Kearney, NE – Kearney High School (KHS) is excited to announce the appointment of Stephanie Brand as the new head volleyball coach for the Bearcats, effective immediately. Brand, a distinguished player and former assistant coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK), brings a wealth of experience and a track record of success to the KHS Bearcats volleyball program.
Having served four years as an assistant coach at UNK, Brand is no stranger to high-level competition and coaching excellence. During her tenure with the Lopers, the team secured four NCAA Tournament appearances and four MIAA regular season and tournament titles. Brand talked with KRVN’s Jayson Jorgensen about getting back into coaching
Ryan Hogue, KPS Activities Director and Assistant Principal at KHS expressed his enthusiasm for Brand’s appointment, “From the first time Coach Brand and I sat down to meet, I was immediately impressed with her knowledge and competitive experience within the sport of volleyball. We are very fortunate to have Stephanie take over the Bearcat volleyball program. Her extensive experience as both a player and a coach at the high school and collegiate level will be invaluable as we strive for excellence in our volleyball program.”
Before her coaching career, Brand was a standout volleyball player, starting all four years for Grand Island Central Catholic. As a player for the Crusaders, she was a four-year starter and a member of the 2007 and 2010 Class C-1 state champions. Brand left GICC as the school’s all-time leader in career kills and was named honorary captain of the Omaha World Herald’s 2010 Class C-1 all-state team. She also was named second-team All-Nebraska as a junior.
In college, Brand played for four NCAA Tournament teams at Wayne State and UNK. She was a part of three Loper teams that won a combined 90 matches from 2012-2014. A three-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll qualifier, Brand co-captained the 2014 squad that went 27-4 and tied for the MIAA regular season title. Brand will continue on with her current job at the Buckle.
