Kristen Coventon has taken over as Oklahoma City University head volleyball coach.
Coventon returned to OCU after spending the past five years as Southwestern Christian coach. Coventon had served as an assistant coach with the Stars prior to becoming a head coach.
In 2018, Oklahoma City took an NAIA Championship Opening Round match, notched 30 victories for the fourth time in program history, reached the NAIA Championships for the fourth time and captured its third consecutive Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
In five years at Southwestern Christian, Coventon established many program benchmarks, including leading the Eagles to their most wins in a season (23), guiding their first winning season and mentoring their first NAIA all-American (Cashlyn Munroe) and two National Christian College Athletic Association all-Americans.
Coventon led Southwestern Christian to winning marks, including two 20-win seasons, the past three years. She took the program from two wins in Sooner Athletic Conference play her first year to 13 league victories this past year. She led Southwestern Christian to 86 victories in five years.
Conventon guided 17 all-SAC performers, four American Volleyball Coaches Association all-NAIA region choices, the 2017 SAC newcomer of the year, an NCCAA all-tournament recipient, eight NAIA scholar-athlete selections, seven NCCAA scholar-athlete award winners and 31 academic all-conference honorees at Southwestern Christian.
In 2018, Southwestern Christian (23-11) reached the SAC Tournament semifinals and the NCCAA Championships semifinals. Her team succeeded in the classroom, ranking among the top 10 in the NAIA in team grade-point average. In 2016, Southwestern Christian notched its first 20-win season (20-16) with appearances in the SAC Tournament and the NCCAA Central Regional.
Coventon has been active coaching youth. She is vice president and founder of Rise Volleyball Club and has been head coach of the USA Volleyball Oklahoma region high performance team.
Coventon spent two seasons as an assistant coach with OCU. While with the Stars, she helped coach six All-SAC selections, including the 2013 NAIA Mid-South Region and SAC freshman of the year. She began her coaching career as an assistant with Central Oklahoma following her college playing career.
Prior to her time at OCU, Coventon was a four-year standout at Central Oklahoma from 2006-10. She became one of only three players in school history to record 1,000 or more kills and digs in a career, finishing with 1,307 kills and 1,478 digs. She also notched 153 blocks and 97 aces while becoming a three-time all-Lone Star Conference player for the Bronchos. She helped lead UCO to two 20-win seasons and a 70-59 overall record in her four years. She has a degree in kinesiology from Central Oklahoma.
A graduate of Christian Heritage Academy in Del City, Okla., Coventon was an all-state selection in both volleyball and basketball at the high-school level.
Coventon and her husband, Ryan Coventon, were married in June of 2015.
