By Kyle LoJacono
Jennifer Graham was named Steinbrenner’s volleyball coach May 9 and is thrilled with the chance to lead the program into its third year.
“I’m very excited,” said Graham. “I was the junior varsity coach two years ago and an assistant for varsity last year, so the team already knows me. I think the program has a great future with the kids we have and the incoming freshman, and I’m very happy to have the chance.”
Graham replaces Staci Elias, who resigned the post the week before. The Warriors had a 24-15 record and won two district championships the last two years. Graham’s experience with the team made her the logical choice to take over.
“She’s been with the program since it started, she knows the girls and I like her philosophy,” said Steinbrenner athletic director Eddie Henderson. “I’ve seen her in action and I’m very pleased with how she does things.”
Graham played high school volleyball as an outside hitter in Michigan and then in college at Central Michigan University.
She began coaching as the leader of a junior varsity team in Michigan in 2004 while completing her college degree. Graham moved to Florida in 2005 and was a volleyball assistant at Newsome, where she met her husband Floyd, Steinbrenner’s football coach.
Graham’s first volleyball head coaching job was with Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce before coming to Steinbrenner when it opened in 2009.
Graham was also the Warriors flag football coach this year, but is undecided if she will return to that post in 2012. She has coached track and basketball, giving her a diverse athletic background.
“I’ve coached two or three sports every year since I became a teacher, but now I get to focus on the sport I love the most,” Graham said. “Volleyball is my passion and the goal is still to get this team to states. That’s been the goal since we started the program.”
Graham has other plans with the sport, including trying to get a boys club team going at the school.
“Hillsborough County doesn’t have boys volleyball, but I’d like to see what we can do at the club level,” Graham said. “We had four student managers who were boys last year and I’ve been teaching volleyball to the boys in my P.E. classes. They really like the sport and I think it could be something we could become known for.”
Steinbrenner moves up to Class 7A-District 7 with Chamberlain, Freedom, Gaither and Wiregrass Ranch for the 2011 season. Of those, only Freedom reached the playoffs in 2010.
–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.
