By Michael Pagano
Thomas More University
Part of an occasional series on sports history at Thomas More University (Villa Madonna and Thomas More College)
Quite surprisingly, as we look for reasons why the Thomas More Volleyball program became one of the university’s premier programs, we found a little-known link to Cincinnati’s Seton High School. The school was home to two of the greatest players in program history before they ever stepped foot onto Thomas More’s campus as students.
The first player out of Seton was Jeni Boerger, who dominated the court for the Saints, (known at the time as the Blue Rebels), from 1990–93 and etched out a Hall of Fame career. Decades later, another Seton High School graduate Emily Mohs made her way to Thomas More. She put up numbers and gained honors at a comparable rate to Boerger before her.
Back to the beginning, after the Thomas More women’s volleyball program had a successful start in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning two conference championships, they hit a rough patch at the end of the 1980s. They won a total of 14 matches over a three-year span from 1987–1989 and went through three head coaches during that time.
Heading into the 1990 season, Thomas More hired a new head coach in Darrell McLean. McLean was a former member of the Air Force and brought tons of coaching experience to Thomas More in volleyball, track & field, and football. During the 1990 season, McLean was also a member of the Cincinnati Firefighters, before retiring prior to the 1991 volleyball season (TMU Women’s Volleyball 1991 Media Guide).
Jeni Boerger, 1990 (TMU Sports Information)
The Blue Rebels also brought in a local freshman from Seton High School in the fall of 1990 named Jeni Boerger. She was a three-sport athlete in high school and was all-league in volleyball for two years and all-city for two years and was a member of two Division I OHSAA State Championship teams at Seton in 1986 and 1988. McLean was excited about her arrival at Thomas More, “Jenny (Jeni) was highly recruited and will bring us outstanding athletic ability and a wealth of experience” (TMU Women’s Volleyball 1990 Media Guide).
After a freshman campaign that saw Boerger record 176 kills and 256 digs in 1990, coach McLean had more high praise for Boerger prior to the 1991 season, “Jenny (Jeni) has a tremendous ability to provide enthusiasm for our team. She is consistently one of the hardest workers in the gym. Her court sense makes her an excellent all around player. She is a key factor in the establishment of the new direction in our program” (TMU Women’s Volleyball 1991 Media Guide). Boerger backed up her coaches’ words by being named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American in 1991, becoming the first player in program history to be named an All-American.
She also earned AVCA All-American honors in 1992 and 1993 to cap off a fantastic career. She was also named First Team All Association of Mideast Colleges (AMC) in all three seasons competing in the conference while being named AMC Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993 (TMU Archives).
Boerger and the Blue Rebels blew away opponents during her time in a Blue Rebel uniform, amassing a record of 35-11 in 1990, 43-7 in 1991, 30-13 in 1992, and 41-9 in 1993. She finished her time at Thomas More with an overall record of 149-40 and a .788 winning percentage. The team was the conference tournament champions all four seasons and played in the NCAA Tournament in 1991, 1992, and 1993. The Blue Rebels made the Sweet Sixteen in ‘91, and the quarterfinals in ‘92 and ‘93.
Jeni finished her career sixth in program history with 1,372 kills. Her 253 career service aces are second in program history, and her 2,222 digs are third in program history.
Boerger is fifth in single-season kills with 491 in 1993, second in single-season aces with 88 in 1991, and fourth in single-season digs with 833 in 1993.
Coincidentally, exactly 25 years later, after McLean made the Saints a dominant force in women’s volleyball and eventual head coach John Spinney kept the winning tradition going, a new Seton High School graduate by the name of Emily Mohs made her way onto campus in 2018.
Mohs, a six-foot-one outside hitter, was second-team all-league her senior season in high school at Seton and was also the team captain. Her first season in Crestview Hills was the final one for John Spinney, who racked up 351 wins, eight conference tournament championships, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances during his time with the Saints.
Jeni Boerger, 1991 (TMU Sports Information)
From day one, Mohs was a perfect fit. The team finished 33-4 in 2018 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Emily made an immediate impact with 462 kills to lead the team before Thomas More officially moved into the NAIA prior to the 2019-20 academic year.
The next three seasons brought along three head coaches, 58 wins, and 1,195 more kills for Mohs. She played under the co-head coaching duo of Katie Sullivan and Elly Ogle in 2019 when the team was the runners-up in the Mid-South Conference tournament. The COVID-shortened 2020 season ended in the first round of the conference tournament before a solid 2021 season fizzled out in the MSC semifinals for the Saints. Overall, Mohs and the Saints finished 91-31 during her tenure for an impressive .746 winning percentage.
Mohs was a three-time AVCA All-American (2018, 2019, 2021) during her career, while also being a two-time NAIA All-American (2019, 2021). She was named First Team All-Conference all four years, including being named American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 2018 and MSC Player of the Year in 2021.
Mohs is the program leader with 1,657 kills, and her 544 kills in 2021 are second for a single season. Mohs and Boerger’s kill numbers are very similar as the two went for over 400 kills in five of their eight seasons on campus, with one season being shortened for Mohs.
