In his 21st season as head coach of the Wayne State College volleyball team in 2025, Scott Kneifl and his staff have converted the Wildcats into one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the country.
Kneifl led WSC to back-to-back Northern Sun Conference regular season titles in 2022 and 2023. He has coached the Wildcats to 13 NCAA Division II National Tournaments, 19 20-win seasons, three 30-win seasons, two NCAA Central Region titles (2015 and 2023), one NCAA Final Four (2015), one NCAA Elite Eight (2023) and one NSIC Tournament title (2007).
| Scott Kneifl Career Achievements |
| AVCA National Coach of the Year - 2023 |
| AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year - 2022, 2023 |
| #1 AVCA Division II National Ranking - 16 times |
| 13 NCAA Tournament Appearances |
| NSIC Coach of the Year - 2005, 2009, 2022, 2023 |
| Two NSIC Regular Season Titles - 2022, 2023 |
| One NSIC Tournament Title - 2007 |
During his 20 years on the Wildcat bench, Kneifl has coached Wayne State to records of 474-152 (.757) overall and 277-91 (.753) in Northern Sun Conference play. He achieved his 450
th career win by defeating in-state rival Nebraska-Kearney 3-2 in the 2023 NCAA Central Region semi-finals on December 1, 2023.
Kneifl started his Wildcat coaching career by leading Wayne State to eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2005-13.
The Wildcats made school history in 2015 by winning the NCAA Central Region title for the first time in school history, advancing to the Elite 8. WSC beat three top 10 teams in three days - #8 Central Missouri, #4 Southwest Minnesota State and #1 Concordia-St. Paul – to capture the region title and advance to the Elite 8 in Tampa, Florida where the Wildcats defeated Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 3-1 before falling to Palm Beach Atlantic 3-0 in the semi-finals to finish a memorable season at 28-8.
Under Kneifl in 2022, Wayne State captured their first NSIC regular season title with a 19-1 league mark while finishing 30-3 overall. WSC was ranked #1 in the AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll for five weeks after starting the season with a school record 24 straight wins. The Wildcats were awarded the #1 seed and hosted the NCAA Central Region Tournament for the first time in school history.
More history was attained in the 2023 season as the Wildcats captured a second straight NSIC regular season title, going through league play with a perfect 18-0 record. Wayne State became the first unbeaten league champion since Minnesota Duluth in 2014 (20-0) and the first team since Concordia-St. Paul (2003-10) to win consecutive NSIC regular season titles.
The Wildcats had a 21-game win streak during the regular season and was ranked #1 for nine straight weeks in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. Wayne State capped the season with a second NCAA Central Region title, beating host Concordia-St. Paul in the title match 3-1 to advance to the NCAA Elite 8 in Moon Township, Pa. where the Wildcats dropped a hard-fought 3-2 match to eventual national champion Cal State Los Angeles in the quarterfinals to finish the season at 31-3.
Kneifl was awarded the AVCA National Coach of the Year Award in 2023. He has also been named AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2023 and is a four-time NSIC Coach of the Year (2005, 2009, 2022, 2023).
Under Kneifl in 2024, Wayne State finished the year with a 23-7 overall record, tied for third place in the NSIC with a 14-4 league mark. It was the sixth straight season and 19th time in the last 20 years that WSC volleyball registered a 20-win season. The Wildcats ended the year 19th in the final AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Kneifl and his staff also take pride in the success the Wildcats have accomplished in the classroom. Wayne State has earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award for 23 straight seasons and has posted one of the top grade point averages on a consistent basis in NCAA Division II – 3.65 cumulative grade point average in the 2024-25 season.
Numerous Wildcat players have also achieved prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. They include the school's first-ever three-time Academic All-American in Taya Beller in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Other multiple Academic All-Americans at WSC include Rachel Walker in 2022 and 2023, Megan Gebhardt (2017 and 2018) and Jennifer Hefner in 2009 and 2010.
