Belle Volleyball Camps
Coaching Staff
Evan Amstutz
Assistant Coach
Angelo State head volleyball coach Chuck Waddington has announced the hiring of Ben Farmer who has joined the Belles as an assistant coach after previous coaching experience at Texas A&M and Houston Baptist.
"I am really excited to add Ben to our staff," Waddington said. "He is motivated to be great at everything he does, which is something that is a big part of our team culture. He is an exceptional trainer and is well connected in the recruiting world. His experience as an assistant at both Texas A&M and Houston Baptist will help us both on and off the court. I am really looking forward to working with him."
"So far Angelo State seems unique in the amount of support it gives to its programs," Farmer said. "The athletic department and University have embraced the volleyball program tremendously and it looks like they make every effort they can to allow us to be successful. That coupled with Chuck's vision and the players he recruits, leads me to expect great success for this program. I am very excited about contributing to that and grinding in the gym to help this team reach that next level."
Farmer, 26, is a Cove, Texas native who worked for three seasons from 2012-14 as an assistant coach at Houston Baptist where he was responsible for training, scouting, statistical analysis and video coordination for the Huskies who are a NCAA Division I program which has competed in the Southland Conference the past two seasons. In Farmer's first season at HBU, the Huskies went 20-10 and were Co-Great West Conference Champions and reached the conference tournament final.
A club volleyball player during his final two years at Barbers Hill High School, Farmer turned down opportunities to play NCAA volleyball to attend Texas A&M where he would earn his bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 2012. Despite the Aggies not having an NCAA volleyball program, Farmer continued his path in the sport by serving as a practice player for the women's volleyball program before working as a student manager for the Aggies from 2009-11 and then as a volunteer assistant coach from 2011-12. Texas A&M advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2009 and reached the second round of the national tournament in 2011 during Farmer's time with the program.
Along with his coaching experience, Farmer continues to play competitive volleyball throughout Texas and at the USAV Adult Open National Championship. During high school he played in the Gulf Coast Volleyball Association and then joined the Texas A&M men's volleyball club team where he played outside hitter for five years while he was also helping coach the women's program. His club team won four Southern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Conference Championships and he was an all-conference performer. The club team won the 2010 National Intercollegiate Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) National Championship with a sweep of Florida. Farmer also served as the president of the TAMU Men's Volleyball Club for three years.
He is also involved with camps and was a head club coach for the Brazos Valley Juniors, Houston Skyline and Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas. Farmer led the Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas 17 Attack to a national championship title at the 2015 Girls Junior National Championships on July 1st in New Orleans.
Farmer joins an Angelo State program which has advanced to a program-record four straight NCAA Division II South Central Championships and has played in the past six LSC Championship finals. ASU is coming off a 21-9 overall record in the 2014 season where they reached the conference tournament final and then earned an at-large bid to the NCAA DII South Central Championship in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Belles finished the campaign with an 11-3 home-court record and were 11-5 in LSC play.
"I want to win championships and reach the Elite 8," Farmer said. "From the research I have done and stepping on campus to work camp in June I got to meet some of the girls and witness their passion for the game and willingness to work to maximize talent. With that drive and attitude, I am confident we can reach those goals and even more. I've had a taste of national championships and I want more, I feel like this is a place we can do that.
"Also, college was a huge period of development for me and I was surrounded by great mentors that invested in me and made me who I am today. I am very appreciative of that and hope that I can make that kind of impact on the players that I coach, not only in the gym and classroom, but also in their lives as productive human beings."
Additional Camp Staff
Court Coaches and Instructors consist of current and former Division I and II collegiate volleyball players and coaches as well as top Junior Olympic Club and High School Coaches from the area.
