James Molgaard / KLC fotos
New head coach Jen Malcolm is ready to lead the Cal volleyball program into the ACC.
This feature originally appeared in a shortened form in the 2024 Fall edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.
A new year. A new conference. New eyes – more eyes – on the California Golden Bears.
Jen Malcom bears the spotlight with a grin that is not quite sheepish (she’s worked too hard and accomplished too much for that) but one that acknowledges the enormity of the task ahead of her. This is only her first season at Cal, her first head-coaching gig, and the Bears face a schedule full of unfamiliar faces and extended travel.
Still, she’s excited. Bring up her new staff, and one can practically see Malcom’s enthusiasm bubble up and spill out of her mouth in an eager waterfall of words. Bring up her team, and her gaze settles into a steely determination.
Like the Pac-12, the ACC has no dearth of high-level opponents – but regardless of the challenges ahead, Malcom can’t find a reason that her new team shouldn’t be on par with any of the conference’s longer-standing members. She’s ready to prove it.
As an individual, Malcom demands respect while knowing that it is something she must earn. It’s a mindset that comes from growing up in a family full of boys – which turned her into a self-described “bulldog” on the court.
“If I wanted to play, I had to suck it up, even when I got hurt,” Malcom said. “You have to own who you are and fight for everything you get, especially being a female in a male-dominated sports world.”
Like many in the 600-person city of Schaller, Iowa, Malcom grew up on a farm that spanned several hundred acres, where over 1,000 pigs and 500 cattle roamed (ironically, she’s no great fan of country music, preferring Afrobeats). An average day for her would begin with chores at 5:30 a.m., followed by a schedule full of AP…
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