Dennis Adds Jordan Lay As Associate Head Coach And Recruiting Coordinator

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's volleyball head coach Julie Darty Dennis announced the addition of Jordan Lay as an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator to her staff on Friday.

Lay brings a wealth of experience and recruiting expertise to the MSU volleyball program.

"Jordan is an incredible addition to our staff and program – he has a contagious energy and passion for our sport that you can see and feel in every interaction with him," Dennis said. "Jordan will serve as our recruiting coordinator and he is going to make connections, and build relationships with such ease and grace. I am excited to watch him come in and help us continue to build our special program here in StarkVegas. Jordan brings a wealth of experience and perspective and is going to make an immediate impact in our gym and within our program. Welcome to the FaMily, Jordan!"

Lay was named Lamar University head volleyball coach in January of 2020. In the classroom, Lay guided five student-athletes to the 2021-22 Academic All-WAC honorees, as well as nine student-athletes garnering the prestigious Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.

"I couldn't be happier to join the Darty Party in Starkville," coach Lay said. "Julie [Darty] is an incredible leader and coach. She has a tremendous mind for the game and an exuberant and connective personality that she has bonded with the community around Mississippi State volleyball. Her relationships with each individual teammate shines through in their day-to-day operations and play on the court. I can only hope to continue to build and add to the success and excitement of Mississippi State volleyball. This program has already accomplished more than anyone said that could be. I love their underdog mentality and hunger for more. That's why I'm coming here to work with Julie, Fritz [Rosenberg], and Alleah [Stamatis]. I believe that together, with the excitement and buzz around this team, we can look forward to competing for an SEC Championship and further NCAA success."

Before joining the Cardinals, Lay spent four seasons at Wofford. He became one of the top recruiters for volleyball by bringing in back-to-back top 150 recruiting classes. His efforts produced 11 All-conference selections, including the 2017 Southern Conference Player of the Year and four all-conference first-team selections. Three players also garnered all-freshman team honors.

During his first season with the Terriers, he helped guide them to their first winning season since 2012. During that season, the team also had their first winning record in conference play in program history. The same season Wofford recording several other first, including the program's first conference Freshman of the Year honor and first-team all-conference for the first time in program history. The Terriers had a 22-win season the following season and advanced to the SoCon Championship, which was the first time in program history.

Lay's efforts were noticed at the national level. In 2018, Lay was the recipient of the AVCA's Thirty Under Thirty Award.

Prior to his time with Wofford, Lay spent the previous three seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division ll West Alabama. Before Lay took over the program the team had seen little success, but he built them into one of the strongest Gulf South Conference teams. Before his arrival, the team posted a total of three conference wins and under Lay's guidance the teams winning number increased every year. During his last season with West Alabama, the team posted nine conference wins which was a high mark for the program.

Lay joined the West Alabama staff after spending one season at NAIA Belhaven University. During his one season with Belhaven, Lay was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after helping guide them to a 27-9 (.750) overall record. The Blazers garnered two wins in the conference tournament, which set a new program record for wins in a season. Lay also spent one season as an assistant at Belhaven.

Before relocating to Belhaven, Lay served as an assistant coach with Team Indiana Volleyball Club and at Park Tudor High School in Indianapolis. Also, he was the head coach of the Butler University women's club team and led the team to a win at the 2010 Vanderbilt Invitational.

Lay is a native of Indianapolis, Ind., and earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from Butler in 2011.

For more information on the Bulldog volleyball program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateVB" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Dennis Adds Jordan Lay As Associate Head Coach And Recruiting Coordinator

Related News

Related Videos