Yankus named new Redhawks volleyball coach

It didn't take Southeast Missouri State long to find a new volleyball coach.

Julie Yankus was named to fill the position Thursday, barely three weeks after Renata Heard announced her resignation.

Yankus spent the past five years as associate head coach at Southern Illinois-Carbondale. She coached the outside hitters and oversaw recruiting, scouting and equipment.

"We are very excited to have Julie Yankus accept the women's volleyball position at Southeast," associate director of athletics Cindy Gannon said in a release. "Julie brings a very strong background with her outstanding playing career and coaching experience, and we feel that she is a perfect fit to guide our women's volleyball program. We welcome Julie to Southeast Missouri State."

Before her stint at SIU, Yankus spent two years as the top assistant at Georgia State.

Yankus played volleyball from 1998 thru 2001 at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she was part of the winningest class in the program's history. She was a member of four NCAA tournament teams and earned two all-conference academic team honors.

"I'd like to thank [director of athletics] John Shafer, Cindy Gannon and the rest of the search committee for this opportunity," Yankus said in a release. "I think there is a great opportunity for this program to get to the top tier of the Ohio Valley Conference. I am excited and look forward to working with this group of young women."

Yankus, a native of New Berlin, Wis., officially will begin her duties March 22.

Heard compiled a six-year record of 85-99 before resigning after her husband Grant was hired as an assistant football coach at Arkansas State.

Heard led the 2007 Redhawks to a share of the program's first OVC regular-season title since 2000, but the Redhawks missed the OVC tournament the past two years. Southeast previously had qualified for every OVC tournament since joining the league in 1991.