Kansas State University Athletics
Volleyball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Phone:
- (785) 532-5794
THE JEFF GROVE FILE
Born: March 6, 1969 (Goleta, Calif.)
High School: Dos Pueblos High School (Goleta, Calif.)
College: Azusa Pacific University, B.A. in Communications, '91
Family: Wife: Julie; Chilren: Kaitlyn, Jonathan
Playing Career
Dos Pueblos High School (1985-88)
Azusa Pacific University, player/coach (1988-91)
Coaching Career
Asuza Pacific, assistant women's coach & head men's club (1989-91)
Weber State, assistant coach (1992)
Wyoming, assistant coach (1993-96)
K-State, assistant coach (1997-99)
K-State, assistant/associate head coach (2002-pres.)
Jeff Grove has been an assistant coach at K-State for 21 of the last 23 years, with the 2019 season being his 18th consecutive season with the Wildcats since rejoining the program under Suzie Fritz in 2002. From helping orchestrate the rise of the program in the late `90s to maintaining its success with Fritz for the last 18 years, Grove has played a big role in K-State being one of the nation’s top programs.
In his 21 years as an assistant, a stretch that includes 15 winning seasons, Grove has helped lead K-State to 390 wins, 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, and a Big 12 Conference title in 2003. As the defensive coordinator for the team, he has also coached a number of great defensive players, including two-time Big 12 Liberos of the Year Laura Downey-Wallace and Angie Lastra, First Team All-Big 12 and AVCA All-American Lauren Goehring, and Volleyball Magazine All-American and three-time First Team All-Big 12 Kaitlynn Pelger.
“It’s very unusual to have the opportunity in the coaching business to work with someone as long as Jeff and I have. He is a man of strong character and commitment and is philosophically a great fit for K-State and the way we want to do things,” Fritz said. “He has tremendous technical knowledge, understands training at a high level and is excellent with statistical measurement and analysis. I trust in and have the highest respect for him, both as a person and a volleyball coach.”
In addition to the role as the defensive coach, the California native is the team’s associate head coach, helping in the development of all phases of the program, coordinating and evaluating all statistical and video applications, creating opponent scouting reports and game plans, and organizing tape exchanges.
Grove has coached many outstanding defensive players in K-State history, including Lastra, the most prolific libero for the Wildcats. Lastra finished her career atop the career digs list with 2,032 - a record that still stands. She holds multiple school records, including digs by a freshman and senior as well as digs by any Wildcat in a season. Lastra was also the first libero to be named Big 12 Player of the Week before the conference created an award for both offense and defense.
Grove also helped develop libero Lauren Mathewson, who recorded three of the top-six performances in terms of digs in a single season in program history. Matthewson, a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, is second in school history in career digs.
That trend of great liberos has continued with recent graduate Kersten Kober, who finished her career with three consecutive 400-dig seasons – including 2015 when she had 500, the seventh-most by a Wildcat in program history. Kober, the 2015 Big 12 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, amassed 1,554 career digs to place her fourth all-time in the K-State record books.
During Grove’s first tour in Manhattan, he was one of the original members of Jim McLaughlin’s staff at K-State and a significant component in building the successful Wildcat program of today. He helped guide the team to a 60-34 overall record from 1997-99 and three consecutive bids to the NCAA Tournament. He was responsible for coaching the outside hitters, including K-State’s first All-American Dawn Cady and former Team USA alternate Kim Zschau. He also assisted with team travel and recruiting.
Before joining McLaughlin’s staff, Grove spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming from 1993-96. During his tenure on the Cowgirl staff, the program posted a 54-64 (.458) overall record and a 25-33 mark in conference (WAC) play. In 1994, the Cowgirls posted a 17-13 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. He began coaching at Wyoming in 1993 after a one-year stint as the lone assistant coach at Weber State in Ogden, Utah.
Grove began his coaching career at his alma mater Azusa Pacific while still an undergraduate. He served as the lone assistant coach for the women’s team to help build the program into one of the top NAIA teams. He was also a player/coach for the men’s club team. He also has experience at the Olympic level serving an internship with the U.S. National Volleyball Teams.
Grove has assisted with USA Volleyball over the years, including serving as an assistant coach for the Junior National A2 Team in July of 2008, working with some of the top young talent in the nation. In 2013, he was a floor coach at the U.S. Collegiate National Team tryouts in Colorado Springs.
A native of Goleta, California, Grove earned his bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in business administration from Azusa Pacific in 1991. He is married to the former Julie Abbott and the couple has two children, Kaitlyn and Jonathan.
