By Delaney Crawford<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hood Athletics has hired a new head women\u2019s and men\u2019s volleyball coach for the 2022-2023 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katie Barnett becomes the second head volleyball coach that Hood has hired during the 2021-22 school year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former head coach, Kevin Russell, who was hired in August, abruptly left in the fall during with four games left to play in the season. Following his departure, the team\u2019s assistant coach, Payton Belella, became the interim head coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the season ended, a committee of athletic department staff members was tasked with finding a permanent head coach. Out of the 26 applicants, Barnett was chosen for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barnett stepped into the athletic offices on Jan. 31 eager to get started and to take the next steps in her professional career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think she\u2019ll make a good fit here because she was formerly at Wilson which isn\u2019t far, so the recruiting territory is the same and while she was primarily the women\u2019s coach there, she also coached men\u2019s volleyball for one season which gives her experience for both,\u201d Assistant Director of Athletics Geoff Goyne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barnett was the head volleyball coach at Wilson College for three years. In her first year there during the 2019-2020 season, she was the coach of both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams. The following season she switched to coaching just the women\u2019s team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While coaching at Wilson, she led the women\u2019s team to its highest win total and a 7-2 record while in conference play. Barnett was also the senior woman administrator and director of operations for Wilson, which put her in charge of overseeing all aspects of game days for each varsity athletic program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Men\u2019s volleyball will be a new varsity sport at Hood in Spring 2023. Barnett said she is ready to lead that team and has already begun the recruiting process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With women\u2019s volleyball competing in the fall and the men\u2019s in the spring, it is doable to coach both. When asked how she would juggle both teams, Barnett said, \u201cBy using great support from the athletic department and my assistant coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hood women\u2019s volleyball team ended their 2021 season with a 4-19 record. The team pushed through the many obstacles that were presented throughout the season and are looking forward to a fresh start with a new coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe team has a really great foundation; I want to continue the success they have already built upon and become a stronger force within the conference,\u201d Barnett said. \u201cI want my players to look back on their time at Hood with pride for what they have accomplished here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"