BIO
The Full Story
Howdy, Y'all! Can you guess where I am from? Exactly, TEXAS. I don't actually greet people that way, just to acknowledge the stigma about people from Texas. My name is Jalissa Trotter. I am the daughter of Steve Johnson and Melissa Hardy, I have three sisters and one brother, but I am my mother's only birth child. My mother, Melissa Trotter-Hardy, played Volleyball for Henderson State University (1994-1998), and my uncle Jeremiah Trotter played football for the Philadelphia Eagles, Buccaneers, and the Commanders when they were the Redskins. My hobbies are traveling, reading, hanging out with friends, and working out.
I graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science. I played volleyball during my time at Syracuse University, coached by Leonid Yelin. My senior year, we made history by winning the NCAA tournament and the first round. I earned several academic and athletic accolades while participating in student-led committees on campus, SAAC, FCA etc. In 2019-2020 and 2021-2022, I played professional volleyball in Kuusamo, Finland. My play helped our team finish first in the Finish League (Playoffs N/A) in 2020, although playoffs were cut short due to COVID. During the COVID year, I came home enrolled in a Master's program, and took an assistant coaching position at Ouachita Baptist University (DII: GAC conference) before returning to Finland to play. In the 21-22 season, we won the Finnish Cup and the entire Finnish League, a first for our team since being a part of the league. While playing professionally, I remained in school, continuing to work on my master’s degree program at Southern Arkansas University. I have now graduated from my master’s program with my BS in Kinesiology-Coaching. In 2022-2023 I was an assistant volleyball coach and an Interm Head Coach at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. I am currently an assistant volleyball coach at Tulane University. If you were to meet someone who knows me, they would say I am an extremely hard-working, compassionate, and intentional person who is loyal to those of good character and represent themselves well. Also, that I am persistent to innovate and improve my skills and self-awareness by traveling and looking through different perspectives.
Credentials
Testimonials
Jaymeson Kinley
Butler University (2022)
2-Time Big East Libero of the year
“Jalissa actually cares about us as humans before athletes. She checks in on me and really puts in an effort to
develop us for life after volleyball. She pushes me to be my very best and makes the mundane parts enjoyable.
Because of her I know I will be successful not only in games but in life as well”
Destiny Cherry
Butler University (2022)
“If I had to describe Coach Trotter in three words it would be knowledgeable, encouraging, and adaptive. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the sport of volleyball and the minds of the players. She knows how different positions think and is readily available to talk through any aspect of the game you need. She is encouraging and ready to give praise and offer a vote of confidence when her players need it. She offers tips, pointers, tricks, and reminders to her players and never makes them feel inadequate or incompetent for not understanding a skill. And lastly, she is adaptive. Coach Trotter completely grasps the idea that every player is different and needs a different style of coaching and she is not only ready but quick to change to what a distinct player needs. One thing
that I believe truly sets Coach Trotter apart is her genuine care and concern for our well-being and our success outside of volleyball. She knows that stress comes with being a college athlete and she never expects us to ignore or pretend like our problems don't exist, and she is always ready to ask what she can do to help alleviate that stress."
Cora Taylor
Butler University (2022)
Big East Freshmen Team
“Her coaching style is demanding but gets responses out of her players. She explains things very well and is easy to understand. She expects and demands the best from you with maximum effort at all times. She has taught me many things as a setter and how to make smart decisions. She has also helped me improve my game in many aspects. She has taught me when to set my hitters and recognize when they are having a good hitting day by taking stats on the sideline and talking to me constantly throughout the game and throughout practice. She hasn’t only helped me in the setting aspects but in my all- around skills as well. She has helped me with my blocking and defense. More importantly, she keeps me in the game when I am having a bad day. “