Kuhn Hires Camargo to Complete Coaching Staff
Jan 18, 2018 | Volleyball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M head volleyball coach Laura "Bird" Kuhn completed her staff with the hiring of assistant coach Wendel Camargo. He joins Kolby O'Donnell, who was named associate head coach earlier this month.
"Wendel is a hidden gem," Kuhn said. "He is so knowledgeable in the game of volleyball, from his background training the Dominican Republic National Team and his experiences with the Brazilian leagues. His IQ of volleyball and the way he sees the game is so unique compared to other people just because of his background and the level he has played and trained. His ability to challenge while still connecting with players is going to be huge for us in the gym. I am already seeing and feeling the balance of Kolby and Wendel. The combination of our staffs' personalities and experience is so exciting as we begin to work with this young group of Aggies!"
"It is an incredible honor to have the opportunity to coach and develop players at a university with such rich tradition and significant resources like Texas A&M," Camargo said. "Even more exciting for me is the chance to work for Laura "Bird" Kuhn, and together with Kolby O'Donnell to build a special program that players want to be a part of as they find opportunities to succeed on the court and in the classroom."
Camargo comes to Texas A&M after serving the last four seasons as an assistant coach at James Madison University. Similar to Kuhn's history of impacting and transforming teams into consistent winning programs, Camargo was instrumental in the Dukes' immediate improvement and historic accomplishments during his tenure.
The Dukes won two Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles and two CAA tournament championships with Camargo on the coaching staff. They also made two NCAA tournament appearances and went 83-38 overall, having surpassed 20 wins in each of the last three seasons.
JMU had suffered back-to-back sub-.500 seasons but experienced a significant turnaround upon Camargo's arrival in the summer of 2014. In his first season, JMU reached the semifinals of the CAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed and finished the season 17-14 overall. In 2015, the Dukes tied for the CAA regular season championship, marking the first time JMU captured the title since 1999. In addition, the Dukes finished 22-8, topping the 20-win milestone for the first time since 2010 and equaling the most wins since 1999.
JMU not only defended its CAA regular season title in 2016 after winning the championship outright, but the Dukes swept the conference crowns by also winning the CAA Tournament. JMU, which was making its first appearance in a CAA championship match since 2002, received an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship for only the third time in program history and the first time since 2000. The Dukes finished the season 21-11 after narrowly falling to Coastal Carolina in five sets in the NCAA first round.
This past season JMU rallied to make its second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance as the No. 3-seeded Dukes upset No. 1 seed College of Charleston, 3-0, in the CAA Tournament championship match to earn the league's automatic bid. JMU fell to Colorado in the first round but still finished the season 23-6 to mark the most wins since 1999.
Camargo began a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Kansas in 2012, joining Kuhn who was beginning her second season as the Jayhawks' assistant coach. With Camargo primarily working with the liberos and defensive specialists, the Jayhawks tallied more than 1,900 digs each of his two seasons and averaged 15.9 digs per set.
In his first year, Kansas received its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005 and was awarded a No. 11 seed in the 64-team field. The Jayhawks narrowly fell 3-2 to Wichita State in the second round and finished the season, 26-7, an 11-win improvement from the 2011 season. In addition, Kansas made its first-ever appearance in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) final Top 25 Poll with a No. 25 ranking.
Kansas had another historic season in 2013 as the Jayhawks reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time and were ranked No. 17 in the final AVCA poll after going 25-8.
Prior to coaching in the United States, Camargo was a member of the coaching staff for the Dominican Republic National Team-Santo Domingo from 2009-12. He worked with the adult and junior national women's teams, including the 2012 Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) NORCECA Olympic Qualifiers. In 2010 he helped coach the Dominican Republic to the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship, the FIVB/NORCECA Final Four Women's Volleyball Cup and a first-place finish at the FIVB/NORCECA World Championship Qualifiers. He followed that up in 2011 by helping the team place second at the FIVB Junior Pan American Cup.
Camargo worked closely with Brenda Castillo, who was awarded Best Libero at the 2012 Summer Olympics after leading the Dominican Republic to a fifth place finish in London.
Prior to his time with the Dominican Republic National Team, Camargo coached in his home country of Brazil, including a stint in 2009 as the head coach at the University of Sao Paulo.
Camargo, who is married to Janaina Camargo and has one son, Zion, received his bachelor's degree in exercise science with an emphasis in physical education in 2008 from University Paulista in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he also played competitively. Professionally Camargo played for COTP, Rio Branco Americana in Brazil.
"I would especially like to thank Laura "Bird" Kuhn for this opportunity, as well as Senior Woman Administrator Lori Williams and Athletics Director Scott Woodward," Camargo said. "Also, thanks for my mentors Lauren Steinbrecher, Ray Bechard and Marcos Kiwiek, who helped me get ready for this moment. My wife and I are extremely excited to join the Texas A&M family."
