Last Monday, Jeff Phillips was announced as the new head coach of the Goshen College women’s volleyball team.

Phillips is the 12th head coach in the program’s history. Previously, he coached on-and- off at Wawasee High School, where he had a winning record of 146-119 across the span of seven years.

He served in coaching positions at two other northern Indiana schools, spending two years at Warsaw High School and one year at Tippecanoe Valley High School.

Phillips was also a head coach at Empowered Volleyball Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana and program coach for the Outland Volleyball Club. Additionally, he served as a coach at a Notre Dame volleyball summer camp for three years.

“Jeff’s experience in coaching stood out from the beginning of the search process,” said Erica Albertin, the director of athletics at GC.

On top of being a coach, Phillips has served in many capacities at Wawasee. At the high school, he was a social studies teacher and the department chair. At the same time, he was also a member of the graduation assurance committee, as well as the crisis intervention team. He has also worked at Purdue University Fort Wayne as an adjunct professor.

“He is a servant leader, a fantastic teacher and has a passion for developing champion mindsets,” Albertin said. “He will greatly contribute to our athletic department and college.

Phillips is excited for what this new opportunity will mean for both his coaching career and his family.

“Goshen will allow me to pursue my passion while allowing my family to remain in our home and the schools and activities they are passionate about,” Phillips said. “That created a perfect fit for my family, and I could not be more grateful.”

Last season, the Leafs saw little success, having gone 2-31 in the overall season and 0-16 in conference matchups. However, the team is mostly underclassmen, which allows Phillips room to make adjustments as practices begin.

The team typically begins competing near the end of August, giving Phillips around six months to prepare the team for what they are hoping is a winning season.

“This chance is something that I really never believed would come at this point in my career,” Phillips said. “Because of that, I am incredibly motivated.”