Karmen Kočar Named LOVB Nebraska Assistant Coach

Former Slovenian national team setter reunites with head coach Giannis Athanasopoulos after five seasons together in Hungary

OMAHA, Neb. – LOVB Nebraska announced Karmen “Kiki” Kočar as an assistant coach for the 2026-27 season.

Kočar spent the past five seasons as first assistant coach under Giannis Athanasopoulos at Vasas Óbuda in Hungary. During their tenure, the club won five consecutive Hungarian league championships and four Hungarian Cups and finished third in the 2024-25 CEV Cup. Athanasopoulos was announced as LOVB Nebraska’s head coach in June.

“I am excited to come back to coach in the U.S. and to be a part of the growing (LOVB) professional league,” Kočar said. “I am well aware of the fan base that the state of Nebraska has and can’t wait to be a part of this community that is shaping the game of women’s volleyball.”

A native of Ljubljana, Slovenia and 2016 graduate from the University of Maribor in 2016 with a degree in sport training, Kočar brings experience at the professional, international and collegiate levels. She has served on the coaching staffs of the Hungarian and Czech women’s national teams, including with Czechia at the 2026 Volleyball Nations League. Kočar graduated.

“We’re so excited to welcome Kiki to Nebraska,” said Kirsten Bernthal Booth, president of business operations for LOVB Nebraska. “She has experienced the game from so many perspectives, and we look forward to the knowledge and energy she’ll share with our athletes and volleyball community across the state.”

Prior to coaching, Kočar spent more than 15 years playing professionally as a setter across Europe and represented Slovenia internationally. Her playing career included stops in France, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia and Romania. She earned German Cup MVP honors with Allianz MTV Stuttgart in 2017.

Kočar joined the University of North Carolina as a volunteer assistant coach in 2019 before returning to Europe and continuing her coaching career.

Former Nebraska assistant coaches Remi Pourrat and Fernando Morales will both continue coaching in LOVB Pro this season. Pourrat was recently named an assistant coach with LOVB Minnesota, while Morales was named head coach of LOVB Madison.

Additional coaching staff announcements will follow. For team news and information about the 2026-27 season, visit lovbneb.com.

About LOVB Nebraska

LOVB Nebraska is a professional women's volleyball team based in Omaha and representing the entire State of Volleyball. The team, which began play in 2025, is an inaugural member of LOVB Pro – the professional league of League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced "love") and the nation's first professional volleyball league built from the club level up. Through LOVB's connected youth, club and professional model, LOVB Nebraska brings world-class athletes and elite competition to one of the country's deepest volleyball cultures while growing the game, inspiring the next generation and giving Nebraskans a professional team that reflects who they are.