By John Ostapowicz / The Jambar
The search for a new head coach of the Youngstown State University women’s volleyball team concluded April 6 with the hiring of Riley Jarrett.
Following Aline Scott’s resignation in February, Jarrett has become the 11th head coach in program history. She joins YSU after four seasons at West Liberty University, a Division II program in West Liberty, West Virginia.
Jarrett leaves WLU with the highest career win percentage in program history, as she helped the Hilltoppers win over 64% of their matches. In its 2023 season, WLU went 23-10 overall and secured its third straight 20-win season with Jarrett at the helm. The 23 victories are tied for the fourth-most in program history.
Ron Strollo, executive director of YSU’s Intercollegiate Athletics, stated Jarrett embodies all the qualities YSU needed for its volleyball program.
“[Jarrett] has successful head coaching experience at West Liberty. She has ties to the region even before her coaching career,” Strollo stated. “We’re excited about our future with [Jarrett] leading our program.”
From 2020 to 2023, WLU won 65 contests and appeared in two NCAA Division II Tournaments. The Hilltoppers also appeared in all nine regional rankings over three seasons.
On the individual level, Jarrett coached two NCAA Division II All-Americans and a two-time Mountain East Conference Libero of the Year.
Jarrett graduated from The University of Mount Union in Alliance in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in sports business. There, she started all four years as a setter on Mount Union’s volleyball team.
At Mount Union, she was named a two-time all-conference honoree at the Division III level and ranks in the top-10 in career hitting percentage, career assists and career assists per set.
Jarrett left the program with 917 assists, two triple-doubles and was named to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference First Team and American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region Honorable Mention.
Although Jarrett began coaching at WLU, she also coached the men’s and women’s volleyball programs at Pennsylvania State University at Erie for seven months. As an undergraduate student, she served as head volleyball coach for the 15-year-old junior Olympic team at the Tri-State Volleyball Academy.