Jennies volleyball head coach Flip Piontek notched his 250th victory following the Jennies sweep over the Lindenwood Lions Tuesday. As I appreciated the accomplishment, I couldn’t help but think, “That’s not that surprising; people know he wins a lot.”
And then it hit me: People know that Piontek is an outstanding coach, but that might be all they know about the mastermind behind Jennies volleyball. This seemed like a shame. Just because Piontek knows the secret to successful coaching, doesn’t mean his background should be a secret too.
So, here’s everything you need to know about the legacy of Flip Piontek.
Before coaching at UCM, Piontek spent three years coaching at the Air Force Academy. He coached the team to a third place finish in the 1983 NCAA Division II tournament.
He is a veteran of the Air Force and played volleyball while serving his country.
Piontek was a line judge for beach volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
He coached the first professional women’s volleyball team in Kansas City, the Kansas City Lightning. He led the team to the leagues semi-final game in 1998.
He was the head coach of the Missouri/Kansas High Performance Team in 2001. The team placed third at the USA Volleyball High Performance Colorado Cup
He served as an assistant coach for USA Volleyball’s Heart of America Havoc in 2013. The team placed fifth in the Premiere Volleyball League Championships.
Piontek has worked with Jennies volleyball for over 32 years. He began as an assistant coach and was eventually named the head coach in 2009. Gas was just 93 cents per gallon when Piontek was hired as the Jennies assistant coach in 1986.
The Jennies have never had less than 20 wins in a season since Piontek first joined the program as an assistant coach.
Piontek has never lost a game on a Tuesday as head coach of the Jennies. He holds a perfect 35-0 record on Tuesdays.
In his first season as head coach for the Jennies, he coached the team to their first MIAA championship in over 20 years.
In his second season as head coach, he led the Jennies in their first trip to the NCAA Elite Eight in 14 years.
In Piontek’s time at UCM as both an assistant and head coach, the Jennies have won over 20 MIAA Championships and have made over 30 appearances in the NCAA tournament.
He is undefeated against three MIAA opponents. He is 12-0 against Lindenwood, 15-0 against Southwest Baptist, and 15-0 against Missouri Southern.
Piontek reached his 100th victory during just his third season as head coach of the Jennies
With Piontek as a head coach, the Jennies have won the NCAA Regional Championship on two different occasions and have accumulated six MIAA titles.
He record as a head coach is 250-53 and his MIAA record is 139-23.