University of Minnesota Athletics
Photo by: Eric Miller
Gophers Announce Several Staff Changes for 2024
1/10/2024 11:18:00 AM | Volleyball
Barber and Munoz depart, Pedro Mendes comes back to Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota head coach Keegan Cook has announced a pair of coaching staff changes heading into the 2024 season. After spending the 2023 season with the Gophers volleyball program, assistant coaches Eric Barber and Kylin Muñoz have made the decision to move on from their positions. Pedro Mendes has been hired to fill one of the two open assistant coaching positions.
"We have made the difficult decision to move closer to family at this time," said Barber and Muñoz. "Minnesota will always be a special place because of the wonderful people we have grown to love. To Mark Coyle, Julie Manning and Keegan Cook, we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from you and thank you for leading Gopher volleyball with care and integrity. To Kristen, Sanky, Nao, Sara, Ronni, Emily, E.J. and Miranda, we are grateful for your friendships and enjoyed working side-by-side."
With the help of Barber and Muñoz, the Gophers (17-13, 12-8 Big Ten) made their eighth straight NCAA Tournament in 2023 and the program improved to 27-1 in first round NCAA Tournament matches. Four athletes were named All-Big Ten and five made the AVCA All-North Region team.
"I have immense gratitude to Eric and Kylin for their contributions to the Gopher volleyball program this past year," said coach Cook. "Their contributions professionally, personally and culturally cannot be understated as they've helped us set a foundation for the future of this program. Most importantly, they made a tremendous positive impact on the growth and character of the young people in this program, and for that, I cannot thank them enough."
Former volunteer assistant Pedro Mendes has been hired back at Minnesota as an assistant coach. He spent the 2022 season with the Gophers before being hired as a full-time assistant at Northwestern in 2023. Mendes returns to Minneapolis with his wife, former Gopher great Lauren Gibbemeyer (2007-10), and two kids, Skye and Bruno.
"My family and I are extremely excited to be heading back to Minnesota," Mendes said. "Gopher volleyball has a special place in our hearts, and I can't wait to come in and help the program reach its full potential in the pursuit to win a national championship. Thank you to Coach Cook, Julie Manning, and Mark Coyle for welcoming us back to Minnesota. I'm looking forward to working with this wonderful group of student-athletes this spring and into the future."
Mendes will join coach Cook and associate head coach Kristen Kelsay on the coaching staff. Minnesota will be hiring one more assistant coach this spring to finalize the staff.
"Passionate, professional and sincere are just a few of the words I would use to describe the coach we are getting in Pedro Mendes," said Cook. "Since my first introduction and in every subsequent conversation, I have been impressed with his consistency and his character. In today's day and age of college athletics, who surrounds, counsels, and supports our student-athletes is the most important decision we make. We're getting it right today with Pedro Mendes."
With the help of Mendes this past season at Northwestern, the Wildcats went 15-15 (9-11 Big Ten). Mendes helped outside Julia Sangiacomo receive both First Team All-Big Ten and AVCA All-North Region honors, averaging 4.09 kills per set across 25 matches, ranking sixth overall on the league leaderboard in the category. Mendes also helped develop middles Kennedy Hill (1.32 kills per set, 1.13 blocks per set) and Leilani Dodson (2.10 kills per set, 1.01 blocks per set). Each significantly improved their production from the 2022 season under his mentorship. Hill finished 10th in the Big Ten in blocks pet set just one year after playing only four matches for the Wildcats.
In his one season at Minnesota in 2022, Mendes played a key role in helping the Gophers finish 22-9 (15-5 Big Ten) in 2022. He helped coach six All-Big Ten honorees in 2022, including the Big Ten Player of the Year, three First Team All-Big Ten selections and two Big Ten All-Freshman Team honorees. Working mainly with the middle blockers, Mendes helped the Gophers finish No. 4 nationally in 2022 with 2.92 blocks per set.
Prior to working at Minnesota in 2022, Mendes was the head coach at Hylte/Halmstad Volley (Sweden) where he led the team to its first national and cup championship ever in 2021. The team repeated as champions in 2022.
Over his two seasons as the head coach in Sweden, Mendes played a key role in recruiting young players and helping them reach their goals on and off the court. These included being called to the Swedish National Team and finding more lucrative professional contracts abroad. He also helped two players win league MVP honors while seven others were picked to the dream (all-league) team.
During the 2021-22 season, Mendes led his team to the national record for best set average with 93 sets won and just six sets lost over 31 straight match wins. In two seasons, their official match record was 70-2, the best-ever stretch in club history.
Prior to Hylte/Halmstad Volley, Mendes worked as an assistant coach with Eczasibasi Vitra Istanbul (Turkey), one of the top women's volleyball clubs in the world.
Mendes started his volleyball playing career when he was 10 years old and played until his last professional season at the age of 30. He played in Brazil, France, Germany, Israel, Sweden and Switzerland during his career.
Born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mendes went to college at UniFunvic in Sao Paulo. He's married to former Gophers' volleyball standout Lauren Gibbemeyer, who is still the all-time leading blocker at Minnesota (593 total blocks). Gibbemeyer was a two-time All-America selection at the 'U' in 2009 and 2010.
