THE OFFICIAL HOME OF
PRAIRIE FALCON VOLLEYBALL
ABOUT THE COACHES
JEN PALMER
Varsity Head Coach
Jen will be returning for her eighth season as Head Varsity Coach here at Prairie. We are excited to watch the impact that Jen has on Prairie Volleyball, not only for her coaching experience, but also for her love for the game and passion to grow and develop the next generation of athletes.
Jen played club volleyball for Nike NW Jrs Volleyball Club (now Adidas NW) from 97-2003, and at Gresham High School winning the Oregon State Championships her Junior and Senior year. Jen was voted most inspirational and received all league awards her Junior and Senior year. After her juniors and high school career Jen received a full volleyball scholarship at University of Mississippi in the SEC conference where she was the starting setter for two seasons before transferring to Portland State University to play.
After college Jen began coaching. Jen has 10+ years of club volleyball experience coaching 16U/14U teams. She has coached for various clubs in the NW, most recently at NW Reign Volleyball Club in Vancouver where she is now on the board of directors. In addition to club coaching, Jen also coached the freshman team at Ridgefield High School for 4 seasons. In Jen’s first three seasons at Prairie she helped lead the Falcons to 3 league championships/co-championships, district placements and two top 8 state finishes. Jen also coaches in the off season by running multiple summer camps and has years of experience giving private lessons and helping athletes work on specific skill sets to help them reach their next level of play. Jen specializes in defense/setting, but has extensive knowledge of hitting, blocking, teamwork, and many other aspects of the game. She teaches a high level of systematic volleyball which prepares athletes for high level play and transitioning into their next level of play.
When asked about her coaching style Jen said “My philosophy is 100% effort 100% of the time. I love to see individual and team growth and the excitement that comes with it. I focus on improving physical technique, a driven and persistent attitude, and building trust and relationships with teammates.”
When Jen is not coaching she enjoys, going on hikes, being active and outdoors, quality time with friends, and spending as much time as possible with her husband, Brent, and two sons, Kyler and Kolten.
REBEKAH CONKLIN
ASSISTANT VARSITY COACH
This is Rebekah's first year in an official coachingcapacity at Prairie. For the past four years, it was not uncommon to see her in the gym volunteering,but she is excited to take on the formal varsity assistant role. Rebekah has spent the last four years on the booster board, driving vans, helping to organize events and fundraisers, and volunteering on the court as time allowed. Rebekah's familiarity with the Prairie culture and program, coupled with her volleyball proficiency and coaching experience made her the perfect candidate when the position arose. A three sport athlete in high school, Rebekah began her collegiate volleyball journey at the NAIA level prior to being recruited to play at a DIl program in South Carolina. While there, she earned All-Conference honors her junior and senior years
as a middle blocker and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Rebekah has 8 years of coaching experience, which includes 4 years at the club level. Her expertise and experience with the hitting and blocking side of the game will be a significant complement to our already incredible coaching staff. Rebekah has knowledge of, and special interest in the college recruiting process and
is sure to be an asset to athletes and their families who are looking to take their volleyball careers to the next level. She has a passion for people and believes in coaching the whole person. Her coaching style boils down to "work hard, have fun. Rebekah is supported at home by her amazing chef husband Tim and her two favorite people in the world, daughter Ella and son Kane. She loves spending time with them hiking, at the gym, watching movies and vacationing!
KACEY BOGART
VOLUNTEER COACH
This is Kacey’s first season with the Prairie Falcon volleyball program. She has experience coaching club multiple years with Lake Tapps Volleyball. Kacey played for Selah High School, taking 2nd, 3rd and 4th in State in her time there. She played club for Club Selah and Central Washington Elite. She then went on to play four years of volleyball at Pacific Lutheran University while studying nursing. The team won league 3 times and competed in the National Championship Tournament the same three years. Currently, Kacey is a nurse working as a Hospital Supervisor in Portland. Kacey spends the majority of her time raising her two little dudes with her hubby, who is the Prairie baseball coach. She also loves working out, scrapbooking and playing games. Kacey’s absolutely THRILLED to be getting back into all things volleyball, especially with Prairie!
