Suzanne Horner hired as Simpson assistant volleyball coach

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Simpson volleyball head coach Kekailoa Palea announced the hiring of Suzanne Horner to join his staff as an assistant coach for the Storm on Friday.

"I am excited to have Suzanne on our staff as she brings a high level volleyball IQ and knowledge to our program," Kekailoa said. "Her personality and experiences playing at Iowa State and as a professional, will provide amazing guidance to our players both on and off the court."

Horner most recently competed on the Bournemouth University volleyball team and Team Wessex in the United Kingdom. She also has two seasons of professional volleyball experience under her belt as she played in Finland with LiigaPloki in the Mestaruusliiga, the Finnish Cup and CEV Challenge Cup.

Horner is no stranger to Iowa volleyball after lettering for three seasons on Christy Johnson-Lynch's team at Iowa State from 2014-16. Horner competed in 79 matches as a setter for the Cyclones and produced 1,684 assists during her three years with the squad, tallying a season-high 994 as a sophomore to end ninth in the Big 12 with an average of 9.29 assists per set. She earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors as a junior.

Before setting foot on campus in Ames, Horner was a member of the Mississippi State volleyball team for a season in 2013 before transferring. While in Starkville, she accounted for 978 assists and had nine matches with 40 or more assists in 32 contests.

A native of State College, Pennsylvania, Horner was a finalist for the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year award while competing at State College Area High School. She was a Prepvolleyball.com High Honorable Mention All-American, a three-time PIAA AAA All-State honoree, a four-time all-district selection and led her team to two appearances in the state quarterfinals.

Horner graduated in 2017 from Iowa State with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and held minors in teaching and coaching theory. She earned her master's degree in sport management from Bournemouth University this year.