After competing with UH for two seasons, Morgan Janda takes on the director of operations role. | Oscar Herera/The Cougar
Houston volleyball’s new director of operations, Morgan Janda, is no stranger to UH. Janda, a setter, competed for UH during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which followed a three-year stint with Sam Houston, where she competed in volleyball and track.
During her time in Houston, she recorded 1,258 assists across 212 sets and was one of three players to play in each of the Cougar’s 104 sets in 2023.
Janda led the team with 758 assists in 2022. That same season, Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 during their first tournament run since 2000.
Across her two seasons in Houston, she recorded 10 double-doubles and led the Cougars in single-match assists 37 times.
In 2024, Janda revived her career as a dual sport athlete and competed as a jumper for UH track & field. She became the first Cougar to compete in two sports since Tyus Bowser competed in football and basketball.
Janda earned her master’s in sports and fitness administration. Now, the Katy, Texas native gets to apply the knowledge she acquired in the classroom as she returns to the program she competed with during two consecutive NCAA tournaments.
“It’s bittersweet because the athlete in me is eager to jump out there,” Janda said. “The other side of me is saying that the chapter is closed. I need to get out there and experience something new.”
As the director of operations, Janda gets a unique behind-the-scenes view of the ins and outs of the program. From attending coaches’ meetings to planning practices and team meals, Janda is already getting to engross herself in the complex elements of athletics.
“I always knew those elements were there. Now that it is my role, I realize I should have been even more grateful,” Janda said. “It’s a big eye-opener to see the other side of something I have been doing for so long.”
The complexity of her new role requires her to be willing to absorb new knowledge every day and use skills she acquired during her time on the court, on the track and in the classroom.
“It’s a lot of learning on the fly and doing things you’re not used to, ” Janda said. “I think back to things I learned and thought I would probably never use, but now I am using it. It is amazing that I am doing it with the Houston program that I am so familiar with.”
