Dawn Barnes enters her second season on the bluff as the head women's volleyball coach.
During her first year on the bluff she guided the Jaguars to double digit wins for the first time since 2019 and made the SWAC conference tournament.
Coach Barnes came to Southern from Phoenix College after serving as head coach for the 2023 season. She most recently coached the Arizona Storm Elite VBC - 15 Lightening where they finished 9th place in there Region and won a BID to USAV Nationals in Las Vegas in July 2024.
Prior to that she was the head coach at South Carolina State University. She also was the head coach at Malcolm X Junior College.
She spent three seasons at Chicago State University (CSU), on the Cougars' coaching staff, where Barnes served as the interim head coach for CSU in 2014 and won their first home tournament in the program's Division I history , while producing 10 Academic All-WAC selections.
Before arriving at Chicago State, Barnes was a volunteer assistant coach at George Mason in 2012. She assisted the Patriots with coaching and game planning. Prior to George Mason, Barnes was the head coach at Howard University for two seasons. She coached three all-MEAC selections and five All-Academic selections and developed the Howard Volleyball Camps.
She served as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 2009. She helped the Panthers to a 20-11 overall mark, including a school-record 12 wins in BIG EAST conference play. While at Pitt, she coached the BIG EAST Player of the Year, Libero of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year. She was responsible for technical team practice coordination and match preparation. Barnes also has collegiate coaching experience at Vassar, Eastern Kentucky, and Augustana College.
Coach Barnes is also active with USA HP Developmental Camps and Clinics and Exact Sports Summer Camps.
She previously worked camps at College of Charleston, Purdue, Butler and Illinois.
Barnes has extensive experience with several volleyball clubs, having spent three seasons coaching with Michio Chicago Volleyball Academy. She served as the director of recruiting at the NVVA Club in Sterling, Va., and the Metro American, Select and Pittsburgh Elite volleyball clubs and is a Member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
She recently graduated WeCoach Academy in May 2023 receiving the highest honor, the WCA Class #51 Impact Award.
"Thank you all so much for this great honor in becoming Southern University's next Head Volleyball Coach. Thank you, to Director of Athletics Roman Banks, for entrusting me to lead the program into the future. I am looking forward to building championship programs and champion athletes."
She has a dog named Bella!
