In just his third season at the helm of the Hardin-Simmons volleyball program, head coach Hugh Hernesman has turned the Cowgirls into the top team in the American Southwest Conference.

He led the Cowgirls to their first American Southwest Conference title in 2006. HSU also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. HSU was 19-15 playing against a national schedule, that saw them play seven teams that appeared in the NCAA rankings.

Hernesman led the Cowgirls to a 19-11 mark in 2005 and the Cowgirls won the ASC West Division for the first time. HSU also advanced to the finals of the ASC Tournament. He is 28-28 in his first two seasons.

Last year the Cowgirls had two first-team All-ASC players and Virginia Aguilar was named the ASC West Player of the Year and was also named an Academic All-American.

Hernesman came to HSU after an extremely successful nine-year stint as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III national powerhouse UW-Whitewater.

Last summer Hernesman participated as a coach at the High Performance Camp, which is a feeder program for the US National Olympic Team and serves as an identification tool for USA Volleyball. There were 25 of the top players in the North Texas region.

In his nine years at UWW, the team went to Four Final Fours- winning the 2002 NCAA National Championship, placing second in 2000 and 2001 and third in 1995. UWW compiled an .871 winning percentage (305-45). A team that he was instrumental in recruiting won the 2005 NCAA National Championship.

In addition, Hernesman was the position coach for eight ACVA All-Americans- including the 2001 National Player of the Year, 10 AVCA All-Region players and 14 WIAC All-Conference performers.

Hernesman served as UWW's recruiting coordinator and coached their left-side hitters from 1995-98 and their setters and right-side hitters from 1999-2003. Additional responsibilities included game plan development, offensive strategy development, service zone calling and fundraising.

Hernesman also started the UWW men's volleyball club in 1992 where he was a 4-time All-Conference performer, 1994 WVC Co-MVP, and led the Warhawks to a then-school and conference best 9th place finish at the Division I level of the NIRSA National tournament.

Upon graduation, he became coach of the men's program where he was able to tally over 230 wins and led UWW to a conference and school-best fifth-place finish at the Division I level of the NIRSA National tournament in 2002 along with making the team a regular Top 25 program from 1998-2003.

Hernesman and wife Stephanie have an infant son, Austin.