HEAD COACH JOHN NEWBERRY

Entering his 5th season on the Central Arkansas staff and third as head coach, UCA alum and football All-American John Newberry has helped to shape Sugar Bear volleyball into one of the nation's premiere Division I programs both on and off the floor.

Joining the Sugar Bear coaching staff prior to the 2012 season, Newberry's impact was immediate as he coached one of the country's most successful teams during his first two seasons – making consecutive NCAA Tournaments and winning back-to-back Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships, a feat not accomplished within the league in 23 years.

In 2012 and 2013, the Sugar Bears went a combined 59-9 (the second most wins in Division I during that period behind only 2013 national champion Penn State), defeated Top-25 teams, broke into the Top-45 nationally in RPI, maintained perfect APR scores and ended the 2013 season ranked No. 17 in one national Top-25 poll. The Sugar Bears have taken home the league's Player of the Year and Student-Athlete of the Year awards and Setter of the Year twice, while having six First-Team All-Southland selections.

In Newberry's first year at the helm, he led the Sugar Bears to a record of 12-8 in a shortened season and pushed them to the semi-finals in the Southland Conference Tournament.

Newberry’s unmatched passion to learn about the sport and desire to win developed through helping his wife, Brittany, while she was head coach at Conway Christian School and a national coach for Fatchmo Volley. Newberry proved to be a quick study – taking over his own team in 2012 and winning three gold medals at regional tournaments and placing third at a national qualifier.

Since graduating from UCA in 2005, Newberry has worked as a full time television producer for Mike Barber Ministries, a worldwide prison ministry. He has overseen the production of the television show from inside prisons all over the United States, highlighted by their time spent with the women on death row in Texas. Over the course of their experience with the show, John and Brittany have spoken to many offenders about how to have a successful marriage.

Newberry put together a decorated football career as a punter at UCA from 2000-03, earning Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-Conference and First-Team All-Region honors. He also appeared in the 2004 DII Senior Bowl where he set the event's record for longest punt. He holds the second highest career punting average in UCA's 100-plus year football history, and earned UCA’s First-Team All-Decade award at punter for the 2000s.

He graduated with a BA in Mass Communication and minored in Speech Communication. He and his wife Brittany live in Conway.