Volleyball Adds Jon Wong as Assistant Coach
2/12/2024 3:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
HOUSTON, Texas — Rice head volleyball coach Genny Volpe has announced the addition of Jon Wong as Assistant Coach.
"We are extremely excited to announce the addition of Jon to our coaching staff," Volpe said. "Jon brings a wealth of experience at the highest levels of volleyball that we believe will help us keep elevating our program to new heights. Please help us welcome Jon to the Rice Volleyball family!"
Wong joins the Owls after spending the previous season at Texas as a consultant coach, helping the Longhorns to a national championship and a 28-4 record overall. Wong also helped lead two Longhorns to receive first-team All-America honors in middle blocker Asjia O'Neal and outside hitter Madisen Skinner.
"My family and I are beyond excited and grateful for this wonderful opportunity to join the Rice volleyball program and coach Volpe's staff," Wong said. "Rice volleyball is continually striving for championships on the court and excellence in the classroom. I am excited to get started with this great group and help the Rice volleyball program reach new heights under the outstanding leadership of coach Volpe and I am looking forward to working, learning, and being mentored by coach Volpe. Throughout the entire hiring process, it was obvious that coach Volpe, coach Cruz, Tanner Gardner, and the rest of the administration have a great vision, care, and support for the student-athletes at Rice. We can't wait to make South Main our new home."
Prior to his year in Austin, Wong was an assistant coach at Texas Tech for three seasons. Wong assisted the Red Raiders in breaking a 20-year NCAA tournament drought as the team reached the postseason in 2021 with a 17-12 record. In 2022, Wong helped lead Texas Tech to a 16-win season, including an 8-0 start to the campaign. Wong aided several Red Raiders to conference and national honors during his time in Lubbock, including outside hitter Kenna Sauer being named to the AVCA Southwest All-Region team in consecutive seasons (2021-22) and middle blocker Brooke Kanas earning second-team all-region honors in 2022.
Wong served four seasons as an assistant coach at Bradley before joining Texas Tech. With the Braves, helped develop four first-team All-MVC performers during his tenure, with the four first-teamers surpassing Bradley's total from 2004-2015. In 2018, Wong aided Badley in the program's most successful season since 2001, going 24-9 and reaching the second round of the NIVC.
Before Bradley, Wong was the Director of Volleyball Operations and Video Coordinator at Tennessee (2015) and began his career in collegiate coaching as a volunteer assistant at South Florida (2014).
The American Volleyball Coaches Association named Wong as a top Thirty Under 30 Coach in 2019. The annual award honors up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport under the age of 30. In addition, he was also a 2016 AVCA Diversity Award winner and is also a member of the AVCA Assistant Coaches Committee.
Wong is experienced with the USA Volleyball pipeline, serving on the coaching staff that led Team USA in winning the 2023 FIVB Girls' U19 Volleyball World Championship this past summer. Wong also spent the 2019 summer coaching with the USA Junior National Team at the FIVB U20 World Championships held in Aguascalientes & Leon, Mexico. He served as the team's technical assistant coach and helped the team to a Top-10 finish. Wong also served as the Technical Coordinator and Assistant Coach for the USA Women's National Team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in the summer of 2021, as well.
Wong has also served as a consultant technical coordinator for the USA Women's National Team for the 2019 FIVB Women's World Cup, technical coordinator for the 2018 USA Junior National Team that competed at the U20 NORCECA Continental Championships and was on staff with the USA Collegiate National Team program (2017 Domestic training team- Minneapolis & 2016 China Tour). He also served as a technical assistant at the USA Women's National Team tryouts in each of the past four years.
In 2021, Wong also helped lead the USA Junior National Team to a top-five finish at the U20 World Championships, making it the best finish in history by a USA U20 team and the highest placement by a non-European team at the World Championships. The following year, Wong led the Florida Women's International Junior Team to a silver-medal outing at the HP All-Stars Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Wong was a four-year letterwinner at Lindenwood University, where the setter/libero was a part of the Lions' 2009 NAIA National Championship team and also won a pair of MAMVIC West Conference Championship titles. He earned degrees in athletic training and exercise science, as well as minors in psychology and strength & conditioning from Lindenwood, before going on to earn a master's in sport & fitness studies from Florida International University in 2014. Wong served as a certified and licensed graduate assistant athletic trainer during his time at FIU, working primarily with the women's indoor and beach volleyball programs.
Wong has also coached at the club and high school levels as well. He has had stints with K2 Volleyball Club (Louisville, Tenn.), Tampa Bay ONE (Tampa), Rita Crockett Volleyball Academy (Miami), St. Charles Stars VBC (St. Charles, Mo.), Francis Howell Central High School (St. Charles, Mo.), High Performance St. Louis volleyball club (St. Louis), and Florida State University Schools (Tallahassee).
