CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Head coach Kevin Hambly and the Illini volleyball program have announced the hiring of Jenni Bolduc as the director of volleyball operations, effective February 22. Bolduc's responsibilities including coordinating scheduling, assisting with visiting teams' travel to Champaign and compliance. She will also serve as the marketing, equipment and event management liaison, while also working directly with the Illini Networkers, the volleyball booster club.
"I am pleased to welcome Jenni to the Illini family," said Hambly. "The experience she brings with scouting, game planning and evaluation from her time as a Division I assistant coach and with the US National Team will make us better as a program. Then you add her administrative experience and that made her the perfect candidate. I have known Jen for a while and I have always enjoyed her perspective on volleyball, as well as our discussions about culture and running a program. I look forward to seeing the impact she can make on our program."
"I am honored to be part of Kevin's staff and excited for the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of Illinois volleyball," said Bolduc. "I look forward to getting started in my role as director of operations and to supporting the coaching staff and players. It was clear through the interview process that the program has high expectations both on and off the court and I look forward to contributing to this culture of achievement."
Bolduc comes to Illinois following three years at Miami (Ohio), where she started as an assistant coach with the volleyball team, before moving into an administrative assistant role with the business office. While with the volleyball team, Bolduc responsibilities included serving as the recruiting coordinator and community service liaison, as well as managing the film and statistical database, scouting opponents and developing game plans. For her efforts, she earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) 30 Under 30 Award and was also given the Miami Pride Award.
In May of 2014, Bolduc moved to the Redhawks business office, where she worked as the primary point of contact for nine sports, sports medicine and the marketing department and also served on the Council of Diversity and Inclusion for the university senate and the Classified Personnel Advisory Committee.
Prior to her time in Oxford, Bolduc spent a year as an assistant coach at Maryland Baltimore County, where she had a handled just about every duty in the office and on the court, including recruiting coordinator, statistical and video management, team travel, compliance, marketing, alumni relations, camp administration, social media, scouting and game plan management and fundraising.
Bolduc also has experience with the USA women's volleyball national team, where she was a technical assistant in 2011 and served as an intern in the summer of 2010. While as a technical assistant, she helped with practices and small group sessions and prepared scouting reports for international tournaments. She also managed film and statistical databases and was the technical coordinator for Volleymasters in 2010 and 2011, and the Pan American Games and the FIVB World Cup in 2011.
She has also served as an interim assistant coach and the technical coordinator with her alma mater, Colorado State, following her playing career, and has multiple years of experience working as a head and assistant coach for the Borderline Volleyball Club, T-Street Volleyball Club, Colorado North Starts, Grand Valley High School and Premier Volleyball Club.
Bolduc started her playing career at Northeastern Junior College in 2003, before transferring to Colorado State for her senior season in 2006. Bolduc earned her bachelor's degree in animal science from CSU in 2010 and is currently working on her masters in sport leadership and management.
She replaces Johannah Bangert, who is moving to the Kansas City area with her fiancé following three years as the director of volleyball operations for her alma mater.
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