KINGSTON, R.I. – Rhode Island head coach Angel Agu has announced that Matthew Breitbarth and Jamie Smith have joined the Rams' volleyball staff for the upcoming season. Breitbarth takes on the role of assistant coach while Smith will serve as a graduate assistant coach.
 
"I am thrilled to have Matt and Jamie on staff as we make headway into what will be an exciting season," Agu said. "Matt is a phenomenal up-and-coming coach with National Championship experience as a player, and has been immersed in a number of high-level gyms throughout his career. Jamie possesses a built-in understanding of our volleyball program, as well as our team goals and how we operate, after finishing a successful playing career here last fall."
 
Breitbarth comes to Rhode Island after previous assistant coaching stints at Chicago State and Northern Iowa. In his lone season at Chicago State (Fall 2021), he helped orchestrate a turnaround that saw the program go 17-11 after combining for a 7-34 record over the previous two seasons. As the lone full-time assistant, he was responsible for all aspects of team travel, creating scouting reports, leading film sessions and planning & running most practices. He also played a key role in the development of Yanlis Feliz, who earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention accolades, was the Western Athletic Conference's Player of the Year, and finished the year ranked third among all NCAA Division I players in kills per set (5.19) and sixth in total kills (540).
 
Breitbarth spent the previous season – which was played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – at Northern Illinois. There, he aided in training at every position with a primary focus on offense, specifically setters. He also created bi-weekly scouting reports and was responsible for leading player development film sessions.
 
"With Matt, our core values of family, gratitude, and growth align perfectly," Agu added. "I look forward to the positive impact he will have on both our program and student-athletes here at Rhody."
 
As a student-athlete, Breitbarth was a four-year member of the University of Illinois men's club volleyball team (2017-21). He also served as both president and head coach, and managed the organization of 50 athletes spread across three teams. As the starting setter, he guided the team to its first-ever USAV Collegiate National Championship appearance in 2019. After the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic, the Fighting Illini went on to win the National title in 2021.
 
Breitbarth is a two-time First-Team All-American (2019, 2021), Collegiate Division MVP (2021) and was named the Big Ten Men's Volleyball Association Setter of the Year (2019). The program had a total of eight NCVF/USAV All-Americans while he served as head coach.
 
He also assisted the Illinois women's volleyball team as a male practice player from 2017-20. During that time, the women's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2017 and to the Final Four in 2018.
 
A member of Illinois' Class of 2020, Breitbarth graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Advertising. He then earned a Master of Science in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism from Illinois in the spring of 2022.
 
"I am incredibly honored to become a part of the Rhode Island family," Breitbarth said. "I am very thankful for all of the help and support from my mentors throughout this process and would also like to thank Angel for the incredible opportunity to join her staff. I cannot wait to get in the gym with these amazing young women and continue to build and grow the program at URI."
 
Smith, who is pursuing her Master's Degree in Business Administration, began assisting Agu in January of 2022, following the end of her playing career. The Rams were fortunate to add Smith to their 2021 roster thanks to the pandemic affording student-athletes a fifth year of eligibility. The Massapequa, N.Y. native immediately added a veteran presence to the squad and finished the season ranked second on the team in total kills (284), kills per set (2.65) and service aces (25), and fourth in both digs (216) and total blocks (55).
 
Prior to arriving in Kingston, Smith was a four-year standout at Iona College where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, was a two-time team captain and two-year member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-Academic Team. She also earned All-MAAC Second Team accolades in 2018 while leading the Gaels to a MAAC Championship title, and was the league's Rookie of the Year in 2017.
 
Off the court, Smith served as both President and Vice President of Iona's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and created Iona's first Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also served as the MAAC's SAAC Vice Chair, was a MAAC SAAC Social Justice Subcommittee Member and played a key role in the MAAC SAAC's Voter Registration Initiative, which led to the conference making Election Day a mandatory off day from athletic competition to give all student-athletes the opportunity to vote.
 
Additionally, Smith has used the connections she made as a student-athlete to broaden her experience at both Iona and Rhode Island. She interned with the Gaels' marketing staff from 2018-2020, helping to increase fan engagement and facilitate gameday operations for men's & women's basketball. Upon arriving in Kingston, she began interning in the Rams' Athletics Development office, assisting with the daily operation of the department, as well as all aspects golf outings, hall of fame events and alumni events.
 
"Jamie stands for all the right things, and carries great passion for the game – both as a player and now in her new role as our graduate assistant coach," Agu said. "She is a natural leader, and I am so excited for her to continue serving as a great mentor and role model to our student-athletes."
 
Since joining Agu in January, Smith has assisted with recruiting and team travel. She also oversees team academics and collaborates with academic services to ensure student-athletes are making progress toward their degrees.
 
"I am beyond excited to continue with the team this year as a graduate assistant," Smith said. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time here as a volleyball student-athlete and I am blessed to be able to give back and provide a positive experience to our current players. I'd like to thank Angel Agu and Thorr Bjorn for giving me this opportunity. I could not be more excited for the upcoming season!"
 
The Rams open the 2022 campaign in College Park, Md. at Maryland Invite. Rhody will take on Florida Gulf Coast and the host Terrapins on Friday, Aug. 26 before facing Navy on Saturday the 27th.