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
"Wendel is a hidden gem," Kuhn said. "He is so knowledgeable in the game of volleyball, from his background training the Dominican Republic National Team and his experiences with the Brazilian leagues. His IQ of volleyball and the way he sees the game is so unique compared to other people just because of his background and the level he has played and trained. His ability to challenge while still connecting with players is going to be huge for us in the gym. I am already seeing and feeling the balance of Kolby and Wendel. The combination of our staffs' personalities and experience is so exciting as we begin to work with this young group of Aggies!"
"It is an incredible honor to have the opportunity to coach and develop players at a university with such rich tradition and significant resources like Texas A&M," Camargo said. "Even more exciting for me is the chance to work for Laura "Bird" Kuhn, and together with Kolby O'Donnell to build a special program that players want to be a part of as they find opportunities to succeed on the court and in the classroom."
Camargo comes to Texas A&M after serving the last four seasons as an assistant coach at James Madison University. Similar to Kuhn's history of impacting and transforming teams into consistent winning programs, Camargo was instrumental in the Dukes' immediate improvement and historic accomplishments during his tenure.
The Dukes won two Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles and two CAA tournament championships with Camargo on the coaching staff. They also made two NCAA tournament appearances and went 83-38 overall, having surpassed 20 wins in each of the last three seasons.
JMU had suffered back-to-back sub-.500 seasons but experienced a significant turnaround upon Camargo's arrival in the summer of 2014. In his first season, JMU reached the semifinals of the CAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed and finished the season 17-14 overall. In 2015, the Dukes tied for the CAA regular season championship, marking the first time JMU captured the title since 1999. In addition, the Dukes finished 22-8, topping the 20-win milestone for the first time since 2010 and equaling the most wins since 1999.
JMU not only defended its CAA regular season title in 2016 after winning the championship outright, but the Dukes swept the conference crowns by also winning the CAA Tournament. JMU, which was making its first appearance in a CAA championship match since 2002, received an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship for only the third time in program history and the first time since 2000. The Dukes finished the season 21-11 after narrowly falling to Coastal Carolina in five sets in the NCAA first round.
This past season JMU rallied to make its second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance as the No. 3-seeded Dukes upset No. 1 seed College of Charleston, 3-0, in the CAA Tournament championship match to earn the league's automatic bid. JMU fell to Colorado in the first round but still finished the season 23-6 to mark the most wins since 1999.
Camargo began a two-year stint as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Kansas in 2012, joining Kuhn who was beginning her second season as the Jayhawks' assistant coach. With Camargo primarily working with the liberos and defensive specialists, the Jayhawks tallied more than 1,900 digs each of his two seasons and averaged 15.9 digs per set.
In his first year, Kansas received its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005 and was awarded a No. 11 seed in the 64-team field. The Jayhawks narrowly fell 3-2 to Wichita State in the second round and finished the season, 26-7, an 11-win improvement from the 2011 season. In addition, Kansas made its first-ever appearance in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) final Top 25 Poll with a No. 25 ranking.
Kansas had another historic season in 2013 as the Jayhawks reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time and were ranked No. 17 in the final AVCA poll after going 25-8.
Prior to coaching in the United States, Camargo was a member of the coaching staff for the Dominican Republic National Team-Santo Domingo from 2009-12. He worked with the adult and junior national women's teams, including the 2012 Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) NORCECA Olympic Qualifiers. In 2010 he helped coach the Dominican Republic to the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship, the FIVB/NORCECA Final Four Women's Volleyball Cup and a first-place finish at the FIVB/NORCECA World Championship Qualifiers. He followed that up in 2011 by helping the team place second at the FIVB Junior Pan American Cup.
Camargo worked closely with Brenda Castillo, who was awarded Best Libero at the 2012 Summer Olympics after leading the Dominican Republic to a fifth place finish in London.
Prior to his time with the Dominican Republic National Team, Camargo coached in his home country of Brazil, including a stint in 2009 as the head coach at the University of Sao Paulo.
Camargo, who is married to Janaina Camargo and has one son, Zion, received his bachelor's degree in exercise science with an emphasis in physical education in 2008 from University Paulista in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he also played competitively. Professionally Camargo played for COTP, Rio Branco Americana in Brazil.
"I would especially like to thank Laura "Bird" Kuhn for this opportunity, as well as Senior Woman Administrator Lori Williams and Athletics Director Scott Woodward," Camargo said. "Also, thanks for my mentors Lauren Steinbrecher, Ray Bechard and Marcos Kiwiek, who helped me get ready for this moment. My wife and I are extremely excited to join the Texas A&M family."
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram by following @AggieVolleyball.
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