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When Maria Jacobus first interviewed for Northeastern State University’s volleyball program didn’t even have a ball yet.
The program had been defunct since the 1980s, with Jacobus coming from the University of Idaho as an assistant coach to be the first coach of the new rendition of the RiverHawks. With no history looming over her shoulder, Jacobus is looking forward to being the first to lead NSU volleyball in around 40 years.
“I think the most exciting part is that there is no past to compete with or compare to,” Jacobus said. “Volleyball was such a different game back in the 80s than it is today. So the fact that we don’t have any expectations means there is no standards. We set the stands, we set how high the bar wants to be.”
Success at previous schools motivated NSU to bring Jacobus as the head coach when volleyball returns in the fall of 2026.
“As we reintroduce volleyball at Northeastern State, we needed to find a leader who understands how to build from the ground up,” Sisemore said. “Maria’s experience as a head coach and her commitment to student-athlete development make her the ideal choice to guide this program forward.”
Before heading to Iowa, Jacobus was a player, assistant coach and eventual head coach for Wenatchee Community College in her home town, East Wenatchee, Washington.
After graduating from WVC, Jacobus got her teaching degree and latched on as an assistant coach for former Division-1 coach Jim Smoot. After he stepped away from the program, the former player took the program over.
In her first season leading WVC, the team ended with a 3-13 conference record, but flipped that around the next season with a 13-3 record in conference and a return to the post season. The team returned to the playoffs in her final season in 2024 with a 20-13 overall record and 7-7 conference record.
In 2025, the 26-year-old took a job with the University of Idaho as an assistant coach, specializing in defense.
“After being the head coach at WVC, I had done everything, but then at Idaho I could specialize more,” Jacobus said. “That helped me build my ideas that I did back at WVC and I’m going to bring that here. I have a lot of systems that I’ve made up in-game and the defense is definitely a strong suit for me.”
Right now, the NSU’s new head coach is focusing on building the roster for next season.
Jacobus said that when recruiting, she is more focused on the person over the player.
“They have so much joy and so much excitement for the possibility that their names are the first on the NSU volleyball roster,” Jacobus said. “I think they already have this passion to compete for the school; they’re so excited.”
A lot of the team so far is made up of junior college transfers coming to Oklahoma after their sophomore season.
With veteran presence on the roster, Jacobus thinks the RiverHawks will compete in year one of the program.
“I love the opportunity to give juco players that next step, that next opportunity,” Jacobus said. “It’s nice to have an older team for a first-year program to really build that culture.”
Bringing in junior college players not only gives the RiverHawks a chance to compete in year one but also lays the groundwork for building the culture that Jacobus wants.
“I want to have the culture built, expectations and standards so when people see our program it’s more,” Jacobus said.
“It’s not just a sports program but something that the community can rally behind.”
Continue reading...
The program had been defunct since the 1980s, with Jacobus coming from the University of Idaho as an assistant coach to be the first coach of the new rendition of the RiverHawks. With no history looming over her shoulder, Jacobus is looking forward to being the first to lead NSU volleyball in around 40 years.
“I think the most exciting part is that there is no past to compete with or compare to,” Jacobus said. “Volleyball was such a different game back in the 80s than it is today. So the fact that we don’t have any expectations means there is no standards. We set the stands, we set how high the bar wants to be.”
Success at previous schools motivated NSU to bring Jacobus as the head coach when volleyball returns in the fall of 2026.
“As we reintroduce volleyball at Northeastern State, we needed to find a leader who understands how to build from the ground up,” Sisemore said. “Maria’s experience as a head coach and her commitment to student-athlete development make her the ideal choice to guide this program forward.”
Before heading to Iowa, Jacobus was a player, assistant coach and eventual head coach for Wenatchee Community College in her home town, East Wenatchee, Washington.
After graduating from WVC, Jacobus got her teaching degree and latched on as an assistant coach for former Division-1 coach Jim Smoot. After he stepped away from the program, the former player took the program over.
In her first season leading WVC, the team ended with a 3-13 conference record, but flipped that around the next season with a 13-3 record in conference and a return to the post season. The team returned to the playoffs in her final season in 2024 with a 20-13 overall record and 7-7 conference record.
In 2025, the 26-year-old took a job with the University of Idaho as an assistant coach, specializing in defense.
“After being the head coach at WVC, I had done everything, but then at Idaho I could specialize more,” Jacobus said. “That helped me build my ideas that I did back at WVC and I’m going to bring that here. I have a lot of systems that I’ve made up in-game and the defense is definitely a strong suit for me.”
Right now, the NSU’s new head coach is focusing on building the roster for next season.
Jacobus said that when recruiting, she is more focused on the person over the player.
“They have so much joy and so much excitement for the possibility that their names are the first on the NSU volleyball roster,” Jacobus said. “I think they already have this passion to compete for the school; they’re so excited.”
A lot of the team so far is made up of junior college transfers coming to Oklahoma after their sophomore season.
With veteran presence on the roster, Jacobus thinks the RiverHawks will compete in year one of the program.
“I love the opportunity to give juco players that next step, that next opportunity,” Jacobus said. “It’s nice to have an older team for a first-year program to really build that culture.”
Bringing in junior college players not only gives the RiverHawks a chance to compete in year one but also lays the groundwork for building the culture that Jacobus wants.
“I want to have the culture built, expectations and standards so when people see our program it’s more,” Jacobus said.
“It’s not just a sports program but something that the community can rally behind.”
Continue reading...
