Sara Jesse completed her 5th season as head volleyball coach at Ellsworth Community College in 2023 and it was a record-setting season for the Panthers.  ECC eclipsed the previous record for wins by finishing 28-6 and posted a set record of 84-11 in those 28 victories, taking 20 of the matches in straight sets.  The Panthers had a home court record of 9-1.  Four ECC players were named to the All-Region teams and 7 earned Academic All-Region honors.

Prior to being named the ECC head coach in 2018 Jesse had been an assistant coach at DMACC for one season.  Before going to DMACC she was an assistant coach at Union High School in LaPorte City, Iowa, for three years.  At Union the team qualified for the state tournament twice and finished second one of those years.  Jesse began her coaching career at an early age, working with middle school girls while she was still in high school and coaching a club team for seven years.

Jesse is a 2012 Union High School graduate.  She lettered in volleyball and played on the varsity squad all four years, was team captain twice, received All-State honors once, played on a team that qualified for state twice, and earned All-Region honors two times, All-Conference recognition three times and was named Academic All-Conference twice.  In 2010, as a junior, Jesse helped Union High School qualify for state for the first time in school history. 

After graduating from high school, Jesse continued her playing career at Des Moines Area Community College where she was an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection.  DMACC also qualified for the national tournament her sophomore year and the Bears placed eighth in the nation.  Jesse then transferred to the University of Northern Iowa and coached volleyball at Union High School while she was a student at UNI.  She helped the Knights qualify for the state tourney in 2014 and they finished second at state in 2016.