It’s been nearly a decade since Jennifer Jacobs left her native St. Paul for her first collegiate head volleyball coaching opportunity.
“Can you believe I’m in my ninth season?” asked the Augustana (S.D.) University coach after her Vikings played at Concordia-St. Paul on the first Friday evening of October. “I moved there in ’17; ’18 I met my now husband; ’19 I had our daughter.
“2020 was Covid, and that took years off people’s lives. In ’21 I started my doctorate, and in ’24 we finished our doctorate. That was the last eight years,” she pointed out.
Now Dr. Jacobs, she became the first Black VB head coach we interviewed thus far this fall. She has over a .560 winning percentage and has coached seven first-team and five second-team all-conference players.
Jacobs, since her local high school days, has been a high school volleyball coach (St. Paul Harding, 2005-08), high school assistant coach (Richfield, 2009-11), club (Northern Light, 2005-16) and college assistant coach (Minnesota State Mankato, 2004; Augsburg, 2012-17).
Before she became a successful coach, administrator, and often-asked-for speaker on diversity and inclusion, Jacobs was a standout volleyballer at Mankato (2000-03), earned a psychology degree there, and later a master’s in educational administration at Saint Mary’s. She also was an assistant AD at Augsburg during her assistant coaching time at the Minneapolis school.
However, Jacobs’ squad fell to the host Golden Bears 3-0 this October 3 in her hometown, just down the street from St. Paul Central, where she graduated in 2000.
“We have our moments,” observed Jacobs afterwards.
Jazmen Kutey, a 6’1” sophomore from Sioux Falls, played in her first match of the season, appearing in the third set of that game. She stressed that she didn’t know she would play “until after the second set. It was my first time, and I was pretty nervous. I do think there is a lot more [room for] improvement.”
Kutey added that having a Black female head coach at Augustana was among her main reasons for enrolling at the college in her hometown after graduating from high school. “I think it was a big factor.
“A lot of the other schools don’t have any coaches of color, and I felt that Jen made it a very comfortable space, and I connect with her on a deeper level.
Recalled Jacobs of Kutey, “Jazmen is one of those [players] who wasn’t going to go to college. She wasn’t going to play volleyball in college. I begged her and begged her in her junior year to come here.
“Former NBA and NFL players have daughters who are into volleyball, and they’re doing amazingly great.”
“Finally in her senior year,” continued the coach, “she called me and said, ‘I think I can make this work.’”
No regrets thus far, reports Kutey. “It’s been really great. I feel there is a lot of challenge at Augustana. Augustana has really shown me that there is so much more I have to improve on. The girls here are really good players and have been challenging me.”
Off the court, “I’m working on [a] social work [degree] right now,” said the sophomore. “I plan on going into social work and working with children.”
Jacobs is proud of being a Black VB coach, but wants to see more who look like her. “There is a chance I think for [Black] people to move out of the basketball realm into volleyball.
“At the DI high level, we have a lot of pro athletes. Former NBA and NFL players have daughters who are into volleyball, and they’re doing amazingly great.
“They’re old enough to get into the coaching ranks,” stressed Jacobs.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.