Jordana Price joined the Jaguar coaching staff on Feb. 2, 2015. Price comes to South Alabama after spending three seasons at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga.
Price began her time with the Blazers as a graduate assistant coach (2012 and 2013) and then served as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2014 campaign.
During the 2014 season, Valdosta State finished with a 25-8 overall record and a 16-4 mark for the program’s first Gulf South Conference. The 16 conference wins were a new program best for VSU. The Blazers swept through the GSC tournament, defeating all three of their opponents in straight sets en route to the program’s first-ever league tournament championship to also earn their first NCAA tournament berth. VSU advanced to the second round of the Division II South Regional before falling to national top-seeded Tampa, the eventual national champion.
Valdosta setter Jessica Codato and middle blocker Destiny Berry were both named to the Daktronics all-South Region Second Team. Codato also earned first team all-GSC honors and was selected as the 2014 Gulf South Conference Player of the Year after ranking as one of the top setters in the league and posting a GSC-high 59 service aces – 15th nationally. Her 1,183 assists were second-most in the conference and ranked 38th in the NCAA.
Berry – also a first-team all-Gulf South selection – topped the league in both blocks per set (1.21) and total blocks (144) in 2014. She ranked 11th in the nation in total blocks and 16th among all Division II players in blocks per set. As a team, the Blazers led the Gulf South and ranked 20th in D-II in blocks with 2.12 per set and 269.5 total blocks.
Fellow Blazers Jenna Kirkwood and Ashley Lala also earned second team all-GSC honors.
Price arrived at Valdosta State after playing for the Exterminators of the Hoosier Region in the USA Premier Volleyball League. Price helped lead the team to an undefeated season and won gold in 2012, and followed up winning silver in 2013. Her professional career also included a stint with the Florida Wave, which concluded in May of 2013.
In addition to her professional career, Price was also selected as an All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association while playing middle blocker at Florida State.
At Florida State (2007-09), Price tallied 692 kills for an average of 2.23 kills per set and finished her career with a 0.312 hitting percentage, good enough for sixth in school history at that time. She also ended her career with the Seminoles ranked eighth in school history with 306 total blocks and finished her career at FSU with 892 points, averaging 2.88 points per set.
Price was a part of the 2009 ACC Championship squad for the Seminoles, the same year she was recognized as an honorable mention All-American. In addition, she was named all-East Region and all-ACC as she topped the league in overall blocks and finished fourth in the conference in overall hitting percentage at .355. Price also earned Florida State’s Most Influential Player award.
She graduated Florida State with a bachelor of science degree in child and family sciences in 2009, following the completion of her associate of arts degree from the College of Southern Idaho in 2007 where she played one season. In that season, Price was named the team co-captain and earned first-team all-Region 18 Scenic West Athletic Conference honors.
After her graduation from FSU, Price went on to play in Switzerland and Azerbaijan. She was part of the Hotel Cristal Volleyball Franches-Montagnes, which placed second in Switzerland and fourth in the LNA league as the team picked up its first European Cup win against Romania. In Azerbaijan, Price played with the Shirvan Volleyball Club and faced six USA national team members.
While coaching at Valdosta State, Price worked on and completed her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy.
