The 2022 season marks Matthew Breitbarth's first with the Rams, coming 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 Iowa. 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.
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.
Updated: 7/28/22
