Asbury University

Coach JP Rader begins his seventh year at the helm of the volleyball team at his alma mater in 2015. 

This past season the Eagles turned in another banner year in terms of production. They turned in 37 wins on the season-- second best for the program in history-- and lost just one game in conference for the second season in a row. The Eagles again captured a KIAC Regular Season Championship, but fell just short of back-to-back KIAC Tournament Championships. They were ousted in the KIAC Tournament semifinals.

Rader and the Eagles completed their best four-year run in school history with the graduating class of seniors of 2015, going 140-40 over that time. In his first five years Rader amassed a 160-50 overall record and a 45-7 mark in the KIAC.

Rader's cumulative .770 overall winning percentage is the best in school history and breaks him into the top-10 among active NAIA coaches with at least five years at their respective institutions.

In 2013 Rader led his Eagles to an outright KIAC Regular Season Championship and the KIAC Conference Tournament Championship for a bid to the NAIA tournament. The tournament title is the program's third regular season championship in four years with Rader at the helm and their first trip to the NAIA Tournament. 2013 was a decorated one for Rader and the Eagles, posting a then second-best program mark with 34 wins, while Coach Rader picked up his second Coach of the Year (2010, 2013) award from the KIAC. He coached both the Player of the Year in the conference and an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American in Sarah Sterling and had three players awarded with All-KIAC honors.

After a 2011 for the record books, Rader's squad cooled off a little bit in 2012. The squad went 27-12 with a 7-3 KIAC record, 15 off their school record pace from a year earlier. The Eagles failed to make it to the KIAC finals for the first time since 2006 with a loss to the Point Park Pioneers in the tournament semifinals.

Rader led the Eagles to their second straight KIAC Regular Season Title in 2011, and only the third in school history, with a 14-1 conference mark, finishing in a tie with Indiana East.  Asbury won 42 matches, not only a school record but also the most of any collegiate program in 2011.  The Eagles entered the KIAC Tournament as the top seed and marched their way into the tournament finals to play Indiana East in a rubber match from the season series.  The Red Wolves pulled away in three tightly contested sets as the Eagles would turn their attention to the NCCAA Regional tournament in Oakland City, Ind.

After falling in the NCCAA Mid-East Region Tournament in the previous two years, Asbury was a perfect 4-0 in 2011, defeating Trevecca Nazarene in the regional championship 3-0.  The team qualified for the NCCAA National Tournament for the second time in school history and headed to Florida as the seventh seed in the 10-team tournament.  Despite a strong effort the Eagles left Florida with an 0-4 mark.

Asbury won a then school-record 33 matches in 2010, with only five losses, including am 18-match win streak.  Asbury was knocked out of the KIAC Tournament by Indiana-East in the championship match, their second straight appearance in the title game under Rader and fourth straight overall.  The Eagles would go on to lose in the semi-finals of the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Tournament. 

Rader's first squad posted a 24-14 record overall and a 6-2 mark in the KIAC in 2011.  The Eagles returned the KIAC Championship Game for the third year in a row but came up short against Indiana-East.  Asbury would be knocked out of the NCCAA Mid-East Region tournament in pool play.

Rader is a 1983 graduate of Asbury College where he was a four-year letterman in soccer and tennis.

Rader previously coached volleyball 19 years at the Seoul Foreign School in Seoul, South Korea prior to coming back to Asbury. Rader has a career 306-73 record and was 49-0 from 2006-2009. Seoul Foreign School won 12 Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference League Titles and eight Tournament Titles. Rader was named KAIAC Coach of the Year three times in 2001, 2003, and 2009.Coach Rader also led Seoul Foreign School to five Asia Pacific Titles in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, and 2009. Rader has also been the Seoul City Volleyball Co-Director since 1995.

Rader also served Seoul Foreign School as Athletic Director from 1989-2006, Boy's Basketball Coach from 1989-2009, teacher from 1989-2008 and Assistant Principal during the 2008-2009 school year. Rader was named KAIAC Boy's Basketball Coach of the Year three times including 2009 and compiled a career 308-107 record in 18 seasons.

Rader holds a Master of Science in Physical Education from Eastern Kentucky University, a Master of Education from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Master of Arts in Education from Eastern Kentucky University. More recently, coach Rader received a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Morehead State University and serves as an Assistant Professor in the Asbury University School of Education.

JP and his wife Helen are the parents of Kristina Rader ’06 Erny (Ben ’06), Paul Rader ’09 (Hannah ’09) and Brittney Rader '13 and now have five grandchildren.

RADER'S CAREER NUMBERS

Year by Year at Asbury University

Seoul Foreign School (Seoul, South Korea)

Career Totals