Bentley University

"One of the first big name recruits to play for Bentley volleyball", commented legendary Bentley volleyball coach Sandy Hoffman of the Pleasantville, N.Y. native when Jen Bates was being inducted into the Bentley Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. "Her dedication was unsurpassed as she gave 100% at everything she took on."

It shows. The Falcons were an impressive 124-28 and laid claim to two conference championship titles throughout Jen's four years in a Bentley uniform.

As a freshman in 1984, the Falcons finished at 23-13 while she garnered Northeast-8 Rookie of the Year honors as she played in every game. She was also selected to the second-team AII-Northeast-8 squad and finished the season third on the team in digs and kills.

Her sophomore season saw the Falcons cruise to a 24-5 regular season record and their first-ever NE-8 tournament championship, defeating Springfield College in the finals, 2-1. Jennifer's defensive prowess led the way as she had missed only one game out of seventy-six and became the team leader in digs and blocks.

The 1986 and 1987 seasons were when Jen and her Bentley teammates poured it on. They posted an impressive 40-7 mark and brought home the NE-8 regular season and tourney championship in 1986. The next fall, Bentley achieved a 37-3 record and repeated as champions in the freshly-expanded Northeast-10 Conference. When her senior season was complete, Jennifer walked off the court with 358 games played (only missing three in her career), 418 kills, 460 digs, 108 blocks and 157 service aces.

After graduating with a degree in finance, Jen found herself in Boston's famed financial-district as a successful mutual-fund accountant. Unable to fight the yearnings brought on by her volleyball addiction, she left State Street to pursue her passion for the game. Jen wound up at Springfield College where she completed her graduate degree in athletic administration.

An unpaid internship in Harvard University's compliance office led to her volunteering as an assistant volleyball coach and a year later, volleyball was one of three Harvard women's sports to reach full-tier status. Jen was in the right place at the right time and landed the full-time volleyball coaching position at the most prestigious school in the country. The 2022 season was her 30th at the helm of the Crimson and she’s one of the top three winningest volleyball coaches in Ivy League history.