In January 2014, Jennifer King became the 11th head coach in program history.
In just her second year, King was voted as the co-Coach of the Year along with Sam Cibrone by their peers in the Sunshine State Conference. It is the first Coach of the Year honor earned by King after guiding the Sharks program to a 19-12 finish and a 9-7 mark in the SSC good enough for fourth. The team set several milestones during King's second year; which started at the beginning of the season when the Sharks had their best start in program history at 10-1 and ended with being regionally ranked for the first time since 2009.
"Jenn will be a great leader for our volleyball program,” Mominey said. “Her experience, particularly in the Sunshine State Conference, will be an advantage for her as she focuses on bringing our program back to the top of the league and back to one of the elite volleyball programs in the country. I have the utmost of confidence in her ability, her passion and her will to be the best. She is a great addition to our staff and we are excited she will be joining the Shark family".
King comes to NSU after a four-year stint at fellow Division II member Southeastern Oklahoma State University as the program’s head coach. In her second season with the Savage Storm, King led the program to their first-ever GAC (Great American Conference) tournament in 2011 with repeat appearances in 2012 and 2013. She also coached the program’s first-ever GAC Player of the Year award winner in 2011, Lunden Azuara, who was also named a first-team All-American after finishing fourth in the nation in kills per set. She also recruited and trained GAC Freshman of the Year Megan Kunkel in 2012.
“I would like to thank Director of Athletics, Michael Mominey for the opportunity to join Nova Southeastern University and the Sharks volleyball program. The Sunshine State Conference is one of the most competitive volleyball conferences in all of Division II and I look forward to helping NSU return to both the top of the SSC and the South Region. The NSU community is constantly growing and improving, and I am excited to be a part of that growth and success.”
Prior to Southeastern Oklahoma State, King spent two seasons at fellow SSC member Saint Leo as the assistant coach. While with the Lions, she helped guide the program to their first-ever NCAA Division II South Region Tournament berth in 2008 and the Lions’ first conference title in 2009. During her two seasons at SLU, the program recorded a 59-15 record including an impressive 30-4 mark in 2009, which resulted in the program’s highest-ever AVCA Top-25 ranking at No. 10.
For two seasons (2006, 2007), King served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at NCAA Division I West Virginia University. After one season with the Mountaineers, the program improved from a 3-28 record in 2006 to a 16-14 record in 2007. She also had stops at Marist College (2005) and her alma mater Siena College (2003, 2004) as an assistant coach.
As a collegian, King was a standout student-athlete at Siena for four seasons. While with the Saints, she manned the middle of the rotation during her final three years and was named team captain as a senior. She was a MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) first-team selection in 2001 and finished her career with 807 kills and fifth all-time in blocks with 254.
A Newtown, Conn. native, King earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology from Siena in 2003. She is married to Dan King.
