Head Coach Brittany Newberry

Brittany Newberry
Head Volleyball Coach

Brittany Newberry enters her fourth season as the Hendrix head volleyball coach in 2021. She has served as Senior Woman Administrator since 2019.

In 2020-21, Newberry's team spent three-consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25 and reached as high as No. 18. The Warriors jumped into the Top 25 for the first time since 2016. Hendrix highight its regular season with a four-set victory at No. 10 Birmingham-Southern in the second match of a doubleheader. The Orange and Black reached the SAA Tournament semifinals for a fourth-straight season. Newberry coached the SAA's Newcomer of the Year. One player was voted All-SAA first team, two second team and one honorable mention.

For the 2019 season, Newberry's Warriors defeated a pair of top-25 nationally-ranked teams in then-no.14 Washington University-St. Louis in the season opener and then-no.24 Illinois Wesleyan in straight sets. Hendrix finished the year with a 19-7 mark, a third-place finish in the SAA standings and 11 total conference wins; the most since the 2016 season. Newberry also coached one All-SAA First Team recipient, one All-SAA Second Team pick, two All-SAA Honorable Mentions and had one player obtain three different SAA Player of the Week awards during the season.

Newberry guided the 2018 team to history in just her first season. The 12-1 start to the season is the best start in school history. In addition, Newberry guided Hendrix to a third-place SAA finish and a semifinals appearance in the SAA tournament. The 7-1 road record is the best since the 2015 squad. She also coached one All-SAA First Team selection, one All-SAA Second Team pick and one All-SAA Honorable Mention as well as one SAA All-Tournament pick.

In her two years, she has coached two All-SAA First Team picks, two All-SAA Second Team selections and three All-SAA Honorable Mentions while also having her players earn four total SAA Player of the Week awards.

Newberry served as the assistant volleyball coach at Mississippi State for two years (2015 & 2016). In her first season she helped lead the Bulldogs to a 17-15 record, posting the first winning season at State since 2006. The 17 wins marked the most for MSU since 2006, while State's six SEC wins were the most since winning seven conference matches in 2011. In her second year, Newberry helped the Bulldogs set a new program record with the most home wins in a season with 11 in 2016.

Before her time at Mississippi State, Newberry was an assistant coach for the University for Central Arkansas volleyball team from 2012 through 2015. She helped coach the Sugar Bears to a combined 46-6 conference record where they made two consecutive NCAA Tournaments appearances and won back-to-back Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships.

Newberry would get her first taste of coaching in Conway in 2009 when she was the head coach for the Conway Christian High School volleyball team. In her last season at Conway Christian, Newberry led the team to a conference-runner-up finish and a third-place finish in the state tournament. Both rank as the best finishes in program history.

Newberry, spent the 2017 year as the Willowbrook Club 17 Gold Head Volleyball Coach.

As Head Coach for the top 17-year-old team for Willowbrook Club based out of Houston, Texas, Newberry travels extensively all over the country competing against top club teams with the goal of making it to Junior Nationals.

Volleyball is synonymous with the Newberry household. Brittany's husband John has been the head coach at Central Arkansas since 2020 after serving two seasons (2017-18) as assistant and the 2019 campaign as associate head coach. He was also an assistant coach with the Sugar Bears for three seasons (2012-14) after putting together a decorated football career as a punter at Central Arkansas over four seasons (2000-03), earning second team All-America and first team All-Conference and All-Region honors.

Newberry is the daughter of Mike Barber, a 1976 NFL Draft second round pick by the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans). He played tight end in the NFL for 10 seasons, including six (1976-81) with the Oilers and four with the Los Angeles Rams (1982-85). Barber coached football at two high schools in Texas - Trinity Christian and Grace Preparatory Academy - and was inducted into the Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. He is also the founder of Mike Barber Ministries, a worldwide prison ministry.

From Central Arkansas, Newberry earned an Bachelor of Business Administration in 2008 and a Master of Arts in teaching in 2014.

A native of DeSoto, Texas, Newberry attended Grace Preparatory Academy. Brittany and John have one son, Kingston.