Jacksonville State University Athletics

Leigh Barea is in her third season on head coach Terry Gamble’s staff. She arrived at Jacksonville State in the summer of 2015 fresh off a standout playing career at Lewis University, a Division II program in Romeoville, Illinois.

At JSU, Barea works closely with the setters. She gained previous coaching experience at the club level with the Chicago Ultimate Volleyball Club, and has worked skill camps going back to her high school days. Under Barea’s guidance, JSU setter Jennifer Hart posted two 1,000-assists seasons and climbed to fourth on the school’s all-time list with more than 3,500 career assists.

A native of Battle Creek, Mich., Barea attended Harper Creek High, before enrolling at Lewis University where she experienced success on and off the court. She was named a Brother David Delahanty Award Recipient, an honor given to Lewis student-athletes for academic excellence. The two-time academic all-conference selection earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2015.

As the primary setter for the Flyers, Barea paced the program to nearly 100 wins over her career. The four-year starter was a three-time all-conference selection for the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Spending three years as a captain, she led Lewis to a 97-36 overall record, which included an impressive 60-10 (.857) mark in GLVC games.

Barea helped the Flyers claim three conference championships and made NCAA Tournament appearances all four years. Throughout her career, she was tabbed the GLVC Player of the Week three times. Barea left Lewis ranked first all-time in career assists (4,685) and seventh in digs with 1,123.

She earned her Master's degree in sport management from Jacksonville State in the fall of 2017.