Beach Volleyball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Jen Baklenko, a former standout collegiate indoor player with a long pro career both indoors and on the sand, is in her fourth season assisting the Washington Sand Volleyball program.
Baklenko helped coach the Huskies through their inaugural beach season in 2014, and played a big role in Washington rising to an 8-0 record in its second season in 2015. During the 2016 season, the Huskies finished fourth in the inaugural Pac-12 Championships, the top squad with primarily indoor players, and four players earned All-Pac-12 Team honors.
Baklenko leads the Island Thunder Volleyball Club, a club in the Puget Sound Region of USA Volleyball. Baklenko is the ITVC indoor club director and is the founder of their beach club program, Thunder Beach. She was the first High Performance Beach coach named in the Puget Sound Region to develop the beach game in the area.
The former Jen Wrightson, Baklenko played and coached at the University of San Diego, where she was a three-time All-West Coast Conference First Team selection, and the WCC Player of the Year in 1994. She went on to play professionally both indoors and on the beach on the following tours: Women's Professional Volleyball Association, 4βs BL Pro Beach Tour, National Volleyball Association, Midwest Professional Volleyball Association, and the United States Provessional Volleyball League, as well as being the captain for the Puget Sound Regionβs PVL team in 2012.
Baklenko was on the Gold Medal teams for the East team at the Olympic Festival and the 2000 USPVΒ MillenniumΒ Cup. Β Baklenko was the tour Most Valuable Player for the MPVA and the team captain of the USPV team.
Baklenko has coached all levels of volleyball from Little Spikers, to two high school programs, five clubs, and at the NCAA level at her alma mater San Diego as well as two years at the University of Toledo, both coaching indoors. She loves to share her passion and knowledge for the game that has been her life's work.
She is IMPACT certified in both beach and indoor and is Beach CAP certified. She also serves as the resident pro at Sandbox Sports in Seattle.
Baklenko has three children, Cami, Luke, and Anya.
