Jennifer Briggs Position: Head Coach

In 2002, second-year head coach Jennifer Briggs led Loyola to an 18-16 record and a third-place finish in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Greyhounds’ best season in a decade. The winning record and excellent showing in the MAAC tournament were all-the-more impressive considering Loyola went 6-23 in 2001.

Now, after molding her squad into a top-tier MAAC program, Briggs enters her third season looking to accomplish the next step: guide the Greyhounds to their first MAAC title since 1992.

Not only did Briggs’ leadership help Loyola garner team success last season, she also helped guide ’Hounds’ senior Mary Hamsher to a first-team All-MAAC selection, while four of Briggs’ athletes were named to the 2002 MAAC All-Academic team.

Briggs began her tenure at Loyola as an assistant coach in 2000 under Greg Giovanazzi. As second in command, Briggs helped transform Loyola into a MAAC contender. She guided the Greyhounds to a 14-17 overall finish and a 5-4 record in conference play. Included on the schedule were several demanding tournaments, along with 22 road contests and just nine home dates.

Briggs is a 1997 graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and sociology. A full-scholarship player on the volleyball team, Briggs finished her career with 64 service aces to rank 10th on the school’s all-time list.

An outside hitter, Briggs earned Scholastic Magazine’s Female Athlete of the Month in 1996. She was also a Big East Conference Academic All-Star and an Academic All-America Nominee her senior year.

As a sophomore, Briggs was instrumental in helping lead the Fighting Irish to a school-record 33-4 campaign, including a perfect 17-0 home record. During her career, the nationally-ranked Irish compiled a 109-31 overall record, making four consecutive trips to the Big East Championships. Notre Dame also advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1993 and the Sweet Sixteen in 1994 and 1995.

In addition to being a Dean’s List student, Briggs graduated with magna cum laude honors from Notre Dame. She was also awarded the Knute Rockne Scholar-Athlete Award as a sophomore and senior and the National Collegiate Social Science Award her senior year.

Currently, Briggs is pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at Loyola. She resides in Baltimore.