ELON, N.C. – Elon head volleyball coach Mary Tendler has announced the hiring of Jennifer Fry as an assistant coach for the Phoenix program. A 2002 graduate of the University of Montevallo, Fry comes to Elon after serving as a volunteer assistant for the national champion runner-up University of Illinois volleyball program. Fry will also serve as the recruiting coordinator in her assistant role with the Phoenix.
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to coach here at Elon,” said Fry. “Coach Tendler has done an amazing job with the program and I am excited to help her take it to the next level. Elon has a great combination of academics and athletics that any athlete would love to experience. After meeting the players, I realized this is a great place to be. I look forward to being part of a program that will do great things.”
During the 2011 season, Fry served as a volunteer assistant coach at Illinois where she helped the team to a 32-5 record and the NCAA Division I national championship match. Fry’s role with the Illini included middle blocker training, opponent scouting and hitter specific defense. Her coaching led to the team hitting fourth in the Big 10 with 2.7 blocks per set.
“Jen is a great addition to our volleyball program and Elon University,” said Tendler. “She has only been here a week and has already made a positive impact in the gym and on the recruiting trail. Her experiences will be very beneficial as we move forward as a program.”
Prior to her time at Illinois, Fry served as the assistant coach and chief recruiter at Washington State, where she trained the hitters, defensive players and assisted with the serve receive system.
Fry served as the head coach at Norfolk State from 2007-10, leading the Spartans to three straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament appearances. This marked the first postseason appearances for the program since 2004 when every team made the MEAC Tournament. She also coached the first all-conference performer since the team went Division I.
Fry made stops as assistant coach at both Seward County Community College (2005-06) and Angelo State (2006-07) before landing her first head coaching job.
Her coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Tiffin, where from 2002-04 she had a hand in all aspects of the program, including coordinating camp and game management of home events. Tiffin ranked second in NCAA Division II in digs in 2002.
A native of Yuma, Ariz., Fry holds an Associate of Arts degree from Arizona Western College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in psychology from the University of Montevallo and a Master’s of Criminal Justice Degree from Tiffin University.
Fry had a stellar playing career, earning all-conference honors in 1999 while helping Arizona Western to a No. 10 national ranking. She was an All-Gulf South Conference performer at Montevallo, leading the Falcons to a No. 24 ranking in NCAA Division II.
She has also been involved in USA Volleyball, which has included serving as an assistant coach for the USAV High Performance Championship Junior Continental team in 2011.