Joliet Catholic names Emily Brown next girls volleyball coach

Joliet Catholic Academy announced earlier this week the hiring of former JCA standout Emily (Soto) Brown as the Angels' new head girls volleyball coach, bringing a wealth of experience and a proven track record to the team.

“We are excited to welcome Emily Brown, who was part of our 2003 state champion girls volleyball team and is a 2004 graduate, back to the JCA family,” Jim O’Brien, Joliet Catholic Academy’s athletic director, said in a news release. “We are confident she will inspire all of her athletes to reach their full potential on and off the court.

“Emily has a proven ability to develop strong teams, leadership skills and foster a competitive yet supporting environment. We are excited for the future of our girls volleyball program. We look forward to the success ahead.”

Brown is a special education teacher at Minooka Community High School and a former athletic director. During that time she was named the 2024 New Athletic Director of the Year in Illinois.

“I am profoundly honored to return to Joliet Catholic Academy, a place that shaped me both as an athlete and as a person, to lead the volleyball program that has been a cornerstone of excellence for the past 20 years,” Brown said in the release. “This program gave me the opportunity to be surrounded by inspiring human beings, and now I have the privilege of continuing that legacy as head coach.

“A heartfelt thank you to JCA’s athletic director – a top-tier member of the IHSA – for believing in me and allowing me to come full circle in a role that means so much. I am excited to work with a gifted group of athletes who not only present dynamism and assertion on the court but also aim to be scholars in the classroom and contributing members of our community.

“I look forward to being back in a place I once called home.”

After graduating from Joliet Catholic, Brown played volleyball at both Joliet Junior College, where she was named the 2006 NCJAA Region 4 MVP, and St. Xavier University, where she also served as a coaches' assistant. She went on to get master’s degrees at Lewis and Concordia universities and since returning to high school sports has served as an assistant coach for both girls and boys volleyball teams.

Joliet Catholic is coming off an 18-16 season under previous head coach LaKisha Cameron, who in her four seasons at the helm led the Angels to a 91-63 record with both a third-place and fourth-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament. JCA has not won a regional since 2022.

In its history, JCA has 14 state trophies (the first won as St. Francis), including state championships captured in Brown’s senior year of 2003 as well as 2008 and 2009.