Jessica Wood-Atkins enters her eighth year as head coach in 2025 after being named the eighth head coach in Tiger volleyball history on January 16, 2018.
The Tigers have won 62 matches during Wood-Atkins' tenure, bringing her career record to 140-178 over 11 official seasons as a collegiate head coach. Fort Hays State has produced 18 All-MIAA selections in her six official seasons, along with a total of 101 MIAA Academic Honor Roll performers, 13 MIAA Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, 21 MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners (4.00 GPA) and 11 CSC Academic All-District selections. The Tigers have also earned the AVCA Team Academic Award each year under Wood-Atkins' guidance (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025).
Fort Hays State reached the MIAA Tournament for the second time in Wood-Atkins' career in 2024, with a pair of Tigers taking home All-MIAA recognition. Wood-Atkins had three all-conference selections in 2023 after picking up five All-MIAA honorees in 2022, the most for a Tiger team since 2016. After helping the Tigers navigate the COVID-altered season in 2020-21, Wood-Atkins led FHSU to the MIAA Championship Tournament for the first time in five years in 2021. The Tigers won seven conference matches in 2021, third-most since FHSU joined the MIAA in 2006.
Wood-Atkins was previously head coach at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs for five years, leading the Mountain Lions from 2004 until 2008. She accumulated a record of 78-69 over those five seasons, the most wins for a coach in program history. Wood-Atkins led the team to its first (and only) NCAA Division II tournament berth in 2007, coaching the Mountain Lions to 20 wins, one of two 20-win seasons in program history. UCCS went 16-3 in conference play that season, including a three-set victory over Nebraska-Kearney. Her players earned 11 All-RMAC awards and one All-Region accolade. Wood-Atkins entered her tenure at Fort Hays State with an undefeated record inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, defeating FHSU in 2005 before the Tigers moved to the MIAA.
Wood-Atkins got her start in collegiate athletics as an assistant coach for the Mountain Lions, serving in that role for two seasons (2002-03). During that time, she completed her undergraduate degree, graduating from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in the spring of 2003.
Wood-Atkins was a four-year starter at Division I Murray State University in Murray, Ky. (1998-2001), helping the Racers to three Ohio Valley Conference tournaments and a pair of postseason victories. A two-year team captain, Wood-Atkins is one of eight Racers in the 1,000 kills/1,000 digs club at Murray State. She accumulated 1,044 kills, 1,134 digs and 121 aces as an outside hitter at MSU, twice earning All-OVC honors (1999, 2000). She earned a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer team after totaling 313 kills and 625 digs as a freshman (1998). She picked up numerous honors as a sophomore in 1999, including OVC All-Tournament honors and strength and conditioning All-American accolades. Wood-Atkins also excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll all four years while being named the OVC Scholar-Athlete in 2001.
Wood-Atkins also worked in NCAA compliance before joining the Tiger family, including stints at UCCS and the University of Idaho. She also served as the Senior Woman Administrator at Idaho. She has served on numerous national and regional committees, including the regional ranking committee, RMAC officiating committee and the Big Sky media and technology committee.
Wood-Atkins also has experience coaching volleyball at the junior level, serving as assistant and head coach of the Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club until 2012.
At the conclusion of her playing career at Murray State, Wood-Atkins was invited to try out for the USA National Team as a libero. A native of Calhan, Colo., Wood-Atkins was a USAV All-American as a senior in high school.
Jessica and her husband, Dr. Greg Atkins, have two children, Mack and Cora.
