After departing Kearney Catholic, Conner to become head volleyball coach at Riverside

KEARNEY, Neb. — The legendary volleyball coach who just resigned at Kearney Catholic is now set to become the next coach at Riverside.

Kris Conner is returning to her home area to coach the Chargers. She announced her resignation at Kearney Catholic on Tuesday following 32 years leading the Stars program.

“I’ve been lucky. It’s been a fun 32 years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Conner said on “The Doug & Daddy Show” on ESPN Tri-Cities.

Conner is originally from Primrose, which is part of the Riverside school district with Spalding and Cedar Rapids. She says she has been considering moving closer to her home for years and the right opportunity came up to take a tech job with the school district and coach the volleyball team.

“It just pulled at my heartstrings too much,” Conner said. “I am going to try to help those athletes at Riverside and see what we can do.”

Conner owns a 753-241 record, which represents the second-most wins among active Nebraska high school volleyball coaches. She won four state titles at Kearney Catholic and her teams finished as runners up three times.

“Terry Torson and Matt Rogers have just been great to work with. The whole Kearney Catholic community — my parents have been awesome, kids alumni, coaches,” Conner said.

Conner spent three years at Fort Calhoun to start her career. She says she always knew she would go back to the public school system in order to be eligible for pension benefits, which start after five years of service.

Riverside competed in Class D-1 in 2023 and finished with a 12-14 record. The Chargers have never qualified for the state tournament.