Jim Barnes named new Iowa volleyball coach

IOWA CITY — The Iowa volleyball program is in new hands.

Jim Barnes, who has been a head coach for 24 years at four different programs, will take over the Hawkeye program next season, the university announced Tuesday.

“I am very excited to have Coach Barnes joining our team,” Iowa athletics director Gary Barta said in a news release. “He has three decades of experience, proven success at the highest collegiate volleyball level ... his leadership, knowledge of the game and respect nationwide sets us up for long-term success.”

Barnes spent the past six years coaching at Tulane, leading that program to back-to-back National Invitational Volleyball Championship appearances. He spent 11 seasons at Baylor, where he became the program’s all-time win leader with 181 victories.

He also coached two seasons at Wyoming and was head coach at Lamar from 1996-2001, going 128-71 overall.

“Our coaches and players will be all in and make Hawkeye nation very proud of our volleyball program,” he said in the release. “I can’t wait to get to work.”

In his 24 years as a head coach, Barnes has amassed a career record of 455-345.

“Jim Barnes has laid the foundation for volleyball programs at Baylor and Tulane and he will do great work for Iowa,” said two-time National Coach of the Year Terry Pettit of Nebraska, in the release. “His work ethic is exceeded only by his character.”

Former Tulane player Sarah Strasner said Barnes “changes the way you play ... I have no doubt he will impact Iowa’s volleyball program and more people’s lives the way he did mine.”

Barnes replaces Vicki Brown, who was fired in November after going 17-56 in less than three seasons. Iowa interviewed volleyball players individually as part of a program review done in the weeks before the firing.

Barta last month told The Gazette he made the call after “taking a look at the overall direction competitively and where we're at.”

The Hawkeyes finished the 2021 season 6-24 overall and 4-16 in the Big Ten.