It is safe to say that volleyball has been a major part of AJ Koele’s life for as long as she can remember.
A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Koele serves as assistant coach for the Landsharks varsity volleyball squad and as head coach of the junior varsity team.
Koele was active on the club circuit in Texas, Earning UnderArmour Honorable Mention All-America and PrepVolleyball.com Top 150 Players during senior season. She was named the Lonestar Region Player of the Year and All-State in 2017 in addition to being a 2017 GHVCA Fab 50 Selection. She was also All-State as a junior and was named to the Texas Open and Volleypalooza All-Tournament Teams while earning District Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. She was a three-time Academic All-District selection from 2015-17. She was a bronze medalist at the USAV Junior Nationals in 17s and 18s for her club team, the Texas Tornadoes.
In addition to volleyball, she participated in National Charity League and National Honor Society.
She signed to play collegiately at Mississippi State and, as a freshman for the Bulldogs, she recorded 125 kills in 67 sets played. After that first year in Starkville, she transferred to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, to be closer to her family.
At Baylor, she was a part of the No. 1 ranked team in the nation as a sophomore, helping the Bears reach the Final Four. While she did not play as a transfer, she did earn Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
During her second season at Baylor Koele saw action in nine matches as the Bears reached the NCAA Regional semifinals. She earned the first of her two Academic All-Big 12 Honors that year along with being named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the second time.
Her final year at Baylor coincided with the Covid pandemic. While she saw only limited time on the court, she was again selected as First Team Academic All-Big 12 and was selected for the third time for the Commissioner’s honor roll.
After completing her degree in Communications at Baylor, and with one year of eligibility remaining, she enrolled in graduate school at Dallas Baptist University and she shined in her one season for the Patriots, earning AVCA First Team All-America honors.
The outside/opposite hitter put together one of the most impressive seasons in program history, setting records for kills per set (4.08) and points per set (4.40). She finished the season with 449 kills, a .305 hitting percentage, 484.5 points, eight solo blocks, 53 block assists, and 123 digs. In addition to being named to the All-America team, she was also named First Team All-Lone Star Conference, D2CCA All-South Central Region, AVCA All-South Central Region, and the AVCA South Central Region Player of the Year as the Patriots posted a 25-7 record.
Koele received her Master’s Degree from DBU in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2023.
Adter finishing college, Koele dove into her other passion for social media and graphic design while also following her faith. She has served as the Communications Coordinator for Antioch Ministries International and, during each of the past two summers, she has spent time on mission trips to Zambia.
AJ, whose full name is Alexandra, has an older brother named Zachary. Her parents, Devin and Sandi, live in Texas where her dad is an engineer and her mom owns a clothing boutique.
