Cat Collins announces the hiring of assistant coach Jessica Moore and graduate assistant coach Jordyn Hamm
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Head Coach Cat Collins of Carson-Newman volleyball has announced the two new faces joining the staff for the 2025-2026 season; Jessica Moore will join the staff as the new full-time assistant coach and Jordyn Hamm will round out the staff as the graduate assistant coach.
VIDEO: Jessica Moore Full Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Head Coach Cat Collins of Carson-Newman volleyball has announced the two new faces joining the staff for the 2025-2026 season; Jessica Moore will join the staff as the new full-time assistant coach and Jordyn Hamm will round out the staff as the graduate assistant coach.
Moore comes most recently from Stephen F. Austin State University where she served as the graduate assistant coach for the beach volleyball team which went 22-14 during the 2024-2025 season.
Before that, Moore has held a plethora of roles at the university level including a four-year stint with Boston College as a marketing and in-game promotion intern and program associate in event management and a year at Holy Cross as an athletic facilities and operations intern. She has her Master's degree in both sports administration and kinesiology.
She's also held multiple assistant coaching roles at the club level, with a combined four years between Ohio Valley Volleyball Company and Pineywoods Volleyball Club.
Now in Mossy Creek, Moore knows that Carson-Newman is a special place to call home.
"It's been great so far, I come from a small town and I was just in a small town last year so it's just a very comfortable environment," she said.
Moore says she is beyond grateful and excited about the opportunity to be a member of the Carson-Newman staff this season.
"The culture of the volleyball team and what Cat has kind of created the past few years is what brought me here…Even throughout the interview process it was very comfortable...I'm really excited to be a part of this new environment where I already feel like family."
Moore also played indoor at the Division III level for Bethany College in from 2018-2021 as an outside hitter where she played in 279 sets over 88 matches for the Bison while registering at least 100 kills all four years. That stint included an outstanding senior year where she put down a team leading 310 kills. She averaged 2.30 kills per set over her career and was named to the all-PAC second team in senior year. Impressively, she was also on the indoor and outdoor track teams and competed as a thrower.
With plenty of experience to share, Moore is hoping to bring a useful perspective to a young and talented group of hitters.
"For me coming in as an undersized hitter I think that just playing the game and just working hard every single day to make yourself better and make their job easier is what I'm trying to help them do…we can work hard so we can get more hits and get more kills and work collaboratively as a team to make everyone's job easier," she said.
The Eagles hitters will be looking to Moore for guidance as they head into the season, needing to fill the role of three graduating seniors who provided at least 100 kills each in 2024. Despite the loss, C-N returns their top outside in Emerson Ahsmuhs, and Moore is confident in the talent the Eagles will bring to the floor.
"They are a very very talented group and they're hard workers…this is a smart group and they're very good…they know when to hit the shots; they know when to swing," she said.
There is a lot to look forward to for the Eagles volleyball team. At 16-11 last season, the Eagles qualified for the SAC playoffs but fell short in the quarterfinals. Moore says that this team is more driven than ever to make a splash in the league.
"We're very motivated," Moore said. "In our first meeting yesterday, a lot of our goals had to do with finishing top of the conference and finishing well within the rankings and just focusing on hard work and community and all the things that are going to help us build."
No matter the difficulties of the season, Moore says she is focused on being calm and collected for her players on the sideline as well as providing the all-important element of fun.
"I get very excited but I like to stay pretty calm and levelheaded and just joking around and keeping that serious but still fun kind of environment for the girls," Moore said.
Collins also brings in graduate assistant coach Jordyn Hamm to the staff. Hamm played four years at the Division II level for the University of Sioux Falls as a middle blocker. She played a total of 393 sets in 111 matches with a total of 654 kills while averaging 1.66 kills per set with a .310 attacking percentage. She was great on defense too, adding 232 digs with 61 solo blocks and 295 assisted for a total of 356 career blocks. She holds the single match service ace record at USF.
With three freshman and two sophomore middles on the squad, Hamm will be critical in the development of the block for the Eagles this season. She will also continue to add to the skill set of sophomore first team all-SAC member Maddie Hurst.
"I'm really excited to see where they are now and where they can grow. Obviously, there is always room for improvement, but it's a very promising group," said Moore.
With so much talent to hone, the Eagles coaching staff is thrilled for the beginning of season. Moore and Hamm take the floor for the first time on September 5, when they face Chowan in their inaugural match of the season. The first home game for Carson-Newman is September 19 against conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne.
