Wingate University head volleyball coach Lauren Tekavec, along with Director of Athletics Kelley Kish have announced the hiring of Jazz Schmidt as the Assistant Volleyball Coach. Schmidt joins the Bulldog family after spending the last two months on the coaching staff at Creighton University.
"I am super excited to be joining Coach Tekavec on the staff here at Wingate," Schmidt says. "The program is only getting stronger and I'm thankful to be a part of the Wingate Volleyball culture that breeds amazing players and coaches. I am looking forward to continuing to build something special here at Wingate!"
Schmidt joins the Bulldogs after a standout playing career at Palm Beach Atlantic as an indoor player and a beach player. She concluded her collegiate career by spending one season at Creighton. As a right-side hitter and a setter for the Sailfish, Schmidt was named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year in 2021, earning second team All-American honors from the AVCA and D2CCA, while also picking up first team All-SSC and All-Region accolades. Schmidt led all of NCAA Division II with 10 triple-doubles during the 2021 season.
"I am extremely excited for Jazz to join the Wingate program," Tekavec says. "She brings a lot of experience at the Division I and Division II level. She is very passionate about Division II athletics and the overall student-athlete experience. Her experience at other championship programs will be a huge attribute for Wingate volleyball as we strive for obtaining more championships!"
A three-time member of the SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Schmidt earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in her final year at PBA. She was named to the Provost's List seven times while at Palm Beach Atlantic. Schmidt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from PBA in May of 2022, majoring in Physical Education while graduating with a 3.74 GPA.
In her one season at Creighton, Schmidt helped the Blue Jays go 27-5 overall and 17-1 in the Big East. Creighton won the Big East regular season and tournament titles in 2022, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament, where Schmidt registered 44 assists and 11 digs against Auburn. She piled up 1,022 kills throughout her playing career.
Schmidt worked at college camps throughout her playing career with Palm Beach Atlantic and Creighton, as well as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She coached individual courts, organized groups of campers, and led large group games at the camps. She was also an assistant coach at Palm Beach Junior Volleyball Club in 2018 and 2019. Schmidt served as a volunteer assistant coach at Creighton earlier this year, where she assisted in recruiting prospective student-athletes, scheduled events through and created team social media content for Instagram and TikTok. She also trained positional groups, planned practice, and coordinated summer camps.
Schmidt joins the staff of one of the most successful programs in college volleyball. The Bulldogs have won 16 of the last 17 regular season SAC titles, adding 13 SAC Tournament championships and six NCAA regional titles. Wingate has ranked in the top 10 in the nation in winning percentage each of the last 17 years, leading the nation four times. The 'Dogs are the only team in SAC history to earn an AVCA top 25 ranking, finishing the 2022 season at number 17. Wingate has made a league-best 18 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, earning hosting duties at the NCAA Southeast Regionals nine times since 2008, including three of the last four seasons.