LAINNE WILKINS
JV COACH
My name is Lainne Wilkins and this is my first year coaching with the Prairie volleyball program. After being a part of the the Prairie program as a player I’m very excited to be a part of the coaching staff! As mentioned I played volleyball at Prairie throughout my high school years along with playing club volleyball. For most of my club years I played at NW Reign volleyball club (now known as Aspire) and one year at Athena volleyball club. I graduated from Prairie in 2019 and went on to play four years of college volleyball. I played collegiately at Rocky Mountain College, an NAIA in Billings, MT. During my time at Rocky my team won our conference tournament once and made it to nationals twice. I played as both a setter and DS throughout my years at Rocky. I graduated in April 2023 with a major in English and minor in Communications. Throughout my college years I coached multiple camps and helped out coaching club teams. This is my first year coaching high school volleyball and I could not be more excited to help represent a program that exemplifies values that make great players and people! Outside of coaching I work as a booking agent for Mountain Wolf Music and talent buyer for Portland Rose Festival. In my spare time I enjoy outdoor activities, attending concerts, and spending time with friends and family! I look forward to being a part of the Prairie volleyball community and am so excited to give back to a program that has given so much to me!
ZOE MCBRIDE
JV2 COACH
My name is Zoe McBride. I am excited to be coaching at Prairie this year. I played all 4 years of my highschool career at Prairie and I am so excited to be back and on the coaching side now. I played club volleyball for 5 years at OJVA and Athena Volleyball Club before graduating highschool in 2018. I then played 5 years of D1 volleyball. I played 2 years at Morgan State University in Baltimore MD, where I was named Player of the Year and named to the MEAC Conference All-time top 50 team. I then transferred and finished my last 3 years playing at Portland State University where I graduated with a degree in Business. I am currently getting my second degree in Radiology. While in college I coached at many camps and helped out with club teams. This will be my official second year of coaching between club and highschool. I am excited to teach your girls more about the sport of volleyball as well as see them grow as people on and off of the court. I am thrilled to be coaching at a program that I played at and that has such strong values and roots to help build not just great volleyball players but great people too.
TAYLOR JUDAH
C TEAM COACH
2023 will mark Taylor’s first year coaching for Prairie after lettering her sophomore and junior year in addition to being named captain her senior year. It is an exciting and great opportunity to give back to the program that gave her so much in return. Taylor grew up in Brush Prairie, WA where she attended Prairie High School and found her love of volleyball. Taylor was a four sport athlete playing golf, softball, basketball, and volleyball. Her senior year she was a leader and captain of the varsity volleyball team. During that time she completed her general associate's degree through the running start program at Clark. Along with high school volleyball experience, she played 7 years of club in which she gained a lot of experience traveling all over the west coast playing volleyball.
Taylor is currently a pre-nursing student at Clark College. She then plans to continue her studies at a four year college in Portland this next year. Earlier this year she spent time overseas studying abroad in 11 different countries with Semester At Sea, living out her “Suite Life on Deck” dream! In her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling, going to concerts and just being outdoors. Her summers are spent by the water and winters up in the mountains. Taylor is a country girl at heart but isn't afraid to get dressed up and enjoy the things that the big city has to offer. You can often find her chasing the next great concert or an adventure that will leave you speechless.
Taylor believes that you don’t have to be the greatest player or most athletic, but in order to succeed you must have a great attitude and be willing to put in the work. Every time you step on that court you give 110% to both yourself and your team! While playing competitive sports her motto was “you won't achieve the goals you hope for if you aren't willing to work for it” and through this ideology she has managed to achieve every goal she has strived for. With that, she hopes to motivate the next generation to reach for the stars and give nothing less than 110 percent! Here’s to a great season! GO FALCONS!
ARYAH ZELLER
Volunteer Coach
"My name is Aryah Zeller. I’m so excited to have another year on the Prairie Volleyball coaching staff! Our volleyball program has a feeling of being part of a family and from going through the program as a player and now doing everything from the coaching side, it still holds true. Playing volleyball has been a big part of my life since I was in 5th grade. I grew up in Battle Ground, went to Prairie HS, played volleyball at Prairie all 4 years while getting my associate’s degree through the Running Start program, and graduated in 2018. I played club volleyball for 8 years before playing in college. I played volleyball at George Fox University for two seasons while completing my degree of Interdisciplinary Studies (Exercise science, health, and psychology) and graduating in December 2020. I then completed my Master’s in Arts of Teaching and now am currently teaching 5th grade in Battle Ground School District. I’m coming into my 4th year of coaching which includes club volleyball and high school as well. This year I am moving into a volunteer coaching role at Prairie and to say I’m excited to continue to watch each player grow as both a player and an athlete is an understatement! I have an incredible husband and three fur kids- a dog named Harley and two cats named Sprinkles and Benji. In my spare time I enjoy baking, reading, playing the piano, gardening, and spending time with my family!"