Having already served at the forefront of a 9-match turnaround for the Braves as an assistant coach from 2018-22, Jaleesa Harper was named as the 12th head coach of the program on Jan. 25, 2023.
Harper joined the Black & Gold as a graduate assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 athletic season, and served as its interim assistant coach for the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. She was promoted to a full-time assistant coach role prior to the 2021 season.
In 2023, Harper led the Braves to a successful season in her debut campaign, finishing with a 21-14 record, including a 12-5 clip in Conference Carolinas play, as well a berth in the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship match. Vanja Przulj earned 1st-Team All-Region and 3rd-Team All-American honors, becoming only the second Brave in program history to be named an All-American. Off the court, the Braves were named an AVCA Team Academic Award recipient, turning in a 3.465 team GPA, with 13 student-athletes posting a 3.0 GPA or better. The program also saw 16 student-athletes named to the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll.
Harper's second season in 2024 saw the Braves finish 17-18, as well as an 11-7 record in Conference Carolinas play, including a second-straight trip to the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship match. The Black & Gold saw two players earn All-Conference selections, while three were named to the Academic All-Conference team. The Braves also had 15 student-athletes earn Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll selections.
Prior to trekking to Pembroke, Harper gained a wealth of experience at both the high school and club levels following a standout career as a collegiate student-athlete. She immersed herself in the coaching world in 2015 when she took over the reins of the varsity girls team at Fike High School in Wilson, N.C., where she led the Demons to nearly 30 victories in three seasons, as well as a pair of state playoff appearances. Under her tutelage, Fike ranked among the area’s best programs in kills, blocks and service aces, and the Demons sent three or more student-athletes to first team all-conference laurels following each of the three campaigns as well.
Harper overlapped her time at Fike High School with a four-year coaching stint across a pair of state club organizations, first with the Wilson Elite Volleyball Club from 2015-16, and then as the head coach of the Carolina Shockwave Volleyball Club in Goldsboro during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. She led the Shockwave to championship honors at a regional tournament in March 2019 as well.
A regular on the camp circuit, Harper as served as a camp clinician/instructor at several events across her coaching career, including UNCP’s volleyball camps that are held each June on campus and with the Carolina Union Volleyball Club.
A native of Elm City, Harper was a standout player at Claflin, and helped pace the Lady Panthers to more than 100 victories from 2010-13, as well as three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) division crowns. A four-time academic all-conference honoree, she compiled a .210 career hitting percentage, while also registering 177 blocks as well. She also raked in team most improved recognition following her freshman year, and coaches award honors as a senior.
Harper earned her bachelor’s degree in sport management and business administration from Claflin in 2014, and completed her graduate work in sports administration at UNCP in 2020.
Updated: June 2025
