Nicholls Names Jonea Rima to lead Volleyball Program

Nicholls State University Athletics Director Jonathan Terrell announced Friday the hiring of Jonea Rima as head coach for Colonel indoor/beach volleyball, pending approval from the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

“We are ecstatic to have Coach Rima lead our volleyball teams. She has a history of building programs and has proven to be successful at multiple levels,” Terrell said. “Her energy and coaching style are exactly what we need to elevate our program.”

Rima comes to Thibodaux after a successful six years at Midway University, an NAIA program in Kentucky. She turned around the Eagle women’s program during her tenure and also coached the men’s team which began competition only five years ago.

“I would like to thank Jonathan Terrell for the opportunity to build the Colonel Volleyball Program, “said Rima. “I am beyond grateful to become a member of the Nicholls State University Family.”

After nearly posting a .500 record in her third season, Rima led the Eagles to an impressive 60-19 mark over the last three years, highlighted by a 24-5 campaign in 2021. It was one of the most successful seasons in program history as the Eagles reached the championship game of the River State Conference Tournament and made their first ever appearance in the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship Opening Round. Following the historic campaign, the league named Rima as RSC Volleyball Coach of the Year.

This past season, Rima’s squad finished 19-7 overall and earned tournament runner-up for the second straight season. Four Eagles were named all-conference, bringing the total of all-league selections to 17 in her six-year tenure. In addition to her all-conference honorees, 48 players have been named to the All RSC Scholar-Athlete Team and 28 garnered Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

For the men’s program, Rima led the Eagles to a total of 39 victories in her four-plus season. She had one All-American honorable mention in 2020 and coached the Mid-Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in the ’19 campaign. The Eagles totaled six All-MSC honorees, six Academic All-Conference recipients and three Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

Before heading to Kentucky, Rima was an assistant coach at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a Division I program that competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. In her lone season, the Hawks led the NCAA in team aces. UMES also had success in the classroom, earning NCAA Academic Team Honors and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Team Honors.

Prior to UMES, Rima was the head coach at Seminole State College for two seasons. After a 14-27 record in her first campaign, she led the Trojans to a 15-win improvement in Year 2 as they finished 29-13. In both seasons, Seminole State earned NJCAA Academic Team Honors and AVCA Academic Team Honors.

Rima held positions at several different levels of volleyball, including coaching in the Junior College ranks and the NAIA. Her first head coaching position was at Missouri Valley College, where she also served as the assistant men’s volleyball coach.

After spending two seasons at Missouri Valley, Rima found her way to the junior college ranks where she was the head coach at Clarendon College (2003-2008) and Sheridan College (2008-2011).

During her coaching career at the NAIA level, Rima coached two NAIA Region V Players of the Week, five conference Player of the Week selections, three Daktronics NAIA Scholar All-American selections, and seven NAIA Region V All-Academic selections. While in the Junior College ranks, she coached seven Academic All-American selections, 10 WJCAC All-Conference selections, five WCCAC All-Conference selections and five Region V selections.

Rima is a graduate of Hendrix College in Arkansas where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education. She also holds a Master’s of Science in Exercise Science from ULM.