A college volleyball team has gone viral after fans went wild over a post about their new assistant coach.
On Thursday, the University of Louisville announced that Jena Otec had been hired as assistant coach for the school’s volleyball program.
The Cardinals shared a lengthy statement about Otec and her history in the game, as well as posting a ‘Welcome’ graphic for the former Purdue All-American player.
Despite their account on X having just over 40,000 followers, the post itself gained nearly 900,000 views in less than 24 hours as fans went wild for Otec.
The replies were inundated with compliments for the new Cardinals coach, while some jokingly praised the university for making the hire.
Taking to X, one fan said: ‘All of a sudden i’m a louisville volleyball fan. Let’s go Cards!’
The University of Louisville have gone viral for a post about new assistant coach Jena Otec
Fans went wild after seeing Otec – who boasts over 7,000 followers on her Instagram
Another said: ‘I am now a huge fan of Louisville womens volleyball’
‘I’m about to enroll at Louisville and try out for the volleyball team,’ another joked.
One fan asked: ‘Where do I purchase season tickets?’
Otec joins the Cardinals after a brief stint playing in Major League Volleyball for the Grand Rapids Rise and will work alongside head coach Dan Meske.
In their statement, Meske said: ‘We’re excited to add Jena to our staff. She’s an outstanding coach with a great defensive mind and will make an immediate impact throughout our program.
‘Her collegiate and professional playing experience allows her to uniquely mentor our athletes as they navigate and chase their dreams!’
During her time with the Grand Rapids Rise, Otec made 15 appearances and had a total of 44 digs, 11 assists and one service ace.
The replies were inundated with flattering compliments for the new Cardinals coach
She also spent three seasons as part of the staff with Western Kentucky and, in 2025, she helped lead the team to their 18th NCAA appearance.
During that season, the Hilltoppers finished with an impressive 27-6 record and a 15-1 record in Conference USA play.
Meanwhile, during her college career at Purdue, Otec was ‘a nationally recognized defensive specialist’.
She was twice named as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020.
