Johnson County's Ei lands top coaching honor
Charlotte, NC – After leading the Cavaliers to win the 2020-21 NJCAA Division II Volleyball Championship title, Johnson County (KS) head coach Jennifer Ei has been named the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Coach of the Year, presented by the Marines.
The 2020-21 title marked the first for Ei and Johnson County's first title since 2005. The Cavaliers concluded the season with a 27-2 record while claiming the Plains A District title and earning the program's ninth national tournament appearance in 13 years.
At the national tournament which was held at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse Arena in Cedar Rapids, IA, the Cavaliers faced tough competition as each of their first two games were five-set matches. After defeating Pima in the opening round, Johnson County had to fight back from being down 2-1 against Kirkwood, winning the fourth set and taking the fifth set to extra points, narrowly defeating the fifth-seeded Eagles, 19-17.
In the semifinals, Johnson County faced top-seeded Illinois Central. The Cougars kept all three sets close, not losing by more than four points, but ultimately fell to the Cavaliers in straight sets.
This set the stage for an exciting championship match, as Johnson County faced last season's runner-up, Parkland. The Cobras did manage to take a set from Johnson County, but the Cavaliers took care of business in four sets, taking home the 2020-21 national title.
Ei was named the Coach of the Tournament and placed three student-athletes on the All-Tournament team: sophomore outside Shannon Riley, freshman outside Sydney Healy, and sophomore right-side Mikayla Powell who was named tournament MVP. In addition to the All-Tournament team, Ei also coached two NJCAA DII Volleyball All-Americans this season, including Mikayla Powell and sophomore outside Gracie LaForge.
Ei concluded her 13th season at the helm of Johnson County's program, accumulating a 351-117 record, good for a .750 winning percentage during her time with the Cavaliers.
