Janae Vander Ploeg - Volleyball Coach - University of Montana Athletics

Janae Vander Ploeg

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
janae.vanderploeg@mso.umt.edu
Phone:
830-0184

>>> Vander Ploeg rejoins Big Sky Conference
>>> My Volleyball Story

Janae Vander Ploeg served as an assistant coach for the Grizzlies during the 2019 season. Vander Ploeg primarily worked with the team’s outside hitters and defensive specialists, in addition to running all summer camps.

Despite a season which saw eight different freshmen start a total of 100 matches, Montana peaked at the right time, posting a winning record over the back-half of conference play to qualify for the Big Sky Conference tournament. The final month of the season included wins over Portland State, at Montana State, at Idaho, vs. Southern Utah and at Idaho State. The Grizzlies’ win at Montana State was their first since 2015 and the win at Idaho was the program’s first since 1991. Montana overcame a 2-0 deficit and won the fifth set 18-16.

Among the freshmen Vander Ploeg helped develop was Amethyst Harper, who ranked fifth in Big Sky play with 3.71 kills per set and set a Montana freshman record with 355 kills. She also worked with All-Big Sky Conference second-team selection Missy Huddleston, who was twice named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. On defense, Montana ranked fourth in Big Sky play with 2.22 blocks per set, and over the final 16 matches of the regular season, Montana was out-dug just once.

Off the court, Montana posted its highest term grade-point average in four years during the Spring 2020 semester, despite classes being moved online mid-semester due to COVID-19. Two-thirds of Montana’s student-athletes were honored on the dean’s list, with five recording a GPA of 3.75 or higher.

Vander Ploeg came to Montana following a standout career in the Big Sky Conference, playing for Northern Arizona from 2012-15. In Flagstaff, Vander Ploeg’s list of accolades is lengthy. She was a four-time All-Big Sky outside hitter, earning first-team recognition three times. As a senior in 2015, she was named the Big Sky’s Player of the Year, in addition to becoming the league’s first AVCA first-team all-region selection in nearly two decades. That year, she also earned an All-America honorable mention nod.

Vander Ploeg finished her stellar career ranked first in NAU history for career kills, kills per set, attacks and sets played, and was fourth for digs, fifth for service aces and fifth for double-doubles. Her 569 kills in 2015 alone ranked ninth in all of NCAA Division I that year. As a senior, she was also named the Big Sky Tournament MVP after leading the Lumberjacks to a conference title and a trip to the NCAA tournament.

When her time at NAU was complete, she continued her playing career across the globe, playing two professional seasons, first in Sweden followed by a year in France.

Before getting into coaching, she worked as a fifth-grade teacher in Fort Collins, Colo., in addition to coaching at the high school and club levels. Vander Ploeg is a native of Colorado Springs, Colo. She is married to Zach McDonnell.