sport that has given us each so much. My hope is that our coaches and players feel supported to develop their tools to be successful not only during the club season, but also off the court and their lives beyond sport."
Liesl currently works full-time as an Assistant Dean and College Registrar at Augustana. She is passionate about giving back through local organizations such as Girls on the Run Quad Cities, United Way Quad Cities, and the Girl Scouts. Liesl earned her BA from Augustana and her MA from the University of Iowa. She and her husband Mark live in Bettendorf. They have three children and one grandson. Their son Jackson is an Iowa Select alumni and also coaches with the club. Their daughter Karin played five seasons with Iowa Select and is continuing her education and volleyball career at St Olaf College.