Heersema is entering his 26th season as head coach of the Saint Xavier University women's volleyball program.  His teams have posted a 535-508 record under his guidance.  With a 30-5 overall record, SXU completed one of its most winning seasons in 2011.  In 2010, Cougars finished 23-14 overall and won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athetic Conference (CCAC) Volleyball Tournament by upsetting a pair of higher seeded opponents.  The championship gave SXU just its second bid to the NAIA Volleyball National Championships in program history with its first coming in 2000.

In 1989, 1998, 2000 and 2011, Heersema was named the CCAC Coach of the Year.  In 1989 and 1998, he was the NAIA District 20 Coach of the Year, and, in 2000, the NAIA Region VII Coach of the Year.  Heersema has coached three NAIA All-Americans and led his squads to four conference championships (1997, 1998, 2000 and 2011) and two national tournament appearances (2000 & 2010).

Prior to joining the SXU athletics staff, Heersema served as an assistant coach at South Suburban College (Ill.) from 1984-85 and was head coach at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., for the 1986 and 1987 seasons.

Heersema is a graduate of the University of Illinois-Chicago (1986) with a degree in physical education.  He was a setter/middle blocker for three seasons on the club team at UIC and currently plays USVA Men's AA Open, which he has been for the past 20 years.  He currently resides in Oak Forest, Ill.