Four-time Big South Coach of the Year Marci Byers has cemented herself in Radford volleyball history as the coach with the most Big South Conference wins. Since taking over the Radford volleyball program in 2008, Byers has been unrivaled as the conference’s premiere recruiter and teacher of the game. She was named to the 2010-19 Big South Conference Volleyball All-Decade Team on June 5, 2020.
Now entering her 12th season, Byers has guided the Highlanders to a trio of Big South regular-season championships, two Big South tournament championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances during her time in the New River Valley.
Over the past three seasons, Radford has compiled a 71-18 record (80.0 win percentage) - reaching at least 22 wins in three straight years for the first time in program history. She also won 20+ games in back-to-back seasons during the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.
Most recently, Byers led the Highlanders to a 22-7 record including a 12-4 mark in Big South play. They reached the Big South Tournament title game for the second consecutive season and were selected to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship where they defeated Appalachian State in the first round.
Five players earned All-Conference recognition including Mallory McKnight and Stephanie Neast who made the First Team. McKnight, joined by teammate Haley Kleespies, also made the 2018 Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State team as well.
The 2017 season saw the Highlanders post a 25-5 record, while taking a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in Byers’ tenure. Radford clinched the automatic qualifier with a 3-1 win over High Point in the Big South Tournament. The trip to the Big Dance was the second in five years for the Highlanders.
The same season saw many feats for Radford including once being ranked in VolleyballMag.com’s Mid Major Top 25, taking down three Power 5 opponents and claiming the program’s seventh Player of the Year, along with the fourth Big South Tournament MVP in Maddie Palmer.
In 2016, Byers led Radford to a 24-6 record and its fourth Big South regular season championship while under her command. The Highlanders posted a 14-2 conference record with an 11-0 record at Dedmon Center. The 11 home wins are tied for the most in program history with Byers at the helm and it is the second time she had a team go undefeated at home.
Byers coached her second Big South Player of the Year in 2016 as Maddie Palmer won the award. The first came from Rachel Wiechecki in 2013.
During the 2014 season, Byers led Radford to its first win over a Pac-12 program (defeated California) and its first win over a Big Ten program (defeated Maryland). Following a 12-2 mark in Big South play, the Highlanders captured their second straight Big South regular-season title.
A large part of Radford’s recent success can be attributed to Byers’ work on the recruiting trail, where she was able to land All-Big South honorees Rachel Wiechecki, Emma Deininger, Jena Braden, Savannah Cantrell, Cheyanne James, Kelby Jackson, Haley Kleespies, Amaya Rousseau and Maddie Palmer.
Led by five All-Big South performers, Radford claimed its eighth Big South regular season championship and fifth league tournament title in 2013. The Highlanders boasted a 25-10 record after advancing to the “Big Dance” for the third time in program history, where they faced No. 10 national seed Minnesota in Minneapolis. It was Radford’s best record since 2000 when the Highlanders went 28-7.
In addition to playing in 14 five-set matches, Radford was tested throughout its magical season. The pressure peaked in the conference tournament where the Highlanders knocked off two-time defending champion Liberty in five sets and No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina in the championship match in straight sets. Despite the lopsided win in the final, the Highlanders had to prevail in the longest set in Big South championship history (36-34 in the first set).
For their success, the Highlanders were recognized prominently in the Big South postseason awards. Radford received three of the four major awards: Rachel Wiechecki (Player of the Year), Emma Deininger (Scholar-Athlete of the Year) and Byers was named Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.
The 2011 edition of the Highlanders enjoyed one of their most successful seasons, culminating with their first trip to the Big South championship match since 2001, after a third-place regular-season finish.
Under Byers’ guidance, Radford, despite being hit by a rash of injuries and relying on a young squad, posted a 17-15 overall record and a 9-5 Big South record. Byers was rewarded with the league’s coach of the year, the fourth in program history.
Off the court, Byers’ program excels in the classroom, twice (2008 and 2013) earning the top academic team award at Radford.
In the summer of 2010, Byers had the opportunity to serve as a coach of the USA Regional High Performance Camp in Richmond, Va.
Prior to becoming the 10th head coach in Highlander volleyball history, Byers came to Radford with a 30-26 overall record as a college coach after turning around the Chowan program. She also has a 121-49 mark in 10 years at the high school level.
In her two years at Chowan, Byers’ oversaw a rapid turnaround, taking a team that posted a 4-17 record her first season to a 26-11 mark in 2007. The Hawks led Division II in aces per game in 2007 under Jenkins.
Byers took over at Chowan after two successful years at Mills Godwin High School in Richmond, Va. Byers’ first team at Godwin posted a 26-3 record, claiming a district title and a district tournament championship. The Eagles won the Regional Championship and finished third in the Virginia High School League State Playoffs. The following year, Jenkins guided her team to another winning record and a fourth place regional finish.
Her first coaching job came at Hermitage High School, where she served as the head coach for eight years. She never had a losing season at Hermitage, posting an 84-36 overall record. For three straight years, Byers’ teams were ranked fifth or better in the region.
Byers’ leadership and coaching skills were recognized by the VHSL in 2003 and 2005 when she was selected as the head coach of the Girl’s Volleyball East team.
In addition to her extensive coaching experience on the high school and college level, Byers has spent a significant amount of time as a club level coach. Her 2003-04 team qualified for the Junior Olympics in Houston, Texas, posting a 54-21 record. She led her 2004-05 team into a 23rd-place finish in the Junior Olympics, held in Salt Lake City with a 58-17 overall record.
Byers has also extended her experience at numerous college and high school camps and her involvement led to invitations to prestigious coaching clinics. This includes the USA Volleyball Coaches Clinic at the Colorado Springs, Colo., Olympic Training Center.
Byers is a 1995 graduate of Virginia Union University. She graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Mathematics. A four-year starter, Byers also served as the volleyball team captain her junior and senior years.
She was recently wed to former Radford men’s basketball assistant coach and current VCU men’s basketball assistant coach, J.D.
