Office: (937) 327-6492
E-Mail
Record: 203-27 (2003-present)

Postal Address: Wittenberg University P.O. Box 720 Springfield, Ohio 45501

Package Shipping Address: Wittenberg University 225 Fountain Ave. Springfield, Ohio 45504

No active coach in all of NCAA Volleyball (Division I, II or III) has won with more regularity than Wittenberg coach Paco Labrador, who has amassed a record of 203-27 and a winning percentage of .883 in six seasons at the helm of the Tigers.

Additionally, Labrador has chalked up an impressive postseason record, including six straight berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament and three consecutive trips to the national semifinals between 2005 and 2007. Under his guidance, six Tigers have garnered All-America accolades, including the most highly decorated athlete in Wittenberg history, Sarah Yuskewich, who holds the Division III record for assists in a season and was a three-time first-team All-America honoree.

In 2007, Wittenberg enjoyed its first-ever undefeated regular season, going 32-0. The momentum continued into the postseason as the Tigers picked up two more conference tournament wins and four NCAA Division III Tournament wins before losing to the eventual national champions Washington University in the NCAA Final Four. The Tigers finished the 2007 season with a sparkling 38-1 record. During the unbeaten streak, Wittenberg won 17 consecutive matches without dropping a single game and posted a consecutive games streak of 54 in a row, which ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division III history.

The Tigers have dominated the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) under Labrador's training. The Red and White have amassed a phenomenal 69-1 record in conference play over the last six seasons and have hoisted five regular season championship trophies and five conference tournament trophies. In addition, Wittenberg has won four NCAA Division III Tournament Great Lakes Region crowns during that time.

The Great Lakes Region has awarded Labrador its Regional Coach of the Year award twice (2004 and 2007) while the NCAC voted him Conference Coach of the Year in both 2006 and 2007.

Wittenberg has not only excelled on the court but also in the classroom under Labrador's guidance. The Tigers have earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, given to teams that cumulatively average a 3.3 grade point average or higher, every year since Labrador took the position in 2003. Additionally, three Wittenberg players have earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District awards, with Emily Bell going on to become just the second Wittenberg volleyball player in school history to pick up Academic All-America honors (second-team in 2007).

The Tigers have even found success internationally during Labrador's career. In the summer of 2004 and most recently in the summer of 2007, the Wittenberg volleyball team competed in Spain. Labrador and his father, Jose, led the team on educational and cultural tours in historic towns and cities on off-days between competition dates against semi-pro and professional teams. Not surprisingly, each season following a team trip to Spain, the Tigers found a new level of volleyball success. The 2004 season resulted in a then program-best 35-3 overall record, with Labrador earning his first NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honors. Those achievements were topped in 2007.

The community has benefited from the Tiger coach during the annual "Border Battle" Tournament, which Labrador introduced in 2005 in an effort to match up top teams in Michigan with top teams in Ohio. In 2005, Labrador organized a clothing drive in conjunction with the tournament in which participating teams and fans made donations to Hurricane Katrina victims. In 2007, the Border Battle focused on breast cancer awareness as Labrador provided pink warm-up shirts for all the teams and contributed profits from the tournament to the American Cancer Society.

Labrador graduated from Hiram College, a member of the NCAC along with Wittenberg, in 1995 with degrees in psychology and exercise and sport science. He also holds a master of science from Miami University in sport studies, which he earned in 1997. He came to Wittenberg after four years as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) University, where he was active in all phases of the program, including scouting and game preparation, recruiting, skill development and summer camps.

Labrador and his wife Jill, a 6th grade teacher, reside in Columbus with their daughter, Olivia.

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Office: (937) 327-6471
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Laura Jensen joined the Wittenberg volleyball coaching staff in 2009, shortly after graduating with a degree in health care administration from Kent State University.

At Kent, Jensen earned four varsity letters in volleyball between 2004 and 2007, captaining the Golden Flashes to a 22-10 record during her senior year, the team's best record in a decade. Also that year, Kent won 11 conference games to tie a school record.

A libero, Jensen earned second-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors in 2007. She finished her career as the school record-holder for career digs, career digs per game, digs in a season, digs per game in a season and digs in a match. She also ranks among the all-time leaders in MAC history for career digs.

Jensen served as a student assistant coach for the Golden Flashes in 2008. In addition, she coached in the Renaissance Cleveland Volleyball Club for two years.

A native of Apple Valley, Minn., Jensen earned five varsity letters in volleyball as a high school outside hitter. She earned second-team all-state honors as a senior.

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