Penn State women’s volleyball alumna Jonni Parker is making an impact in multiple areas post-graduation in the talent-rich Midwest, where she’s serving as the director of operations and a head coach for the club program she represented as a player, Munciana.
Parker is now in her third year of coaching, leading the 16 Open Blaze team, while also working to improve the lives of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community through her non-profit organization, Chasing Greatness, which she founded as a senior in 2021. Parker has “Chasing Greatness” tattooed on her right wrist.
Parker, a four-time AVCA All-American pin hitter and three-time captain for the Nittany Lions, received her elementary and early childhood education degree from the university and initially went into teaching, but has since pivoted to focusing entirely on coaching and her foundation.
Parker served as an assistant coach on Team Ice at the Under Armour All-America Match last January in Orlando, Florida, where she had the chance to coach now-Penn State freshmen Izzy Starck and Ava Falduto before they enrolled a semester early a few days later. Last spring, Parker coached 2025 Penn State libero commit Lexi Gin, who’s now a member of Munciana’s 18 Open Samurai heading into her senior year at Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Parker, who hails from Casstown, Ohio, where she won a state championship in 2016 at Miami East High School and was later named the Ohio Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year as a senior in 2018, received the Big Ten Medal of Honor in June 2022. She was the fourth Penn State women’s volleyball player to earn the conference’s highest honor for a student-athlete, joining Michele Robinson (1991-92), Nia Grant (2014-15), and Haleigh Washington (2017-18).
Parker finished her decorated Penn State career with 1,406 kills, 752 digs, 314 blocks, and 94 aces. She was part of Russ Rose’s final senior class before the legendary head coach retired in December 2021. Parker was born with a condition that allows her to hear only 40 percent in her left ear and 45 percent in her right. She’s worn hearing aids since age 4. Her older sister, Paige, is her audiologist and inspired Jonni to play volleyball.
“Every box that one would have criteria in, she’s very special,” Rose said of Parker during her senior season. “She’s a great teammate, she’s very caring of other people — not just her teammates, but young people who reach out all the time who maybe have a challenge and they find Jonni to be somebody who they can relate to. She’s always available and gives them time.”
Parker has returned to Penn State on several occasions to raise awareness and generate funds for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community during home matches at Rec Hall. During Penn State’s match against Michigan State last November, Parker and her family sold special Chasing Greatness T-shirts and spoke with fans. Parker also addressed the Rec Hall crowd before the match, expressing her gratitude for the community’s support of her foundation.
The Big Ten Network released an excellent “At the Net” video featuring Jonni and Paige in April 2021. Chasing Greatness is hosting its third annual golf scramble at Lakeland Golf Course in St. Paris, Ohio, on August 17. You can securely donate to Parker’s foundation online here or send your donations to the following address: 2071 North Bechtle Avenue, Unit 216, Springfield, Ohio, 45504.
DigNittanyVolleyball caught up with Parker for an interview on how her coaching career is going so far, her thoughts on Lexi Gin as a player, and what advice she has for the current Penn State team, among other topics. The transcript of questions and answers can be found below.
What’s it like working with the foundation that you created and seeing the impact that it’s had so far?
“Right now, I think the foundation is my greatest passion. It’s definitely something I’ve always wanted to do and enjoy doing. It’s been fun. I get to do it with my family and the people I love most. It’s great to work with other people who have similar experiences as I do, and I can help others who share those same hopes and dreams and aspirations, but just need a little help to do so.”
What was it like catching up with last year’s team [before the Michigan State match]?
“It was good to see them. A lot of those girls I finished my career here at Penn State with, so to see where they’re going and their next step in life, it’s good to catch up with them and their families. Again, like I said earlier, sometimes it’s all about the people, getting to catch up, and seeing everybody.”
What kind of advice do you have for the current Penn State players?
“I told them, ‘You just have to compete it out.’ They play for each other on that court. Greatness is taking other people with you. That’s exactly what they have to do when they’re out there on the court. They have to have a lot of grit and just compete one match at a time, night after night. Just keep competing.”
What are some things you enjoy most about teaching?
“I’m actually not teaching anymore. I’m coaching. I work with Munciana Volleyball. I’m the director of operations there and I also coach our 16s team. It gives me a little bit more time to work with the foundation and the volleyball side of things. I’m teaching in my own way.”
You’ve coached Penn State commit Lexi Gin. What stands out about her game?
“She’s a great player. The communication and the energy that she brings to that level of play is contagious to those around her. She just gets better every time she steps on the court. It’s one thing after another. ‘What can I do better? What do I need to improve on today?'”
What advice do you have for her before she begins her Penn State career?
“Just enjoy it. Volleyball’s fun. Enjoy competing with her best friends who she’ll have for the next four years. Just be the best that she can be, whether it’s in this gym or in the classroom or in the community.”
How would you describe the tradition of success at Munciana? I know you and Kendall White played together there.
“They’ve had some great athletes. It’s great to see that family legacy we have that’s spread out. There were tons of games when I played that I knew at least one person across the net and played with them. It’s the relationships. But the game of volleyball is growing day by day now, and that’s something that’s incredible. To be a part of that is awesome.”
What motivated you to want to get into coaching?
“I just enjoy the game. Having the opportunity to teach the game as I was taught or help them chase after something that they want, whether it’s volleyball or something outside of volleyball, and they just enjoy the game — to share that love of the game with somebody is exciting.”
What’s it like getting to catch up with Katie [Schumacher-Cawley] and interact with her?
“It was good to catch up. She and her family were a big part of my career here. Being able to catch up with her in her new role, it’s awesome to see her in it.”
What’s it like seeing some of your former teammates playing professionally here in the United States?
“It’s very cool. I root for them all the time. Being able to cheer them on from afar and being able to catch up, and also being able to say, now that I’m a fan, ‘I played with them!’ But it’s awesome.”
Do you have a chance to chat with Coach Rose once in a while?
“I do. I see coach every once in a while and it’s great to catch up with him. He’s a big part of my heart and especially my career and where I’m at today. I appreciate that and it’s always great to catch up with him.”
Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your journey?
“A lot of people here at Penn State. All the coaching staff and the players, a lot of the support staff here at the university, especially within the athletic department and the support around that. There are also a lot of local families who I was able to get close with who come back [to support Chasing Greatness] and are willing to help me do what I do. That’s amazing I was able to catch up with them.”
What does it mean to you to have played for a program as prestigious as Penn State?
“To be able to say I was part of this program is something that’s hard to describe when you’re that person. If you’ve never been in that situation, it’s unbelievable. The experience, just to play on this stage and before people and be an inspiration to young athletes today, it’s a privilege.”