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WKU Volleyball head coach Travis Hudson announced the addition of former Hilltopper standout Jessica Lucas to his staff as an assistant coach on March 3, 2020.
“We are incredibly excited to bring Jessica back into the WKU Volleyball family as a coach,” Hudson opened. “It’s always nice to bring someone back home, but this is way bigger than that. Jess is a very, very talented young coach that I believe will help us keep moving in a positive direction and continue to make noise on the national level.”
Former WKU volleyball standout Jessica Lucas, a four-year starter for the Hilltoppers from 2014-17, returned to The Hill as an assistant coach prior to the 2020-21 season. Lucas graduated from WKU in the spring of 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
The 2021 campaign was another for the record books. Following the shortest offseason in program history due to the 2020 season being played in spring 2021, the Hilltoppers produced a 28-2 overall record with a third-straight NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance. The Tops secured their 13th and 14th championships of a possible 16 during their time in Conference USA, winning the East Division and Tournament once again. WKU spent two weeks ranked at No. 15 in the AVCA Coaches Poll - the best ranking in program history - and would close the season at No. 20 in the final poll. Lauren Matthews was named the first-ever Conference USA Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year and doubled it up with the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor. Postseason awards rolled in with Matthews being tabbed the AVCA South Player of the Year and AVCA Third Team All-American after leading the nation in hitting percentage with a program-record mark of .480. Matthews, along with Paige Briggs and Nadia Dieudonne each landed All-Region accolades for the third-straight season while Kayland Jackson earned the first All-Region honor of her career. Katie Isenbarger landed Honorable Mention All-Region as well. The Hilltoppers' team mark of .341 ranked second in the country as well. WKU carried the biggest roster in program history with 18 players and would have six graduate following the season.
Despite an on-going global pandemic, WKU Volleyball achieved its best season yet in 2020-21 - Lucas' first on the staff. Going 23-1 overall, WKU’s lone loss on the season came to the eventual national champions in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Red and White earned the No. 16 rank in the final AVCA poll, which tied the team’s best-ever ranking. Lauren Matthews (2nd Team) joined Alyssa Cavanaugh (3rd Team) as the only players in WKU Volleyball history to be recognized on one of the AVCA’s three All-American lists. Nadia Dieudonne earned Senior CLASS Award All-American status as well.
Lucas returned to The Hill after two years on the Purdue staff under head coach Dave Shondell. She held a graduate manager position with the Boilermakers for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Over those seasons, Purdue posted records 24-9 and 24-8, respectively while registering a 3-2 record in the NCAA Tournament.
A 2018 graduate of WKU, Lucas returns home to The Hill where her decorated playing career took place. The Seymour, Ind., native is one of three WKU Volleyball players to earn AVCA All-American status all four seasons of her career (2014- 17). Lucas was the first three-time Setter of the Year in Conference USA (2015-17) while also earning First Team All-American status as a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. Across her career, Lucas would earn eight collective All-Americans nods and was a four-time C-USA First Team All-Conference selection among numerous additional accolades.
Across her four years on The Hill, Lucas and the Hilltoppers posted an overall record of 123-17 which included a 57-3 league record in the program’s first four seasons as a Conference USA member. WKU claimed both the regular season and tournament titles all four years of Lucas’ career as her class became the program’s first to appear in the NCAA Tournament every year of their careers.
In her return to The Hill, Lucas will work primarily with the squad’s setters and defense while also assisting with all other aspects of the game in addition to recruiting as she fills the role previously held by Kristi Griffin.
Last updated June 2022
