Charlie Brande Position: Head Coach Experience: 9th season

Charlie Brande begins his ninth season as the head coach of the women's volleyball team. After earning post-season berths in 2003 and 2004, Brande has put together a talented and promising squad for 2008. Last season, Brande led the Anteaters to a third-place finish in the Big West, their highest since 2003, and returns 14 of 18 letterwinners, including six of seven starters. In 2007 five Anteaters were named to All-Big West teams under Brande last year for the first time in the program's history and four conference honorees will anchor the 2008 team. Leading the group is sophomore outside hitter Kari Pestolesi, who became the program's first AVCA West Region Freshman of the Year, was named Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and also earned first-team honors. Also returning is two-time All-Big West selections Lauren Kellerman and Taryn Robertson as well as all-conference libero Devon Sutherland.

In seven seasons, Brande has tutored 27 All-Big West Conference selections and seven of his players have amassed 14 Player of the Week awards. Two Anteaters, Kelly Wing and Amanda Vazquez, were named AVCA All-Americans while Wing became UCI's first Big West Player of the Year in the sport of women's volleyball in 2004.

Brande began his UCI coaching career as the head coach of the men's program. Serving as the Director of Volleyball from 1999-2002, Brande guided the men's team to 13 wins in 2001 for its then-third largest number of wins in school history and also steered that team to its second post-season appearance, upsetting four higher-ranked teams along the way. In 1999 Brande was awarded Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year honors after his team recorded wins over then-No. 1 Long Beach State, No. 2 UCLA and No. 7 Hawaii. He produced 10 All-MPSF honorees as well as three All-Americans in his tenure.

Brande has also remained a prominent figure in the club arena, serving as the Orange County Volleyball Club's director since 1982. In that 24-year span, he has administered 29 national championship teams and produced over 300 collegiate women's volleyball players, including 16 NCAA All-Americans. Thirteen of 19 Club Cups have been won under the OCVBC banner and several former players remain prominent figures in volleyball today. Several collegiate coaches have passed through OCVBC, including Long Beach State's Debbie Green-Vargas, Wellesley's Dorothy Webb and former Indiana coach Elaina Oden. Former national team players Bev Oden and Jenny Evans, AVP pro Rachel Wacholder and former USC standout April Ross all competed under Brande during their club years.

Brande also retains his connections to men's and boys volleyball as well. As the director of the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club since 1976, Brande won 25 national titles and sent more than 90 players to the men's collegiate ranks.

Prior to being named head coach at UC Irvine, Brande was assistant men's and women's coach at the University of Hawaii (1980-81) and a former UCLA assistant women's coach in 1982. Also on his resume are stints as head coach at Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor High Schools, winning two boys' and two girls' CIF championships and one state title in girls' volleyball.

Brande, a 1969 graduate of UC Irvine and a member of the Anteaters' first basketball team is UCI's fourth women's volleyball head coach.

He and his daughter, Kaili, live in Newport Beach.