MOUNT VERNON – Kendra Mosher, Mount Vernon Nazarene University's new women's volleyball coach, has come home.
Mosher, a former Cougar player and Marengo native, never strayed very far from her roots. She spent the past two seasons as the head coach at Kenyon College, where her teams made two appearances in the semifinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
Mosher has built success wherever she has gone. She took over a sagging volleyball program at Cardington-Lincoln in 2014, leading the Pirates to a winning season in 2016.
The Naz, however, is a special part of her family and her life. Over a four-year career as an MVNU student, Mosher had 1,527 kills (10th best in school history) and was named All-Crossroads League performer twice, but being part of the Cougars’ family was much more than playing volleyball or attending classes.
Mosher is still close with many of her friends from her days as a student. She married fellow MVNU alumnus Jacob Mosher in 2014 and the couple are expecting their first child in January. Landing the Cougars’ coaching spot could not have come at a better time in her life.
“This really wasn’t a stepping-stone for me,” she told the Mount Vernon News. “I see myself being here for a really extended amount of time. I’m excited about the things I can accomplish here. Also setting down roots, as a family. We are building a home. Just in general, I saw a glimpse of my future here and I’m pretty excited about what that looks like.”
As a student at Mount Gilead Christian High School, Mosher learned the art of coaching volleyball from her coach— who was also her father— Matthew Mosher. There, she developed her love for volleyball and other sports.
“My dad is the main reason I coach,” she said. “He and I spend so much time, even now, talking about volleyball. The biggest thing I learned from him was how to motivate players.”
The restrictions brought on by COVID-19 could have made transitioning to a new coach more difficult, but Mosher found a way.
"(Mosher) called us all individually, just to get to know us," Cougars' libero Ellie Ruby told the News. "She is very personable. It was a nice, smooth transition, just from her knowing the program. She knows what it’s about. We couldn’t be more blessed than to have her as a coach. She really wants the best for us. She goes out of the way to do individual sessions with us and those have been so beneficial for our team."
The Cougars gave Mosher her first win, beating Grace College in four sets on Sept. 12. MVNU currently stands at 1-2 overall and 1-2 in the Crossroads League after a straight-set loss to top-ranked Marian University on Sept. 16.
Nicole Winkler leads the Cougars with 37 kills, Paige Brenner has 98 assists and Ruby has 58 digs through three matches for the Cougars.
