Bio

Lana (Da Silva) Milner is entering her seventh season as an assistant coach. Milner serves as the setting and defensive specialist coach for the program. Cowley has sported five KJCCC Setters of the Year in her six prior seasons with the program. Her duties also include strength and conditioning training, recruiting, video breakdown, generating opponent scouting reports, assisting with practice planning and implementation, team training, and assisting with team travel and equipment, to name a few. In 2023, she helped lead Cowley to its third national championship in program history and was named AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year. She is the only coach in Cowley Athletics history to win a championship as both a player and coach.

A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, she came to play for Cowley College as a middle hitter, a setter, and as an opposite hitter. At Cowley, she helped the team win their second national championship and also a finish third in the national tournament, win two district championships, and two KJCCC conference championships. Personally, Milner was awarded NJCAA All-American First Team, AVCA All-American Second Team, All-National Tournament team, All District First Team, All Conference First Team, Tyler Junior College All-Tournament team and was named a Top Three Athlete of the Greater Wichita Area. Statistically at Cowley, she finished her career with 561 kills, 944 assists, 509 digs, 176 blocks, and hit a .266 hitting percentage. She finished 14th in Cowley history in total kills in a career (561), 16th in Cowley history in kills in a season (359), seventh in Cowley history in total blocks in a career (176), and 10th in Cowley history in total blocks in a season (121). Off the court, she was awarded the Student-Athlete Academic Award twice, was named Cowley’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year, and was named Cowley’s Student-Athlete of the Month. She graduated from Cowley with an Associate of Arts degree in Health and Physical Education.

Milner returned to coach at Cowley after a stellar playing career in both indoor and beach volleyball and with experience in coaching, having served as an assistant coach for Quincy University. At Quincy, she served as a graduate assistant in getting her experience coaching at the college level. There, she assisted in practice planning and implementation, recruiting, scouting, team promotion, NCAA and Quincy program paperwork, and player development. In addition to her coaching duties at Quincy, Milner also coached for the Quincy Elite Volleyball Club that, took First-Place Silver Div. 18’s Stratman Greater St. Louis Area Volleyball Tournament and competed at a high level. Milner also gained coaching experience while coaching for the Star Aquila volleyball club and Cowley Junior volleyball club during her playing years. At Star Aquila, her teams placed First-Place 15’s Holden Classic, Second-Place AVC 18’s National Qualifier giving them a national tournament berth, and Second-Place KCKCC Blue D. Bash 15’s Tournament. At Cowley Juniors, she helped enhance volleyball in the Cowley County community by working and building a new club.

Prior to Quincy, she completed her playing career at Pittsburg State University and Cowley College where she shined on and off the court. Following Cowley, Milner  transferred to Pittsburg State, where she played middle hitter and opposite hitter for the program. There, she participated in the tough Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association conference in the NCAA DII ranks. She finished her career averaging 1.62 kills per set and 0.66 blocks per set. Off the court, she was awarded the NCAA DII ADA Academic Achievement Award, the Chi Alpha Sigma Class Award, and the Provost Award for Academic Excellence. Milner graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science.