Two Wildcats have earned the NCAA Elite 90 Award as the top scholar athlete at an NCAA championship event – Jordan McCormick in 2023 and Leisa McClintock in 2015. McCormick and Lauren Jacobsen (2021) have also earned the NSIC Elite 18 Award as the top scholar athlete at a conference championship.
Wayne State has also fared well in home attendance under Kneifl’s tenure, ranking in the top 15 in NCAA Division II home attendance for the last 15 seasons. In 2024, the Wildcats were 13
th nationally with an average home attendance of 543 fans. Wayne State has ranked as high as second in home attendance with an all-time high average of 757 fans per home match in the 2013 season.
Kneifl has coached at both high school and college levels and brought 12 years of experience to the Wildcat program where he started his Wayne State career as an assistant coach under Sharon Vanis for two seasons in 2003 and 2004 before being elevated to the head coaching position in 2005. The Wildcats made a 10-game improvement from 2003 to 2004 under the assistance of Kneifl, going from 10-24 in 2003 to 20-14 in 2004. Kneifl also served as an assistant track and field coach at WSC during the two years he was a Wildcat volleyball assistant coach.
A native of Newcastle, Kneifl got his start in coaching as head girls volleyball coach at Allen High School (1995-96). Other coaching stops for Kneifl included assistant coach at Doane College (1997-98) followed by head girls volleyball coach at Dorchester (1998-99), Millard South (1999-2000) and Pender (2001-02).
Kneifl also worked with many club volleyball programs including Logan Valley, Tri-State and Nebraska Juniors. In 1997 his Tri-State team won the regional tournament and earned a berth to the national club volleyball tournament.
Scott earned his bachelor's degree from Wayne State in 1995 and added a master’s degree in sport management, also from Wayne State, in 2004. He and his wife Jennifer have three sons – Jacob, Brooks and Jaxson and they reside in Wayne.
Updated 7/14/25
| Kneifl By The Numbers |
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Postseason |
Final AVCA Ranking |
| 2005 |
25-10 |
10-4 NSIC |
NCAA Division II North Central Region - Quarterfinals |
NR |
| 2006 |
30-8 |
15-3 NSIC |
NCAA Division II North Central Region - Semifinals |
20th |
| 2007 |
24-12 |
13-5 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Quarterfinals |
NR |
| 2008 |
23-10 |
12-8 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region- Quarterfinals |
25th |
| 2009 |
29-8 |
16-4 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Semifinals |
18th |
| 2010 |
26-4 |
17-3 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Quarterfinals |
9th |
| 2011 |
23-8 |
16-4 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Quarterfinals |
10th |
| 2012 |
22-10 |
14-6 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Quarterfinals |
18th |
| 2013 |
22-10 |
12-8 NSIC |
NSIC Tournament - Semifinals |
21st |
| 2014 |
27-7 |
16-4 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Quarterfinals |
6th |
| 2015 |
28-8 |
16-4 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Elite Eight - Semifinals |
3rd |
| 2016 |
24-8 |
14-6 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Quarterfinals |
12th |
| 2017 |
19-12 |
12-8 NSIC |
NSIC Tournament - Quarterfinals |
NR |
| 2018 |
22-9 |
13-7 NSIC |
NSIC Tournament - Quarterfinals |
NR |
| 2019 |
24-7 |
14-6 NSIC |
NSIC Tournament - Quarterfinals |
13th |
| 2020 |
Season Canceled - COVID-19 |
| 2021 |
22-8 |
14-6 NSIC |
NSIC Tournament - Semifinals |
18th |
| 2022 |
30-3 |
19-1 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Central Region - Semifinals |
4th |
| 2023 |
31-3 |
20-0 NSIC |
NCAA Division II Elite Eight - Quarterfinals |
4th |
| 2024 |
23-7 |
14-4 NSIC |
NSIC Tournament - Semifinals |
19th |
| Totals |
474-152 |
277-91 NSIC |
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