The Stephens College Athletic Department has announced Mikayla Ell as its newest Head Volleyball Coach. Ell will be taking over the program after
Nathan Davis spent this past season as the Interim Head Coach. Coach Ell comes to Stephens College with great volleyball experience as both player and coach.
"I am thrilled to have Coach Mikayla joining the Stars family," Athletic Director
Miguel Paredes said. "She brings a wealth of knowledge to a program that is on the rise. The volleyball team is coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, and I am looking forward to watching Coach Ell put her own stamp on the volleyball family. She will be a tremendous asset to the Stars athletic family and to our student-athletes."
Ell has coached volleyball the past five years, beginning her career as a Student Coach at St. Olaf College before moving on to Bethlehem Academy High School where she served as the varsity assistant coach and the c-squad head coach. Further, she also coached club volleyball for one of the most respected programs, Northern Lights, for one season. Ell and her husband, Kyle, then moved to Missouri where she began coaching club for Missouri Juniors.
Last season, her 15s club team with Missouri Juniors finished their season ranked 7th in the region while also winning the Northern Lights Qualifier, which earned them a bid to compete at the 2021 USAV National Tournament. It was at USAV Nationals where the team earned a bronze championship finish, securing them a spot amongst some of the best teams in the country.
This past fall, Ell spent time as the varsity assistant coach and junior varsity head coach at Hallsville High School, helping the varsity team to their first ever district championship. She also spent time helping at Stephens, serving as a volunteer assistant coach in her free time.
Ell was a standout athlete at Bethlehem Academy High School where they won the Minnesota High School state volleyball tournament twice. She then went on to play volleyball at NCAA participant Franklin and Marshall College for one season before transferring to finish at St. Olaf College. At St. Olaf, Ell was a two-year captain of a squad that earned a spot in their conference championship three years in a row. Suffering a season ending injury in the first week of her senior year, Ell transitioned to a student assistant role and worked with the coaching staff for the remainder of the season.
Ell graduated Summa Cum Laude with Distinction from St. Olaf College with a degree in Psychology in 2019 and is currently pursuing an MS/PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Missouri.
She is married to Kyle Ell and the couple resides in Columbia with their dog, Penelope.
