Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Women's Volleyball

Jason Barshinger concluded his first season in charge of the Golden Bears women's volleyball team in 2025. He turned the team's fortunes in his first year, as the 15-13 record matched the largest increase based on total wins from the prior season (+14) in all of Division II Women's Volleyball and was the largest such increase in program history. His squad concluded with defeating Shippensburg for the first time in three seasons, and gave Kutztown its most wins since 2011. His 2025 overhaul was highlighted with a pair of student-athletes earning All-Conference honors, as outside hitter Madilyn Bogovic was recognized as the PSAC Freshman of the Year while earning a spot on the All-PSAC First Team, while transfer Paige Skinner collected Second Team All-PSAC honors   Barshinger comes to Kutztown with five seasons of collegiate men’s volleyball head coaching experience, most recently leading NCAA Division III Bryn Athyn College since 2023.   Barshinger worked quickly to raise the level of play at Bryn Athyn, which was in just its second season of varsity play when he arrived in 2023. The Lions won a program record 12 matches and enjoyed their longest winning streak (four) in 2024. Barshinger mentored the first All-United East First Team selection in program history and boasted four all-conference selections, a senior scholar-athlete and four player of the week award winners overall.   Under Barshinger’s leadership, the Lions ranked eighth in NCAA Division III in aces per set and 20th in digs per set during the 2024 season.   Prior to arriving at Bryn Athyn, Barshinger was the first head men’s volleyball coach at Wilson College from 2015-17. The Phoenix developed into an eight-win program in just their second year of competition in 2017. Barshinger also relaunched the women’s volleyball program as head coach at Central Penn College from 2012-15 and led the team to 15 wins by its third season.   Barshinger enjoyed a successful stint as a head coach at the scholastic level between stints at New Oxford High School and Abington High School. He was named 2015 YAIAA Coach of the Year at New Oxford after leading the team to its first winning season in nearly a decade and upsetting a state-ranked opponent. In 2022, Barshinger led Abington to a 13-6 record.   In addition to his coaching duties at Bryn Athyn, Barshinger also served as the assistant director of recruitment, an academic advisor, residence life coordinator and event planner for admissions. A three-year starter for Pennsylvania boys’ volleyball state power Central York High School, Barshinger also played for Yorktowne Volleyball Club and participated in the 1999 USA Volleyball Junior National Championship Tournament in New Orleans. While at Central Penn College, Barshinger was a member of the basketball, cross country and golf teams and was named Athlete of the Year in 2002. He earned his associate’s degree in communications from Central Penn in 2003 before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Elizabethtown College in 2021.   Barshinger, a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Jenifer, and daughters, Elianna and Karina. Updated 1/28/26

Travis Mintzer is in his first year as an assistant coach with the Kutztown University women's volleyball team in 2024. Mintzer brings previous collegiate coaching experience to the Golden Bears as a former assistant with the men's programs at Alvernia (2017-18) and Kean (2023). He's also coached at the club level. As a student-athlete at Rutgers-Newark from 2013-16, the Emmaus, Pa., native recorded 853 kills, 343 digs and 243 blocks over four seasons. He helped the Scarlet Raiders captured the 2015 CVC championship and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Prior to playing at the collegiate level, Mintzer won back-to-back District XI titles during his junior and senior scholastic seasons at Emmaus High School. He was a four-year letterwinner and three-time All-LVIAC selection. Mintzer graduated from Rutgers-Newark with a degree in criminal justice. Updated 10/17/24  

Geena Ziegler enters her second season with the Kutztown University women's volleyball team as an assistant coach in 2024. Ziegler (formerly Close) came to the Golden Bears with eight years of coaching experience between the club, scholastic and collegiate levels. In addition to her role at KU alongside head coach Allison Keeley, Ziegler currently serves as the co-director of the HighLine Volleyball Club. Ziegler coached Division III Delaware Valley University in the fall of 2021, leading the Aggies to three victories, including a 3-2 win in the team's season opener at Cairn. Prior to Delaware Valley, Ziegler was an assistant coach at Penn State Abington in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, the Nittany Lions advanced to the North East Athletic Conference (NEAC) championship match for the first time in program history. She also coached Stroudsburg High School's girls team from 2015-17 and was a volunteer coach at her alma mater, Quakertown High School. Ziegler was a three-year varsity starter at setter, outside hitter and right side hitter for Quakertown, earning All-Suburban One League Second Team accolades as a senior. She went on to play under Keeley as a freshman at East Stroudsburg University during the 2012 season. Ziegler is a 2016 graduate of East Stroudsburg with a degree in rehabilitation sciences. Outside of coaching, she is a patient coordinator for Berks Plastic Surgery. Updated 5/30/24