WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Lakota West High School girls volleyball coach Tracey Kornau has been described as the "heart and soul" of Cincinnati and Lakota District volleyball for more than 30 years.
Koranu's impact on the game and its student-athletes is well known through the city.
On Friday morning, Kornau informed the Lakota West girls volleyball program that she has decided to retire from coaching after a storied 32-year career.
Kornau had a 528-334 career coaching record including a Division I state championship, seven district titles and 10 Greater Miami Conference titles. She has received coach of the year honors multiple times during her career.
Kornau's 528 career wins would rank her No. 20 on the Ohio High School Athletic Association list for most coaching wins. She has coached several athletes who have played at the collegiate level, including three Olympians.
“Tracey has been the heart and soul of Cincinnati and Lakota volleyball for over 30 years," Lakota West athletic director Scott Kaufman.
"She has been instrumental in helping grow the sport into what it is today. I can best describe and honor Coach Kornau this way, as an AD and parent - there is no one in the world I would have wanted to coach my daughter (2017 Lakota West graduate Megan Kaufman) in high school than Tracey Kornau. She made her smarter, stronger, tougher and more compassionate because of the time on her teams and she did the same for so many others.”
Kornau has been the driving force for the annual Susan G. Komen Volley for a Cure where her passion led the Lakota West volleyball program to raise well over $200,000 for cancer research, according to the Lakota West athletic department.
She has also been very active in volleyball coaches associations locally and statewide and she developed the Lakota West Student Athlete Leadership Group. It's a group she will continue to lead.
"The three titles that I am most proud of in my life are: Mom, wife, and coach," Kornau said in a statement.
"You can’t coach 32 years without having a great support system at home. My husband, Joe and sons, Vince and Kevin, are amazing. They have allowed me to pursue my passion all these years. As a family, we have embraced the grind and thrived while competing. The players are your 'why.' They have shared so much of their life with me and I am grateful. I have had the privilege to watch them grow from teens into strong, beautiful, amazing women. I am so proud of each and every one of them.”
Kornau, a Cincinnati native, began her coaching career at her alma mater, Seton, in 1990.
The following year she was named the head coach at Lakota High School, where she compiled a 102-41 record, including the 1994 Division I state championship.
When Lakota split into East and West high schools, Kornau continued her success with the Firebirds were she won six GMC titles and coached in three regional finals during her time in the district.
The search for the Lakota West next head coach will begin immediately.