"We are extremely excited to announce the addition of Jon to our coaching staff," Volpe said. "Jon brings a wealth of experience at the highest levels of volleyball that we believe will help us keep elevating our program to new heights. Please help us welcome Jon to the Rice Volleyball family!"
Wong joins the Owls after spending the previous season at Texas as a consultant coach, helping the Longhorns to a national championship and a 28-4 record overall. Wong also helped lead two Longhorns to receive first-team All-America honors in middle blocker Asjia O'Neal and outside hitter Madisen Skinner.
"My family and I are beyond excited and grateful for this wonderful opportunity to join the Rice volleyball program and coach Volpe's staff," Wong said. "Rice volleyball is continually striving for championships on the court and excellence in the classroom. I am excited to get started with this great group and help the Rice volleyball program reach new heights under the outstanding leadership of coach Volpe and I am looking forward to working, learning, and being mentored by coach Volpe. Throughout the entire hiring process, it was obvious that coach Volpe, coach Cruz, Tanner Gardner, and the rest of the administration have a great vision, care, and support for the student-athletes at Rice. We can't wait to make South Main our new home."
Prior to his year in Austin, Wong was an assistant coach at Texas Tech for three seasons. Wong assisted the Red Raiders in breaking a 20-year NCAA tournament drought as the team reached the postseason in 2021 with a 17-12 record. In 2022, Wong helped lead Texas Tech to a 16-win season, including an 8-0 start to the campaign. Wong aided several Red Raiders to conference and national honors during his time in Lubbock, including outside hitter Kenna Sauer being named to the AVCA Southwest All-Region team in consecutive seasons (2021-22) and middle blocker Brooke Kanas earning second-team all-region honors in 2022.
Wong served four seasons as an assistant coach at Bradley before joining Texas Tech. With the Braves, helped develop four first-team All-MVC performers during his tenure, with the four first-teamers surpassing Bradley's total from 2004-2015. In 2018, Wong aided Badley in the program's most successful season since 2001, going 24-9 and reaching the second round of the NIVC.
Before Bradley, Wong was the Director of Volleyball Operations and Video Coordinator at Tennessee (2015) and began his career in collegiate coaching as a volunteer assistant at South Florida (2014).
The American Volleyball Coaches Association named Wong as a top Thirty Under 30 Coach in 2019. The annual award honors up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport under the age of 30. In addition, he was also a 2016 AVCA Diversity Award winner and is also a member of the AVCA Assistant Coaches Committee.
Wong is experienced with the USA Volleyball pipeline, serving on the coaching staff that led Team USA in winning the 2023 FIVB Girls' U19 Volleyball World Championship this past summer. Wong also spent the 2019 summer coaching with the USA Junior National Team at the FIVB U20 World Championships held in Aguascalientes & Leon, Mexico. He served as the team's technical assistant coach and helped the team to a Top-10 finish. Wong also served as the Technical Coordinator and Assistant Coach for the USA Women's National Team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in the summer of 2021, as well.
Wong has also served as a consultant technical coordinator for the USA Women's National Team for the 2019 FIVB Women's World Cup, technical coordinator for the 2018 USA Junior National Team that competed at the U20 NORCECA Continental Championships and was on staff with the USA Collegiate National Team program (2017 Domestic training team- Minneapolis & 2016 China Tour). He also served as a technical assistant at the USA Women's National Team tryouts in each of the past four years.
In 2021, Wong also helped lead the USA Junior National Team to a top-five finish at the U20 World Championships, making it the best finish in history by a USA U20 team and the highest placement by a non-European team at the World Championships. The following year, Wong led the Florida Women's International Junior Team to a silver-medal outing at the HP All-Stars Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Wong was a four-year letterwinner at Lindenwood University, where the setter/libero was a part of the Lions' 2009 NAIA National Championship team and also won a pair of MAMVIC West Conference Championship titles. He earned degrees in athletic training and exercise science, as well as minors in psychology and strength & conditioning from Lindenwood, before going on to earn a master's in sport & fitness studies from Florida International University in 2014. Wong served as a certified and licensed graduate assistant athletic trainer during his time at FIU, working primarily with the women's indoor and beach volleyball programs.
Wong has also coached at the club and high school levels as well. He has had stints with K2 Volleyball Club (Louisville, Tenn.), Tampa Bay ONE (Tampa), Rita Crockett Volleyball Academy (Miami), St. Charles Stars VBC (St. Charles, Mo.), Francis Howell Central High School (St. Charles, Mo.), High Performance St. Louis volleyball club (St. Louis), and Florida State University Schools (Tallahassee).
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02