The Gophers begin their 2024 spring season in the third week of January.
"We have made the difficult decision to move closer to family at this time," said Barber and Muñoz. "Minnesota will always be a special place because of the wonderful people we have grown to love. To Mark Coyle, Julie Manning and Keegan Cook, we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from you and thank you for leading Gopher volleyball with care and integrity. To Kristen, Sanky, Nao, Sara, Ronni, Emily, E.J. and Miranda, we are grateful for your friendships and enjoyed working side-by-side."
With the help of Barber and Muñoz, the Gophers (17-13, 12-8 Big Ten) made their eighth straight NCAA Tournament in 2023 and the program improved to 27-1 in first round NCAA Tournament matches. Four athletes were named All-Big Ten and five made the AVCA All-North Region team.
"I have immense gratitude to Eric and Kylin for their contributions to the Gopher volleyball program this past year," said coach Cook. "Their contributions professionally, personally and culturally cannot be understated as they've helped us set a foundation for the future of this program. Most importantly, they made a tremendous positive impact on the growth and character of the young people in this program, and for that, I cannot thank them enough."
Former volunteer assistant Pedro Mendes has been hired back at Minnesota as an assistant coach. He spent the 2022 season with the Gophers before being hired as a full-time assistant at Northwestern in 2023. Mendes returns to Minneapolis with his wife, former Gopher great Lauren Gibbemeyer (2007-10), and two kids, Skye and Bruno.
"My family and I are extremely excited to be heading back to Minnesota," Mendes said. "Gopher volleyball has a special place in our hearts, and I can't wait to come in and help the program reach its full potential in the pursuit to win a national championship. Thank you to Coach Cook, Julie Manning, and Mark Coyle for welcoming us back to Minnesota. I'm looking forward to working with this wonderful group of student-athletes this spring and into the future."
Mendes will join coach Cook and associate head coach Kristen Kelsay on the coaching staff. Minnesota will be hiring one more assistant coach this spring to finalize the staff.
"Passionate, professional and sincere are just a few of the words I would use to describe the coach we are getting in Pedro Mendes," said Cook. "Since my first introduction and in every subsequent conversation, I have been impressed with his consistency and his character. In today's day and age of college athletics, who surrounds, counsels, and supports our student-athletes is the most important decision we make. We're getting it right today with Pedro Mendes."
With the help of Mendes this past season at Northwestern, the Wildcats went 15-15 (9-11 Big Ten). Mendes helped outside Julia Sangiacomo receive both First Team All-Big Ten and AVCA All-North Region honors, averaging 4.09 kills per set across 25 matches, ranking sixth overall on the league leaderboard in the category. Mendes also helped develop middles Kennedy Hill (1.32 kills per set, 1.13 blocks per set) and Leilani Dodson (2.10 kills per set, 1.01 blocks per set). Each significantly improved their production from the 2022 season under his mentorship. Hill finished 10th in the Big Ten in blocks pet set just one year after playing only four matches for the Wildcats.
In his one season at Minnesota in 2022, Mendes played a key role in helping the Gophers finish 22-9 (15-5 Big Ten) in 2022. He helped coach six All-Big Ten honorees in 2022, including the Big Ten Player of the Year, three First Team All-Big Ten selections and two Big Ten All-Freshman Team honorees. Working mainly with the middle blockers, Mendes helped the Gophers finish No. 4 nationally in 2022 with 2.92 blocks per set.
Prior to working at Minnesota in 2022, Mendes was the head coach at Hylte/Halmstad Volley (Sweden) where he led the team to its first national and cup championship ever in 2021. The team repeated as champions in 2022.
Over his two seasons as the head coach in Sweden, Mendes played a key role in recruiting young players and helping them reach their goals on and off the court. These included being called to the Swedish National Team and finding more lucrative professional contracts abroad. He also helped two players win league MVP honors while seven others were picked to the dream (all-league) team.
During the 2021-22 season, Mendes led his team to the national record for best set average with 93 sets won and just six sets lost over 31 straight match wins. In two seasons, their official match record was 70-2, the best-ever stretch in club history.
Prior to Hylte/Halmstad Volley, Mendes worked as an assistant coach with Eczasibasi Vitra Istanbul (Turkey), one of the top women's volleyball clubs in the world.
Mendes started his volleyball playing career when he was 10 years old and played until his last professional season at the age of 30. He played in Brazil, France, Germany, Israel, Sweden and Switzerland during his career.
Born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mendes went to college at UniFunvic in Sao Paulo. He's married to former Gophers' volleyball standout Lauren Gibbemeyer, who is still the all-time leading blocker at Minnesota (593 total blocks). Gibbemeyer was a two-time All-America selection at the 'U' in 2009 and 2010.
The Gophers begin their 2024 spring season in the third week of January.
Cinematic Recap: Golden Gopher Invitational
Monday, September 08
Highlights: Gophers 3, Lipscomb 0
Saturday, September 06
Highlights: Gophers 3, Vanderbilt 0
Friday, September 05
Highlights: Gophers 3, St. Thomas 1
Sunday, August 31