| The Anna Howle File |
| Hometown: Stoughton, WI |
| Education: Oklahoma, 2008 (Bachelor's); Oklahoma, 2010 (M Ed.) |
| Family: Husband, Tyler; Children: Suzy, Eli, Emmitt, and Kaia |
| Coaching Background |
| 2008-Pres. |
Oklahoma Baptist, Head Coach |
| 2007 |
Carl Albert High School, Head Coach |
| Career Records |
| All-Time |
436-185 (.701) |
| OBU Record |
436-185 (.701) |
| Conference |
211-58 (.784) |
| Postseason |
38-19 (.667) |
| By The Numbers |
| 1 - Perfect season |
| 4 - 30+ win seasons |
| 6 - National tournament appearances |
| 7 - Conference tournament titles |
| 8 - Regular-season conference titles |
| 12 - 20+ win seasons |
| 13 - All-American selections |
| 17 - Winning seasons |
| 21 - Academic all-district selections |
| 85 - All-conference selections |
| 157 - Wins inside the Noble Complex (157-45 overall) |
| Championships/Honors |
| - Ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2020-21 after perfect season |
| - Five-time Coach of the Year (2011, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2020) |
| - 2012 Mid-South Region Coach of the Year |
| - 53 straight SAC regular-season wins from 2010-14 |
| - Named Big XII Co-Libero of the Year at OU in 2006 |
Anna Howle came to Oklahoma Baptist as the head volleyball coach in 2008 to revive a program that had been dormant for more than two decades. Since her arrival, Howle has turned the Bison into a highly successful program, earning six national tournament bids while winning seven conference tournament titles and eight regular-season conference championships.
Overall, the Bison have compiled a record of 436-185 during Howle’s tenure, good for a .702 winning percentage. OBU has been dominant on its home floor during her time on Bison Hill, posting a record of 157-45 inside the Noble Complex.
The Bison are also 211-58 in conference contests and 38-19 in postseason play since 2008. Her 2020 squad, which competed in the spring of 2021 due to Covid-19, finished a perfect 18-0 and was ranked as high as No. 1 in the country before ending the season at No. 2 in the final AVCA Division II poll.
A three-time Sooner Athletic Conference and two-time Great American Conference Coach of the Year, Howle has led Oklahoma Baptist to 20 or more wins 12 times, including 30 or more victories on four occasions.
In 2012, Howle was recognized as the AVCA Mid-South Region Coach of the Year after leading the Bison to a 35-6 record while winning the SAC regular-season and tournament titles and advancing to the NAIA National Tournament quarterfinals.
Between 2010-14, the Bison won an incredible 53-straight SAC regular-season contests on their way to three-straight conference tournament and regular-season titles.
Howle has coached 13 All-Americans and 85 all-conference selections, including four conference Player of the Year winners. In total, the Bison have won 22 “of the Year” awards during Howle’s time with the program.
Off the floor, the Bison volleyball program has had seven academic All-Americans and 21 academic all-district honorees. The program also received the AVCA Team Academic Award four times during Howle’s tenure.
In addition to her duties as head coach, Howle is also an assistant athletic director and the senior woman administrator for OBU athletics. She also teaches kinesiology and leisure studies courses at Oklahoma Baptist and was instrumental in OBU's transition to NCAA Division II.
Prior to reviving the Bison volleyball program, Howle was the head coach at Carl Albert High School in Midwest City where she led the Titans to their first-ever state tournament appearance in 2007.
A standout at the University of Oklahoma, Howle was the Big XII Co-Libero of the Year as a senior in 2006 when she helped lead the Sooners to 28-6 record and a third-round appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. She still holds an OU record with 552 career digs during the 30-point rally scoring era and holds school records for digs in three sets (26) and five sets (31) during the same era.
Howle also competed for one season on the Sooner track & field team, earning all-Big XII honors in the heptathlon. A native of Stoughton, WI, Howle was a standout on the court and on the track at Stoughton High School, where she finished her career as the school’s all-time assists leader and was a four-time state champion in the 100-meter dash.
