Jen Greeny is on her way to Morgantown, and she is bringing her family and years of success with her.
WVU announced the hire of its new volleyball coach on Wednesday, legendary Washington State coach Jen Greeny. She replaces nine-year head coach Reed Sunahara after a 9-22 season featuring just two conference wins in 2023.
Greeny coached the last 13 seasons at Washington State after a four-year playing career and five years assistant coaching as a Cougar. She enters West Virginia off of eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet Sixteen loss to Pittsburgh this year.
Washington State’s full turn around, which featured zero conference wins the year Greeny took over as coach, is exactly what West Virginia needs, as the team has just one tournament appearance in its 50-year history. Though it will be a tough hill to climb, Greeny has made it clear that it is her top priority.
“We are thrilled to be coming to West Virginia and to be able to build the volleyball program into a national powerhouse,” Greeny said in her introduction Thursday.
This powerhouse, Greeny said, will be clearly rooted in family values, which she will look to channel through the small town atmosphere of Morgantown. This angle is one she found success in at Washington State, especially among foreign prospects.
“I think we’ve made unbelievable connections in Europe, and so, for sure, we will continue to recruit in Europe, Mexico, (and) Canada,” Greeny said.
The recruiting does not come without challenges, though, as Greeny admitted she has yet to recruit a superstar athlete, but she hopes to do so at West Virginia. Regardless, Greeny feels confident in her team’s ability to train and build a strong roster built on fundamentals and chemistry.
Recruiting stands out as Greeny’s number one priority, and she has already gotten started on that front. She looks forward to recruiting on the east coast, as she found challenges keeping high school prospects in the west while at Washington State.
“So many more recruits within that (6-hour) radius… recruiting on the west coast, I think, is harder and harder, and you see that with Pitt, California players are coming to Pittsburgh,” Greeny said.
The new coach confessed that she is not familiar with WVU’s current roster, which is headlined by rising 6’2″ sophomores Maddy McGath and Nele Broszat along with senior outside hitter Hailey Green, but she said the team is a solid foundation that she is excited to work with.
WVU Volleyball has a long time before its season kicks off in August, but Greeny is getting started now, first with a trip to Charlotte to connect with the WVU community at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. As she builds those connections and gets her recruiting goals in order, the team’s upward trajectory and tournament aspirations come nearer and nearer in sight.
Photo from Washington State Volleyball
