University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Women's Volleyball

It’s not easy starting an athletic program from scratch, but Jane Sargent was more than ready to take on the challenge when she was hired as the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith’s first volleyball coach in the spring of 1998. During the past 24 seasons, the Fort Smith, Ark., native and former Chaffin Junior High coach turned a fledgling program into a regional power and national contender on the junior college level and now has transformed the Lady Lions into a successful NCAA Division II program. Sargent has guided the Lady Lions, who began competition in the Lone Star Conference in 2019, to a 309-95 overall record, six Heartland Conference regular-season championships, six Heartland Conference Tournament championships, seven appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, two South Central Region Tournament championships, two Elite Eight appearances and one Final Four appearance during their first 11 seasons of NCAA Division II competition. The veteran coach was named Heartland Conference Coach of the Year six times. Sargent won her 700th career game in 2021 with a sweep over Albany State and led the Lions to a 15-14 record and another Lone Star Conference Tournament appearance.  During the Covid shortened 2020-21 season, Sargent and the Lady Lions won the LSC North Division with a 10-2 conference mark, and finished 11-3 overall with an appearance in the LSC Tournament semifinals.  In 2019, Sargent guided the Lady Lions to a 27-7 overall record and an 17-1 mark in the Lone Star Conference. UAFS became divisional champions and competed in LSC tournament where they lost in the semi-final battle to Angelo State by 3-2. Nevertheless the Lady Lions advanced to NCAA Tournament where they defeated A&M-Commerce in the first round and fell to the regional favorite Regis University. Prior to the Lady Lions joining the NCAA Division II ranks, Sargent, who has compiled a 696-164 career win-loss record, was ranked among the top 25 in career wins among active NJCAA coaches, many of whom had been coaching twice and even three times as long. Under Sargent’s watch, the Lady Lions have never had a losing season and won a school-record 54 matches in 2002, when they made the first of six appearances in the NJCAA national tournament. That 2002 team opened the season with 48 consecutive wins – a school record that still stands today. The Lady Lions, who have averaged 31 wins per season, won eight Bi-State Conference regular-season championships and finished as conference runner-up three times. They played in the NJCAA Region II tournament championship match each of their 11 seasons, winning six championships. Sargent’s teams were ranked in the NJCAA Division I top 20 the past seven seasons, and the 2008 team has the distinction of being the highest ranked Region II team in the university’s history, peaking at No. 3 in the final regular-season poll. The Lady Lions, who finished the season ranked in the top 10 each of their last four seasons of junior college competition, finished a program-best national runner-up in the 2008 national tournament and seventh place in the 2005 national tournament and won the consolation championship (ninth place) in the 2006 national tournament. On their way to a national runner-up finish last season, the Lady Lions posted a 44-4 record and won the Bi-State Conference regular season title and the NJCAA Region II tournament championship. Sargent has been honored as the Region II Coach of the Year six times and coached four NJCAA First Team All-Americans, two AVCA First Team All-Americans, and two AVCA Second Team All-Americans. Career Record: 711-178

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Athletics has announced that Mike Phillips has joined the Lions' staff as Head Tennis Coach. Phillips comes to UAFS after coaching at the Walton Family Whole Health and Fitness Center in Bentonville and Kingsdale Tennis Center in Bella Vista, Arkansas.  "I want to thank Athletic Director Curtis Janz, previous coach Ben Anderson and the University for hiring me and welcoming to the Fort Smith community," Phillips said. "I am blessed to be able to coach these teams." Phillips has been an industry leader in multiple fields of the tennis-industry, including helping start grassroots tennis programs and managing USTA adult, junior and college teams in Florida and New York.  Mike previously coached at the NCAA level for the Brooklyn College men's and women's tennis teams in 2015-2016.   Before relocating to northwest Arkansas this spring, Phillips managed tennis programs in Los Angeles where his coaching included training active UTR and USTA youth and adult competitors for his local tennis club.  Phillips recently participated in the USTA Men's 4.5 league match play in Bentonville and was a member of the Indian River Community College team in the 1990s.   "One of my jobs is to instill in our teams a culture of success by accepting the challenge of competing at your best regardless of circumstance. These traits carry over into our players' future academic, business and tennis careers. We want to be a part of that positive development and journey with them."   As a youth, Mike briefly lived in Springdale and took lessons at the Springdale Recreation Center. He has family members in Bella Vista and Fayetteville and his brother and sister are graduates from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  His favorite competing moment was playing against his tennis hero, John McEnroe, alongside ATP No. 5 Tim Henman,  in an exhibition.

Jon Core begins his second year as the Assistant Volleyball Coach for the Lady Lions.  In his first season (2019) Core helped guide the Lady Lions to a 27-7 season to go along with another NCAA Tournament appearance where the Lady Lions made it to the second round where they fell to regional favorite, Regis University. Born and raised in Oxnard, CA, Core was introduced to volleyball at the beach which was only a few blocks away from where he was born. He grew up in Charleston, AR and graduated with his Engineering degree from LeTourneau University where he was introduced to a more competitive, above-recreational indoor volleyball.  Core has coached youth sports off and on for over 20 years including basketball, flag football (boys and girls), and most recently volleyball with the local Fort Smith Juniors. He has been head coaching at Fort Smith Juniors for the last three years and was an assistant coach prior to that. He is currently USAV CAP 1 certified.  Jon Core is also strongly involved with the local non-profit organization "Fort Smith Volleyball Community", which has a mission to support the development of volleyball in the local community. Core also has a unique experience of jumping out of an airplane with former UAFS and current BYU volleyball assistant coach Jonny Neely.