Barton tabbed as head women's volleyball coach

BETHANY, W.Va. – Bethany College Director of Athletics Brian Sansom is announcing the hiring of Jordan Barton to lead the women's volleyball program.

"I would first like to thank Brian Sansom for this amazing opportunity. I am thrilled to be back at the college where my coaching career first started. I also want to thank my former players and colleagues at Franciscan University and Coach Courtney Hilyer," says Barton. "I have watched her pour her heart and soul into this program for the past 16 years. Hilyer and her past and present players have blazed a trail, and I am humbled to walk on it as the next head women's volleyball coach at Bethany College."

"We are excited to welcome Jordan back to Bethany as our new head women's volleyball coach," says Sansom. "During my conversations with her, I was impressed by her positive energy and level of commitment to the student-athlete experience on and off the court. I have no doubt our volleyball program will continue to thrive under her direction, and we are fortunate to have her on board."

Barton comes to Bethany after spending two seasons at Franciscan University.

The Burgettstown, Pa., native moved back to the Ohio Valley after coaching in Ill. over the last five years. She was the club director and head volleyball coach for SMASH Volleyball Academy, where she oversaw all aspects of running a successful club program. She also served as the head coach of Unity Point Middle School, and she was an assistant coach at Carbondale Community High School.

Barton has also served as a head coach at the NCAA Division III level before, as she served in that position at Blackburn College for the 2015 season. While with the Beavers, she led them to the most wins in a single season since 2008 and more conference wins than the previous six seasons combined. Before her time at Blackburn, she was the head coach at Suffolk University in Boston, Mass. for the 2014 season. She proved to be a strong recruiter, as she brought in fourteen new student-athletes in her 2015 recruiting class.

Barton is no stranger to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), as she began her coaching career at Bethany College. She is a 2014 graduate of Bethany by earning a Master of Arts in teaching. In her two seasons as a graduate assistant, Bethany had a record of 61-18. She is a 2012 graduate of Waynesburg University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in exercise science.