DENTON, Texas – Chalese Connors, Director of Athletics at Texas Woman's University, has named volleyball assistant coach Jessica Beener interim head coach of the Pioneer volleyball program.
 
Beener  served as the Pioneers' assistant volleyball coach since January of 2013 following two seasons as the graduate assistant coach.
 
The Pioneers open the 2016 season Friday and Saturday as hosts of the Hilton Garden Inn Classic with their first match scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. against Newman in Kitty Magee Arena.  
 
The Longview native was a four-year letter winner at TWU from 2006-10. Beener graduated in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and earned her master's degree in kinesiology in 2013.
 
Beener, a four-year starting setter, earned All-Lone Star Conference honors twice and Lone Star Conference All-Academic team honors three times. She collected 3,457 assists and 971 digs in her career and helped the team advance to the postseason all four years. Beener was named the 2008 LSC Academic Player of the Year and selected to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team in 2008 and 2009.