University of Northwestern Women's Volleyball

Beth Wilmeth is entering her 23rd season as the Head Coach of the University of Northwestern Volleyball team in 2026. Coach Wilmeth is the longest-tenured and most decorated coach in program history. In 2016, Wilmeth was named the AVCA/NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, recognizing her as the top Division III Volleyball coach in the country. Additionally, she was named the Region Coach of the Year in 2022, 2023, and 2024.  Coach Wilmeth’s Eagles have been a consistent force at the top of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference since her tenure began. Since Wilmeth’s hiring in 2004, UNW has won 19 Conference Championships and 15 Conference Tournament Championships. Coach Wilmeth has led the Eagles through a dominant decade-plus, winning 15-consecutive Conference Championships to date. Wilmeth has been named the UMAC Coach of the Year 10 times. Coach Wilmeth’s success has not been limited to the conference level. The Eagles have made a lot of noise at the national level during her tenure. Northwestern had a run of eight-straight NCAA Tournament Appearances between 2010 and 2017. UNW made its first Sweet 16 appearance in 2015 with wins over Wisconsin-Whitewater and Wartburg. In 2016, Northwestern was selected to host an eight-team NCAA Regional for the first time in school history. The Eagles defeated the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Cal Lutheran, on their way to the school’s first Final Four appearance in any sport, where they fell to eventual national champion Calvin College. Under Wilmeth’s leadership, Lindsey Peterson was named the 2016 AVCA/NCAA National Player of the Year, which gave her the honor of being the best Division III volleyball player in the country. Peterson became the most decorated athlete in Eagle Volleyball history and was inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2017, fresh off the Final Four appearance, UNW was ranked as high as No. 2 in the AVCA National weekly poll. The Eagles were again chosen to host the NCAA eight-team regional and made their third-consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. Coach Wilmeth's squad had another historic year in 2021, setting the program record for winning percentage in a season by winning 88% of their games. UNW finished the year 30-4, won the UMAC regular season and tournament championships, and advanced in the NCAA National Tournament by defeating Illinois Wesleyan in the first round. Freshman Abby Glanzer was named the AVCA Freshman of the Year and was a First Team All-American. Senior Sydney Schwitters was named the NCCAA National Player of the Year and was an AVCA Second Team All-American. In 2022, Coach Wilmeth and the Eagles returned to the NCAA Division III Final Four, advancing to the National Semifinals for the second time in school and program history. Northwestern finished the season 34-3 and was ranked  No. 3 in the final AVCA poll. Wilmeth's team hosted another regional inside the Ericksen Center before moving on to the final rounds in Pittsburgh. In the Elite Eight, the Eagles trailed Johns Hopkins 2-0 before completing a reverse sweep to come back and advance to the Final Four, where their season would ultimately end at the hands of eventual champion Juniata. The 2023 season saw similar success for UNW Volleyball as Coach Wilmeth brought back a loaded roster that was among the highest-ranked in the country for the entire year, topping out at No. 3 and dropping no lower than No. 6. The 2023 Eagles claimed four AVCA NCAA DIII All-Americans, breaking the previous year's team record of three, and Glanzer was named NCCAA DI Player of the Year by both the NCCAA and the AVCA. Northwestern did not drop a single set in UMAC play for the second consecutive season en route to yet another conference championship. The Eagles began the NCAA National Tournament at Cornell College and had anything but an easy path to a regional title. UNW needed to come back in the fifth set of the second round to defeat the hosts, then needed a miracle in the Sweet 16 to claim a third regional championship in program history. Trailing No. 4 UW-Whitewater two sets to zero, Northwestern was able to fend off six match points to force a fifth set, which the Eagles won to complete the reverse sweep and advance to the Elite 8. Coach Wilmeth is the most decorated volleyball coach in school history, owning the most career wins with 572. She has won over 73% of her games while leading the Northwestern Volleyball program, the best winning percentage in program history. Her squad has won 34 games in a season three times (2016, 2017, 2022), which is a program record for wins in a season. In 2017, the Eagles won 20 straight games, which is also a program record. Wilmeth has coached 24 NCAA All-Americans, 16 NCCAA All-Americans, and has produced 17 Conference Players of the Year. In addition to her duties as Head Volleyball Coach, Wilmeth is the UNW Deputy Athletic Director, NCAA Compliance Director, Senior Woman Administrator (SWA), and chairs the UMAC SWA Committee and the Executive Committee. She is a member of the Northwestern Title IX Committee and has served on the NCAA Division III Volleyball Committee. Coach Wilmeth has been a featured speaker at the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center Women’s Coaches Symposium Panelist, the American Civility Tour with U.S. Representative Jim Leach, and both the AVCA and NCAA National Conventions. She has been recognized for her high character and leadership by being awarded Northwestern’s Leadership Award and the NCCAA’s Game Plan 4 LIFE award. Wilmeth also earned the 2017 National Women in Sports Day’s “Breaking Barriers” Award. Coach Wilmeth received her Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and resides in Shoreview with her husband, Eric, and their three children, Jeriah, Elias, and Jadyn.

John Barnes is entering his 19th season as an Assistant Coach for the University of Northwestern Volleyball team in 2026. Coach Barnes has been an integral piece in the most successful era of Eagle Volleyball in program history.  While Coach Barnes has been on the sidelines with the Eagles, UNW Volleyball has become the most consistent program in the UMAC and one of the top programs in the country. Barnes has helped guide the Eagles to 17 UMAC Regular Season Championships, 14 UMAC Tournament Championships and 13 NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances. During Coach Barnes' tenure, the Eagles had a stretch where they appeared in three-straight NCAA Sweet 16s. In 2015, Northwestern made the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. UNW followed up that historic season with the best season in program history in 2016, going on a magical run where it reached the NCAA DIII Final Four, and fell just two wins short of a National Championship. In 2017, the Eagles would appear in the Sweet 16 for the third-consecutive season. In 2022, Northwestern made another incredible run in the NCAA Tournament, making its second Final Four appearance. The 2023 Eagles made it back to the Elite 8 for the third time in program history. One of Coach Barnes' strengths is player development. While he has been an assistant coach with the Eagles, many players have had great individual success. Coach Barnes has helped develop 21 NCAA/AVCA All-Americans, seven UMAC Players of the Year, and numerous all-conference athletes. In 2021, Coach Barnes coached Abby Glanzer, who was named AVCA Freshman of the Year (and later NCCAA Player of the Year), and Sydney Schwitters, who was named NCCAA Player of the Year. Coach Barnes also coached Lindsey Peterson, who was named AVCA National Player of the Year in 2016. Coach Barnes attended Northwestern where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Middle School Mathematics. He also earned his Master's in Education/Differentiated Instruction from Concordia University-St. Paul. Barnes played tennis while at Northwestern and earned UMAC All-Conference honors in 2007 and 2008.  When he is not coaching volleyball, Coach Barnes works as an elementary teacher in the White Bear Lake Area School District. Barnes currently resides in Lino Lakes with his wife, Jan, their two children.