Former USF and Tampa Prep standout returns to Bay area to lead Bulls program; Orchestrated dramatic turnarounds at San Jose State and Cal State Bakersfield
TAMPA, JAN. 9, 2020 – USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly today announced his selection of Jolene Shepardson as head coach of the Bulls volleyball program.
Shepardson, a Tampa native, returns to USF 18 years after helping lead the Bulls volleyball program to its last conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance as a student-athlete in 2002. She returns to the Bay area, where she earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior at Tampa Prep and went on to help lead the University of Tampa to the Division II National Championship match before playing her final two seasons of collegiate volleyball at USF.
“I am really excited to have Jolene leading our program and am thrilled to welcome her back to USF and her family to the Bulls family,” Kelly said. “Not only does she have tremendous ability and a track record of building programs and maximizing student-athletes’ potential, but she has a deep and passionate connection to this university, our volleyball program and the Bay area. We are very excited for the future of USF volleyball.”
Shepardson comes to USF with nine years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level, most recently guiding San Jose State for six seasons and prior to that Cal State Bakersfield for three. Both programs saw dramatic improvement under Shepardson’s leadership. SJSU went from 253 in the RPI prior to her arrival to 130 and posted the first back-to-back winning seasons in 17 years, while Bakersfield went from a winless season and 300 RPI to a program record 21 wins and 133 RPI.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity to be back in the Bay area leading my alma mater here at USF,” Shepardson said. “My heart beats with pride for USF. My vision for our program is to attract student-athletes that have a passion for the game and a love for their team.
“I am extremely thankful to Michael Kelly, Lelo Prado and Dr. Jodie Libadisos for this wonderful opportunity, their trust in my leadership, and their powerful vision for the future of USF Volleyball.”
In six seasons at SJSU (2014-19), Shepardson led the Spartans to steady growth on and off the court, going from four wins overall to 17 and from one conference win to 11. The team posted back-to-back winning seasons in 2017 and 2018, the first since 2001 for the program, and garnered three All-Mountain West Conference selections in 2018. In 2018, her team went 11-7 in the Mountain West, its most conference wins since joining the conference in 2013, and finished fourth, the program’s highest finish in any conference since 2006. In 2017, the Spartans posted a 17-12 overall record, marking the first winning season for the program since 2006. SJSU defeated Mountain West champion Colorado State at Spartan Gym in 2016 and 2017, the 2017 win stopping the Rams’ 15-match winning streak and giving the Spartans their first win over a ranked opponent since 2001. The 2016 victory over CSU was the program’s first since 1998 and ended the Rams’ 31-match Mountain West winning streak.
Her SJSU teams produced an average of six all-academic team members and a 3.2 GPA each year, with 10 Spartans earning 19 Mountain West Scholar Athlete accolades and 18 players earning 35 Academic All-Mountain West honors in four years. Four Spartan players were honored as Arthur Ashe Junior Sports Scholars, including Jamie Hirai who was a three-time first team selection. Shepardson also initiated fundraising campaigns that enhanced financial support for the program.
In three seasons in Bakersfield (2011-13), Shepardson led the program from zero wins to 21 and to second-place regular season and tournament finishes in the Western Athletic Conference while also starting the beach volleyball program. She took over a program that went 0-31 in 2010 and led it to an 8-18 record in her first year, the sixth-best improvement in the NCAA. The 2012 team continued the upward progression, finishing with a 14-17 record in the team’s final season as an NCAA Division I Independent, and her 2013 team posted a 21-12 overall record and 12-4 mark in its first season in the WAC, setting a school record for most wins in a season. The team finished second in the 2013 WAC regular-season standings and advanced to the championship match of the WAC Tournament. Three Roadrunners earned first or second team All-WAC honors and four received Academic All-WAC honors.
Shepardson spent the 2010 season as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech, helping lead the Hokies to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, in which they advanced to the second round before falling to eventual national champion Penn State. Two Hokies, Felicia Willoughby and Cara Baarendse, earned All-America honors.
Shepardson served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at American University (2009), coached with Front Range Volleyball Club in Colorado (2006-08) and was a volunteer assistant coach at Winthrop University (2005) and Regis University (2004-05).
An honor roll student, Shepardson graduated from USF in 2002 with a degree in psychology. She is also a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer.
As a collegiate player at USF (2000-2002), the former Jolene Patton was part of Bulls teams that won two Conference USA regular season co-championships (2000 and 2002) and made two NCAA Tournament appearances (2000 and 2002). She ranked second on the team with 416 kills, 35 service aces and 377 digs in 2002 as the Bulls advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, sweeping Florida State in the first round before falling to host Florida. Shepardson finished her career with 729 kills in two seasons, ranking second on the team in both years.
Prior to USF, she played two seasons at the University of Tampa, earning Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, second-team All-SCC and All-South Region honors in 1998. As a sophomore in 1999, she was named first team All-SCC and All-South Region as she helped lead the team to the NCAA Division II National Championship match.
Following her collegiate career, Shepardson played one season professionally (2004) for Jakarta Monas in the PT Pro Liga in Indonesia. She was also a standout prep volleyball player at Tampa Preparatory School, earning Gatorade Florida High School Player of the Year honors.
Born in Live Oak, Fla., she and her husband, Aaron, have two daughters Mirabelle (7) and Marielle (4), and two sons, McCoy (5) and Major (1). Aaron was a member of the USA Men’s National Volleyball team in 2000 and 2001, and played professionally in Indonesia and Belgium in 2003.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 54th season in 2019-20. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. Eleven USF programs reached national postseason competition in the 2018-19 season and six were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fourth straight year in 2018-19 and have posted a program record nine straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had 288 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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