Mohs led the team all four seasons in kills, while it took Boerger until her junior season to lead the team in kills. However, Boerger was asked to be more active defensively, leading her team in digs in three of her four seasons. Mohs was more active consistently at the net, recording 244 total blocks during her career, which is ninth all-time.
After her career at Thomas More, Boerger married the first football quarterback and fellow Thomas More Hall of Famer, John Paul Case. Shortly after her playing career ended, Jeni became the head coach at Colerain High School in 1996 where she went 21-5 in her lone season. She then became the head coach at Lakota East High School from 1997–2005, compiling a record of 156-80 before her final stop at Ursuline Academy from 2006–2019. At Ursuline, she went 334-55.
Emily Mohs (TMU Sports Information)
Overall, Boerger was a four-time Division I OHSAA State Champion at Ursuline in 2009, 2012, 2017, and 2018. She was named the AVCA/USMC National High School Coach of the Year in 2016 and has been inducted into multiple Hall of Fames over her illustrious career, including the Seton High School (1994) and Thomas More University Hall of Fame (2002).
Jeni and John Paul own the Sports Express/Elevation Volleyball Club and live in Maineville, Ohio. Their daughter Logan is heading into her senior season as a volleyball player at Western Michigan University (larosasmvp.com, 2022 Hall of Fame Inductees).
Boerger was also a standout student. According to the 1992 Thomas More media guide, “Jenny (Jeni) is an Elementary Education major on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the Dean’s List with a 3.8 gpa” (TMU Archives).
Case’s Hall of Fame biographical sketch does a great job of explaining just how great she really was on a volleyball court:
Arguably the best female athlete to ever play at Thomas More, Jeni Boerger came to Thomas More following a stellar high school career at Seton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. During her four-year career, the women’s volleyball team had an overall record of 149-40 for a winning percentage of 78.8 percent. According to Thomas More records, at the time of her induction, she was the only player, male or female, to have been selected as an All-American three times. Boerger was a three-time All-American selection by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), twice as a Second-Team selection in 1991 and 1992 and once as a First-Team Selection in 1993. She was one of only 32 players all-time in Division III history to be a three-time AVCA All-American. Boerger was also a three-time All-Region honoree. At the time of induction, Boerger held 14 school records among which include being number one in career sets played (523), career attacks (4,517), and career digs (2,222). She also ranked first in single-season sets played (164) and digs (833). Boerger also held NCAA records as she was fourth all-time in digs in a match with 54 against Ohio Northern on November 12, 1993. She was seventh for digs in a single season, 10th for career digs, and is in the top 20 for attack attempts in a career. From the moment she stepped on the court as a freshman, it was clear that Boerger was a proven leader. Following her freshman year, she led the team in receiving attempts with 525 while committing the fewest errors. She was also second in passing efficiency and was the recipient of the Best All-Around Player Award. As a sophomore in 1991, Boerger was selected to three all-tournament teams and set then-school records in single-season aces and digs. Boerger continued to add to her resume as a player in 1992 as a junior when she was selected as Association of Mideast Colleges (AMC) Player of the Week four times and was chosen to three all-tournament teams including being named Most Valuable Player of the Marietta College Invitational. Also, that year, she became the first player in program history to total over 400 kills in a single season with 414. The success of Boerger’s career along with that of the Thomas More volleyball program reached an all-time high in 1993 when she was a senior. In addition to her AVCA First-Team All-America selection, Boerger was chosen to the AVCA First-Team All-South Region team for the third consecutive season, named AMC Player of the Year for the second-straight year, was a First-Team All-AMC honoree for the third-straight season and on October 18, 1993, she was the AVCA Division III Player of the Week. She also added four more all-tournament team selections and the Most Valuable Player award at the RIT Invitational to her list of accomplishments. Since finishing her career at Thomas More, Boerger has experienced success as one of the top regionally ranked sand volleyball players, as a nationally ranked coach in the junior Olympics, and as the Volleyball Club Director at Sports Express.
Emily Mohs (TMU Sports Information)
Mohs was a nursing major at Thomas More and is now a pediatric nurse at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. Current Saints head coach Holly Bronner Stiver talked about Mohs being the epitome of a student-athlete, showing that you can be a successful player on the court and a great student off it. Nursing is known to be one of the tougher majors for student-athletes, and Mohs did a great job balancing the two.
Mohs was named Academic All Mid-South Conference three times, COSIDA Academic All-District two times, and was named a Second Team COSIDA Academic All-American in 2021. To earn that award, you must not only excel in the classroom, but also on the court, and Emily became the first player in women’s volleyball program history to earn this honor.
These two careers will forever be linked in Thomas More women’s volleyball history, not only for their successes on the court but for their hard work in the classroom and their leadership over their respective teams. Jeni Boerger Case and Emily Mohs will truly be Saints for life.
Michael Pagano is Co-Director of Sports Information at Thomas More University. He can be reached at paganom@thomasmore.edu.
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