Jamie Peterson Named NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year
A historic run to the NCAA Division III Tournament semifinals has turned a lot of heads in the direction of Wittenberg Men's Volleyball. And as the Tigers prepare for a date with third-ranked Carthage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, Head Coach Jamie Peterson is getting some richly deserved individual recognition.
In her first full season as the team's head coach, Peterson has been selected NCAA Division III Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). She will receive the award at the annual AVCA banquet on Wednesday, April 22, in Springfield, Massachusetts, the site of the national semifinals and finals.
Wittenberg Men's Volleyball has been an intercollegiate program since 2016, and after several winning campaigns, the 2026 season has been one of many firsts: first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and wins; first Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) Tournament title; and first appearance in AVCA top-20 national rankings (No. 12 this week). The fourth head coach in program history, Peterson has compiled an overall record of 30-8 since taking over midway through the 2025 season.
Those landmark achievements are just the start of things for the Tigers in a 2026 season that will require new banners in the rafters at Wittenberg. The Tigers captured a share of the MCVL regular season title in 2026 for the third time in the last four years before breaking through in the conference tournament with a thrilling 3-2 win over Calvin on April 11. The next week, the Tigers toppled three ranked opponents for the first time in program history, extending a now program-record 14-match winning streak and pushing the 2026-win total to 24, easily exceeding the previous high of 21.
Peterson, who earned All-America three times as a collegiate player at the University of Dayton, is as amazed as anyone at the way the season has unfolded. It isn't lost on Peterson that her success is a credit to the young men who pivoted to a new coach midway through last season.
"I struggle to find words that accurately describe just how proud I am of this group," Peterson said. "What has been asked of them in the last year is not an easy task. They had their volleyball world flipped on its head in the middle of their season last year, and they have spent the last 12 months adjusting to a new culture, new standards, and essentially a new program.
"There are only two players on this team who signed up to play for me as their coach. That being said, they have done nothing but buy into a new philosophy and a new culture from the moment I took over the program."
It helps to have tremendous senior leadership, and this year's version of Wittenberg Men's Volleyball has plenty of that. Senior outside hitter and team captain Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) is among four players to earn All-MCVL honors, although the Tigers have advanced to the national semifinals without any players earning all-region or All-America awards.
Halverson isn't concerned about individual accolades. He's thrilled with the team's performance, and he says Peterson has done a great job preparing the Tigers for this moment.
"Playing for Jamie has been absolutely incredible," said Halverson, a graduate of Badin High School in Hamilton, Ohio. "I can't emphasize enough how much this run reflects on her leadership. While she's obviously helped improve schematic stuff like our tempo on offense and floor defense, I think the biggest impact she's had is improving our leadership and culture and really empowering us individually. It's so easy to be a leader knowing someone like Jamie is behind you and willing to fight for you."
Peterson is one of less than 30 women serving as men's volleyball head coaches at colleges across the country. She has found her unique role challenging yet rewarding.
"I see a lot of advantages of being a female in a predominantly male field," Peterson said. "Earning the trust and respect of twenty 18- to 21-year-old college students is something that took time, patience, and a lot of effort in building relationships with each of them. Slowly, but surely, they realized that my mission as a coach was to help them achieve the goals they've had set for themselves for multiple seasons.
"I am incredibly proud of the effort, trust, and buy-in they have shown me in the last 12 months. I cannot wait to watch them continue to represent this University and this program on the biggest stage."
Written By: Ryan Maurer