After putting together one of the most successful careers in Mizzou volleyball history, Mizzou assistant coach Lindsey James will enter her fourth season patrolling the sidelines as an assistant coach. James serves as the head recruiting coordinator at Mizzou while working with the Tiger setters. Before her career in coaching, James spent three years with the US National Team and was Mizzou's first volleyball player to receive first team AVCA All-America honors in 2005. She is the Mizzou's all-time leader in career assists. Along with Deng Yang, she was named Coach of the Year at the annual WIN Awards.

The fruits of James' labor have already been felt in the program already in just three seasons and last year may have been the greatest reflection of her impact on the program. She helped senior setter Molly Kreklow earn AVCA First Team All-America honors - the first player to do so since James did in 2005 - and as Kreklow's position coach, James' influence led to Mizzou's offense ranking first nationally in hitting, kills and assists.

In 2012, she coached Molly Kreklow to second team All-SEC honors and helped Mizzou win 19 matches in its first season in the SEC. She also was responsible for recruiting Mizzou's 2013 freshman class, which was rated No. 18 nationally according to PrepVolleyball.com with many of the signees being dubbed High School All-Americans by various publications. That class was huge during the historic 2013 season as three were regular starters with outside hitter Carly Kan earning SEC Freshman of the Year, AVCA Southeast Region Freshman of the Year and All-America honors from the AVCA.

In her first season on the sidelines in 2011, James helped mentor one of the games' top young setters in Molly Kreklow. James helped Kreklow run one of the nation's top offensive units, despite much of the roster being comprised of freshmen and sophomores.

After establishing herself as one of the best athletes in Mizzou history in any sport, James put together an impressive career on the international and professional scene as a member of the US National Team from 2006 through 2008. As a member of Team USA, James helped guide the American team to a Bronze Medal at the 2007 Pan-American Games, becoming the first player in Mizzou volleyball history to win a major international medal. She also competed in the 2006 World Grand Prix, the 2006 World Championships, and the Tour of China on two occasions (2006, 2008). She was also a member of two Pan-American Cup teams as a member of Team USA and played as a member of Team USA at the 2006 TV Azteca Cup in Mexico.

James put together a very impressive collegiate résumé that led to her being named Mizzou Women's Athlete of the Decade along with a spot in the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame earlier this year. She was also the first Tiger to be named to the AVCA All-America first team, doing so in 2005. James was also a second-team AVCA All-American in 2004 as well. She is Mizzou's all-time leader in total assists with 6,097 during her four-year career and holds the school's single-season record with 1,690 helpers during the 2002 season. James also holds three of the top four single-season assist marks in program history. In fact, the two-time All-American had 21 matches with 60 or more assists during her career - the next closest Tiger finished her career with nine such matches. James was a three-time All-Big 12 first team honoree and an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2002.

What is even more impressive than her individual accomplishments is what she was able to help the Mizzou volleyball program achieve during her tenure in Black & Gold. She guided the team to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, three 20-win seasons, three third-place Big 12 finishes and helped guide the 2005 team within two sets from the program's first-ever Final Four. During her four years at setter, Mizzou compiled a 90-33 overall record. The 90 wins were the second-most in a four-year span at Mizzou, trailing only the 1980-83 program which posted 97 wins. What is impressive about that is that from 1980-83, that team played in 20 more matches than James's squad did from, making her squad's 90-33 clip the best winning percentage over a four-year span in school history.

James led the 2005 Mizzou team to a 25-5 overall record and a 7-4 mark against top-25 teams that season with four of those wins coming against top-10 programs. The 25-5 mark is the best winning percentage in a single season in program history and the team achieved a No. 7 national ranking, the best-ever for the volleyball program. The 16 wins during Big 12 play that season were also a program-best. Upon her graduation, James was one of only 15 players in Division I history to have amassed more than 6,000 career assists.

The former Tiger setter resumed her professional volleyball career this year with Valencianas de Juncos in Puerto Rico where she was named team captain. She has been playing in Puerto Rico since January and will continue to play until April. Prior to her career in Puerto Rico, James had been serving as a graduate assistant in the Mizzou Total Person Program and served as the color analyst for Mizzou volleyball matches on Mizzou All-Access. She served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Tigers back in the fall of 2006 as well.

Formerly Lindsey Hunter, James was married to former Mizzou baseball pitcher and MLB pitcher Justin James in August in Omaha. The two currently reside in Columbia.

Lindsey Hunter with USA Volleyball vs. Poland