Annett Davis, the head coach of both the women’s volleyball team and the beach volleyball team at The Masters University, has decided to step down as the head coach of the women’s indoor volleyball team.

She will remain the head coach of the beach volleyball team.

“After much prayer I have decided to step away from being the head coach of the indoor volleyball team,” Davis said. “Having two separate teams, two different sports with two sets of different athletes, and administration over both separately, is not an easy feat. I have been able to juggle them both, but with my high standards it wasn’t excellent enough. I talk to my girls a lot about doing things excellent, as unto the Lord, and I must practice what I preach otherwise I am out of order. I wasn’t able to pour into the girls spiritually on a mentorship level as thoroughly as I have wanted. And to me, how they leave here as women of the Lord, is more important than how many games they win. So, in order for me to spend more time with them off the court on a personal level, I had to give up one team to free up more time to spend mentoring the other. It’s a sacrifice that I would choose again because discipleship is that important to me.”

Davis goes out as the 2024 GSAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to a 21-8 record, the conference regular season championship with a 12-2 record and the conference tournament championship. The team made it through the opening round of the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship before being eliminated in pool play at the final site in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Master’s finished the season ranked No. 24 in the NAIA.

Replacing Davis as the head coach of the women’s indoor team is assistant coach McKenna Hafner, who was named the GSAC Assistant Coach of the Year for this past season.

“Coach Kenna has a love for the sport and has proven that she loves the girls so much by how she pours into them,” Davis said. “I tell everyone that she is the reason our team was as successful as it was this year. We would not have won the conference without the work she put into the team on and off the court. She is passionate about encouraging the team in their relationships with the Lord, and that, coupled with her passion for helping them use their gifts for His glory, makes me excited that the program will continue to do what it should do and it will be in great hands.

Hafner has been the assistant coach for the past three years and has distinguished herself as both an excellent recruiter and game strategist. She played four seasons as the libero for The Master’s from 2016-19, finishing third all-time with 1,590 digs for her career.

“I am beyond excited and grateful to be taking on this role,” Hafner said. “This program was incredibly transformational for me as an athlete in realizing the relationship between competitive sports and honoring Christ with the gifts He has given. To pursue athletic excellence is to glorify and worship God. I hope to continue carrying forward that mission, just as Annett has done for the last five years. The Master’s stands for Christ and Scripture, and I am humbled to continue demonstrating that through the sport I love in the community I love. I am so excited for all the Lord has in store for this program moving forward.”

Interim Athletic Director Jim Rickard pointed to the success of the past season as an indicator of what Head Coach Hafner will bring to the program moving forward.

“McKenna was a standout player for the University and has been an invaluable member of the coaching staff for the past three years,” Rickard said. “This season was particularly special for women’s volleyball under the leadership of Annett and McKenna. Over the past few years, McKenna has been involved in all aspects of coaching and has consistently demonstrated the skills and character necessary to lead the program. She has great passion for the game and a love for the spiritual development of the student/athletes. She has gained tremendous experience over the past few years in club and at the University in scouting, recruiting, practice planning and game tactics. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store as we move forward together in the Athletic Department.”

For more information about TMU sports visit gomustangs.com.