A great coach, a great athlete and a familiar Cougar background: that is what probably comes to mind when you think about WSU women’s head volleyball coach Jen Greeny. Greeny’s Cougar pride runs deep; she played basketball and volleyball during her days as a student athlete at WSU. Greeny got the opportunity to return to WSU as an assistant coach three years ago, and is currently the head coach. The Daily Evergreen caught up with Coach Greeny on topics different from your typical player updates and game predictions.

The Daily Evergreen: Have you done the ice bucket challenge?

Jen Greeny: We have done it. We did as a whole team and staff, actually during double days when we were practicing here for preseason. So we did it in August as a whole team and staff, and we definitely gave donations to Team Gleason because we went to school with Steve when we were athletes, so it was just great to do that.

DE: What would you say was the greatest moment of your days on the court at WSU?

JG: I had a few. Probably going undefeated in Bohler gym my junior season. During that run we upset number one Stanford and that was a big highlight. And then probably just going to the elite eight, almost making it to the final four, my sophomore year.

DE: What is one thing on your bucket list that you have yet to do?

JG: I don’t really have a bucket list, so that is a tough one. I think as far as just traveling-wise I would love to go to Australia.

DE: What is your favorite restaurant in Pullman?

JG: As far as when I was a student athlete, it was probably Sella’s but now I like to branch out a little bit to South Fork or Birch and Barley.

DE: What’s your favorite movie?

JG: I really like “The Green Mile.”

DE: If you were on an island, assuming you have food and shelter, what 3 items would you take with you?

JG: My yoga pants. I have to have those because they are comfortable. My Bible and family members as well, and for entertainment purposes some board games or something.

DE: What would you say is the impact of your faith on how you coach and how you presented yourself as a player?

JG: I think faith plays a huge role in how our whole staff coaches and how we try and portray ourselves. As a student athlete I was involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and things like that. Being able to lean on your faith is something that, you know with such a high stress job as a student athlete, it is nice to kind of have that outlet as well.

DE: Can you recall a particularly funny moment you’ve had with your team?

JG: This team has been pretty fun to be around. We try and make team dinners pretty fun and relaxing and I think all of us as a staff try and let them know who we are as people. We try to have those relaxed moments off the court so that it’s not just play, play, play and serious. I think trying to do fun things, goofy, whatever, lets them see the other side of us as coaches as well.

DE: What is your first volleyball memory?

JG: I didn’t really start playing volleyball until middle school; I was a basketball player. So I just did volleyball for something else to do. I think the biggest memory was when I came here to Washington State volleyball camp after my freshman year of high school and I was from a small town, a small school, so I really had no clue what I was even doing. I was put in the top group at the volleyball camp and so I think I was like “Oh, I could be pretty decent at this sport.” That was a fun experience.

DE: What is it like playing and now getting to coach at WSU?

JG: It is surreal, a dream come true. This is a destination for us and just to be able to come home; I think there is no better feeling.

DE: What are you looking forward to most this season?

JG: This group of players. They have a lot of experience as far as we have recruited a lot of them and the seniors have been with us for four years so they really know what to expect out of us and we know what to expect out of them. It has just been easier every single year as far as knowing what to expect from them to us and us to them. We had some great wins at the end of last year so we will be building on those and going forward.

DE: Who’s the best volleyball player you’ve ever played against?

JG: I played against Carrie Walsh. I played against her for two years. So she is pretty good, I have heard.

DE: If you could have played a third sport in college what would it be?

JG: I was also recruited here for track and field so that is probably what I would have done.

DE: What are some of your favorite things to do other than coach volleyball?

JG: Just spending time with family and friends. I like just kind of hanging out, watching college football and college basketball when it’s on. Because we travel so much in our jobs I am kind of a home body then. I like to stay home and have people over, things like that. And then a good spa day here and there is fantastic.

DE: What was it like being a two-sport collegiate athlete?

JG: It’s difficult. Even just the time management for one sport is tough, but trying to manage two sports—I think the coaches worked pretty well together as far as I really didn’t have to go from one practice to the next. I finished volleyball season before I started basketball season. But it’s really hard—there is no down time at all. I think back in those good old days we had a lot more down time in the summer, we weren’t here for as long. And so I think for the student athletes of today it’s really hard to find that down time, so we as coaches, during Christmas time and in May, we are really trying to get them to take some time off.

DE: What do you think is your greatest accomplishment on the court and off?

JG: As a volleyball player, not really having played club or things like that, just being able to become a volleyball player at the Pac-10 level is a pretty great accomplishment, and then being All Pac-10 and All Pac-10 Academic and things like that. It wasn’t necessarily those specific accomplishments, but just getting to that point and the hard work and things like that. Off the court, having two daughters ages 10 and four and a half; they are a pretty good accomplishment.

DE: What is it like juggling raising your two daughters and being a coach to the team?

JG: It’s tough, especially having my husband as the assistant coach, so we are both here. I don’t think we would be able to do it in any other town or city besides Pullman. Because we can be at home or at their school or wherever in five minutes, unless it’s a game day then there is a lot of traffic. Pullman is just such a great community, there are neighbors here and there that can, if there is an emergency, do pickup and this or that. Pullman is really the best place for us and it is really just a great place to raise a family as well. It’s really fun to have them (the girls) around so many role models. They have 16 automatic role models and then they get others teams as well so it is just a great atmosphere to grow up in.