Elkhorn’s Gragert Chooses Family Time Over Coaching Antlers

ELKHORN - To be as successful at coaching as Elkhorn High School volleyball coach Jenny Gragert has been, you have to invest a lot of time, passion and energy into your craft.

While Gragert still has plenty of passion and energy, she said today the scales were beginning to lean so heavily in favor of work over family when it came to her time, that something had to change. The change came is the form of Gragert's decision to resign as the head volleyball coach at Elkhorn - a school she has led to eight state tournaments - including championships in 2002 and 2004.

Gragert will remain as a teacher at the school and, as she said, be the volleyball team's biggest fan. She said the decision was incredibly tough given her love for the team, school and community. The time was just right, she said, to focus more of her hours on her family and three children.

Gragert leaves the shelves fully stocked at Elkhorn. Last season, the Antlers reached the Class B state semifinals before falling to Omaha Skutt. The team finished the year 25-10 and loses just one senior heading into next year.

Elkhorn won state championships in 2002 and 2004 under Gragert and also finished as runner-up in 2005. The Antlers also finished third in 2010 and reached the semifinals last year and in 2003.

Gragert is the third coach in the past week at a successful Omaha-area high school to step down as coach. Rochelle Rohlfs stepped down as head coach at Omaha Marian last week to focus on her roles as assistant principal and athletic director at the school while Papillion-LaVista South's Elena Pietro left to take an assistant coaching position at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.