Bio

Smith's Credentials

• Career Record: 335-324 in 20 seasons
• Conference Record: 87-76
• Conference Championships: 2 (2006, 2009)
• Conference Tournament Championships: 2 (2006, 2009)
• NCAA Tournament Appearances: 3 (2006, 2008, 2009)
• 2001 Conference Coach of the Year

The 2019 season marks Lana Smith’s 21st as the head volleyball coach at Simpson. In addition to her duties as head coach, Smith serves as assistant athletic director, senior women’s administrator and Title IX Coordinator for the athletic department.

In 20 years, Smith has built one of the top programs in the nation. A perennial contender for a conference crown, the Storm have won more than 300 matches since Smith took over in 1999. Smith enters the 2019 season as the winningest coach in Simpson history after capturing win number 333 on Oct. 13, 2018.

The bulk of Smith's success at Simpson has occurred in the past 13 seasons. Since 2006, the Storm have won two conference championships (2006, 2009) and appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times (2006, 2008, 2009). Simpson won 20-plus games five seasons in a row from 2005-2009.

Smith earned her 300th win on Sept. 25, 2016 when the Storm beat Marian (Wis.) 3-1 at the IIAC-NACC Crossover in Dubuque. She won for the 200th time in her career in a match against Central on Nov. 7, 2008 in the semifinals of the Iowa Conference Tournament. In 2006, she led the Storm to the program’s first Iowa Conference Championship since 1994 and the team’s first ever Iowa Conference Tournament title. In 2001, she earned Iowa Conference Coach of the Year honors as the Storm ended Central’s 56-match Iowa Conference winning streak. Smith served as an assistant at Simpson in 1998.

During her tenure, Smith has coached two Iowa Conference MVPs (Shannon Stewart in 2003 and Tiffany Everding in 2006), four All-Americans, seven all-region performers and 17 first team all-conference honorees.

Smith helped put together one of the best seasons in program history in 2009, leading the Storm to their first outright Iowa Conference championship in 15 years. Simpson finished 21-14 overall and completed the conference season with only one loss, going 7-1. Smith and the Storm then cruised through the IIAC Tournament to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Simpson advanced to the Washington-St. Louis Regional where it bowed out in the first round with a 3-0 loss to perennial powerhouse Carthage.

In 2006 the Storm gave Smith her first conference title, sharing the crown with Central after going 27-11 and 6-2 in the league. The 27 wins were the most by a Simpson team since 1991 and still stands as the high-mark of Smith’s career. Simpson captured the IIAC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Championship. There, the Storm beat Maryville (Tenn.) 3-0 in the opening round before falling to Rhodes 3-2.

Prior to joining the Storm staff, Smith went 243-89 in nine years as the head coach at Indianola (Iowa) High School, winning five conference titles and making four state tournament appearances. Smith also founded the Power Force Volleyball club in 1990 and coached the program from 1990-1997. Currently, she is the head coach of the Central Iowa Select 16 Iowa Region USA club team along with current Simpson assistant, Tony Sunga. Smith and Sunga led their team to a national championship at the 2012 USA Volleyball Junior National Championships.

Smith competed collegiately at the University of Iowa (1983-86) and remains among the top 15 in Hawkeye history in blocks (271), kills (918), and service aces (87). Smith served as team captain as a senior. Lana and her husband Paul reside in Indianola. They have two children: Jay and Kaylee, who played collegiate volleyball at TCU.

Smith at Simpson