Since arriving as Berry College’s fourth head volleyball coach in 2008, Mika Robinson has taken the Vikings to unprecedented heights while also helping Berry navigate the transition from NAIA to NCAA DIII.

The 2012 Vikings won the inaugural SAA regular season championship as well as the tournament championship, but the Vikings were ineligible to be selected to the NCAA tournament due to the reclassification from NAIA to NCAA. 
In addition, the Vikings’ conference tournament victory over Rhodes marked Robinson’s 100^th career victory as a collegiate head coach.

In her inaugural season, Robinson made an immediate splash at Berry, guiding the Vikings to a 23-13 overall record and a first ever Southern States Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 15-1 conference mark. For her efforts, Robinson was named the SSAC’s Coach of the Year in 2008. In addition, the 2008 Berry squad was recognized with both the AVCA Team Academic Award and the NAIA Scholar Team Award for their work off the court. In 2009, Robinson was promoted to Associate Athletics Director and took on the responsibilities of Senior Woman Administrator as the Vikings began their transition to NCAA DIII.

In her five seasons at Berry, Robinson’s teams have posted a combined 102-57 overall record, and an impressive 28-2 conference record in the two seasons that they have had conference play. In addition, she has coached the SAA’s Newcomer of the Year (Emily Stromberg), SSAC’s Player of the Year (Meghan Francis), SSAC’s Libero of the Year (Shawn Carroll), an AVCA honorable mention All-American (Francis), two All-Region selections, six first-team All-Conference selections, three second-team All Conference selections, four NAIA All-American Scholar-Athletes and 14 Academic All-Conference selections.

As Berry continues its transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division III, Robinson’s focus on the combination of athletic and academic success, as well as a well-balanced collegiate experience, fits like a glove. She has experienced firsthand the rigors of maintaining a balance of academics and athletics as a student-athlete at a top-level school, having spent four years as a member of the volleyball team at Harvard University. She served as the team’s captain as a senior setter and defensive specialist before graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in psychology.

After earning her degree from Harvard, Robinson went on to coach several club teams for the Gainesville (Fla.) Juniors Volleyball Club, as well as serve as the head coach at Buchholz High School, where she led her team to four straight district championships and one elite eight appearance, and was named Gainesville Sun 3A-5A Coach of the Year. In addition, her team received the AVCA Team Academic Award in 2004 and 2005.

Robinson joined the staff at Idaho State in 2005, helping lead the Bengals to their third consecutive appearance in the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Along with her duties as Associate Head Coach, Robinson also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator. During her tenure at Idaho State, she coached five All Conference selections as well as three different players who hold Idaho State volleyball records. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Athletic Administration from ISU in 2006.

In 2007, Robinson became a graduate of the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy, held at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.
As an active member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, she has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the AVCA, the AVCA Assistant Coaches Committee, and the AVCA ACC Drills and Skills Committee, and she currently represents the SAA on the AVCA DIII Head Coaches Committee.

Robinson and her husband, Clint, have a daughter, Bryce, and a son, Clay. They reside in Rome.

MIKA ROBINSON'S HEAD COACHING CAREER