Mike Watkins
Head Coach

Mike Watkins enters his fourth season as head coach of the Siena Heights women’s volleyball program and fifth as the Siena Heights men’s coach. He began at SHU in the fall of 2007 as an assistant coach. Since then, he became the first head coach of the Saints’ men’s volleyball program and eventually took over as head coach for the women.

In three seasons with the women, Watkins has compiled a 28-64 overall record and 7-32 mark in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference after taking on a program that has had some recent struggles. He now has the task of creating a more competitive and winning environment. Through three years of improvements, he is working towards creating a culture change, which he has done historically throughout his coaching career.

Watkins had his best year at Siena Heights in 2011 when the Saints finished with a 15-16 record and 3-6 slate in the WHAC. The season highlight occurred when the seventh-seeded Saints emerged from WHAC Tournament pool play with a 2-0 record -- they swept eight-seed Michigan-Dearborn and two-seed Cornerstone. SHU then fell in the WHAC Tournament semifinals to Northwestern Ohio.

In Watkins’ three seasons with the women’s team, the Saints have been racking up several accolades including the 2011 Freshman of the Year honor, an All-WHAC honorable mention, two All-Freshman Team mentions, 11 Academic All-WHAC awards and an NAIA Scholar-Athlete Award.

As coach of the Adrian College women’s team from 1999 to 2005, Watkins took a squad that was 13-17 in his first season to a 21-7 record in his last campaign. As a women’s volleyball coach, he has a 132-154 career record.
Watkins has a vast volleyball background including coaching experience at Adrian College, Adrian High School and Tecumseh High School.

Watkins became the first-ever SHU men’s volleyball coach and has guided the team through its first four seasons. He diligently worked towards putting a competitive club on the floor in January 2009. He was able to recruit students who were already in attendance at Siena Heights while bringing in a large class of freshmen to make an immediate impact.   Watkins’ career record as a men’s coach stands at 54-50.

Chelsea Tillotson
Assistant Coach

Chelsea Tillotson is in her second year as an assistant coach for the Siena Heights men's women's volleyball programs after a successful collegiate career at Duquesne (Pa.) where she majored in Sociology.

A setter for the Dukes, Tillotson earned the No. 4 ranking on the school’s all-time assists list with 2,572. As a senior, she ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference with 818 assists.

Tillotson is also a graduate of Tecumseh High School, where she earned All-Southeastern Conference, all-county, all-region and all-district accolades.

Tim O'Brien
Assistant Coach

Siena Heights men's volleyball alum Tim O'Brien has returned to campus as a graduate assistant coach for the Saints' men's and women's volleyball programs.

O'Brien, a native of Beavercreek, Ohio, and graduate of Carroll High School, is in his first season as an assistant coach after playing four years for the Saints. In three varsity seasons appeared in 189 sets and compiled 39 kills, 87 assists, 17 aces, 217 digs and 11 total blocks.

In 2011, O'Brien was head coach of the Britton-Deerfield girls' volleyball team. He has also coached two teams for the Siena Volleyball Academy.