Arkansas State Head Volleyball Coach Brian Gerwig completed his 2022 coaching staff, announcing the hiring of Jordan Coomes as assistant coach.
Coomes joins Gerwig’s staff after spending the 2021 season at Jacksonville State, fresh off her playing career at Radford University. She is Gerwig’s second hire of the offseason after Alicia Roth was hired in April as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.
“Jordan comes highly-recommended as one of the bright, young, up-and-coming coaches in the volleyball community,” Gerwig said. “Her passion for coaching and her love for the student-athletes immediately stuck out during the hiring process. She has already blended seamlessly with our staff and I couldn’t be more excited to have her here at Arkansas State.”
In 2021, the former setter tutored the ASUN Setter of the Year, Lexie Libs, and helped the Gamecocks to a 25-7 ledger and 13-3 finish in league play. JSU captured the ASUN West Division title and reached the conference tournament final, while its 25 wins were the most since 2009.
“I am so excited to help the A-State Volleyball program get back to being a championship-level team alongside Brian and Alicia,” Coomes said. “It is an opportunity that is going to force everyone to be the best coaches, athletes and students they can be to get there and there is no better way to improve as a coach other than being in the middle of the process. The ability to work with two coaches who are in this game for the right reason is special.
“Brian and Alicia value the process and the culture that help create a championship-winning program and believe those are the immediate first steps to be put in place that will lay the groundwork of where we want this program to be. I am here because I truly believe this staff can make this program into what we all want it to be. I am thankful and blessed for the opportunity to be in the position to assist the program in this process and I look forward to fighting for a Sun Belt Championship.”
The Owensboro, Ky., native helped the Highlanders reach the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and NIVC in 2019 during her four seasons. The 2018 squad’s first-round win over Appalachian State in the NIVC was the first major postseason victory in program history.
Coomes played in 91 matches for RU, compiling 658 assists, 493 digs and 72 aces. She graduated from Radford in April 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.
Arkansas State begins the 2022 volleyball season on Friday, Aug. 26-Saturday, Aug. 27, hosting Mississippi Valley State, Saint Louis and Little Rock in the A-State Invitational.
