Jeff Van Lannen joins volleyball staff

MADISON, Wis. – Head coach Kelly Sheffield has announced that Jeff Van Lannen has joined the Wisconsin volleyball team as a technical specialist. He will assist with the teams’ scouting, statistics, and video analysis as well as overseeing the student managers, and will assist with team travel.

“I’m excited to bring Jeff onto the staff,” said head coach Kelly Sheffield. “He has great experience around the game and is a great teacher who our players will really benefit being around.”

Van Lannen comes to Wisconsin after eight years as an associate director and coach of Fox Cities Elite Volleyball Club in Appleton, Wisconsin. Over the last three seasons, his teams earned top-three finishes at the USA Volleyball national championships, including a national championship in 2022 by the FC Elite 16 Navy.  Van Lannen has over 300 wins as a high school coach in just 10 seasons.

He received the 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association/Badger Region Networks Award, which recognizes coaches who have demonstrated heroic and/or selfless acts while showing leadership at the club, region, community and beyond.

 

“At every level and in every role, this team contains a special collection of people,” said Van Lannen. “Working with the Badgers means you are committing to a continuous improvement model that focuses on people and processes where success is the by-product of that commitment. I’m overjoyed to be part of this type of staff and to begin to work together in that process.”

Van Lannen has also spent the last 25 years in public education, most recently serve as an associate principal or principal for 13 years.

Van Lannen earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education/fitness from UW-Stevens Point in 1997 and his master’s degree in education leadership and administration from UW-Oshkosh in 2003. He played club volleyball at both universities. He is the father of five children — Carsten (a 2020 Wisconsin graduate), Isabella, Emerson, Finley, and Harper.