Leigh Barea will enter her ninth season as head coach of the Parkside Volleyball program in the fall of 2026. Since being hired as the program’s 13th head coach in January 2018, Barea has guided the Rangers through steady growth in one of Division II’s most competitive conferences while establishing Parkside as a consistent GLIAC postseason presence. She was named to the AVCA Thirty Under 30 Coaches list in 2020.
The 2025 season marked another milestone year under Barea’s leadership. Parkside opened the season with the strongest start in program history, winning its first nine matches, and finished 19-9 overall. The Rangers were dominant at De Simone Arena, posting an 11-1 home record, and earned a road victory over Northern Michigan in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament. Natalie Harris capped a standout season by earning GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight year before being named an AVCA All-American.
In 2024, Parkside went 11-17 overall and 7-9 in conference play while advancing to the GLIAC Tournament. Harris was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the program’s first specialty award winner since 2019, while also earning First Team All-GLIAC honors alongside Sam Fisch. Mariena Coon added Honorable Mention All-GLIAC recognition.
Barea’s 2023 season remains one of the most successful in program history. Parkside finished 19-12 overall and 12-6 in GLIAC play, both program highs under Barea, and earned a third-place conference finish after being picked ninth in the preseason poll. The Rangers recorded their first-ever win over a ranked opponent with a victory over No. 16 Ferris State and hosted their first GLIAC Tournament match, sweeping Davenport in the quarterfinals. Barea was named GLIAC Coach of the Year following the season.
Earlier in her tenure, Barea guided Parkside to back-to-back GLIAC Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2020-21, the program’s first since 2011–12. Ann Leo was named GLIAC Libero of the Year in 2019 after setting the school’s all-time digs record. The Rangers qualified for the conference tournament in their first GLIAC season in 2018, with multiple All-GLIAC selections highlighting Barea’s debut year.
Before Parkside, Barea served as an assistant coach at Jacksonville State from 2015–18, where she was the recruiting coordinator and academic liaison for the program. She helped guide the Gamecocks to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Tournament appearances and a 23-13 season in 2017.
A Battle Creek, Michigan native, Barea was a standout setter at Lewis University from 2011–14. A four-year starter and three-year captain, she earned three All-Conference honors, helped lead the Flyers to four NCAA Tournament appearances and three conference championships, and finished her career as Lewis’ all-time leader in assists while ranking seventh in digs.
Barea earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy from Lewis University in 2015 and completed her master’s degree in Sport Management at Jacksonville State in 2017, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
