A graduate of Florida State University in 2002 with a master's from Louisiana-Monroe in 2005, Matt Linebarger enters his third year as the head coach of the Millsaps volleyball program after posting a 28-42 record in his first two seasons at the helm.

With a roster full of underclassmen, that at times featured five freshmen on the court at one time, Linebarger's Majors had their share of ups and downs throughout the 2006 season and finished with a 13-23 (4-14 SCAC) mark.

In one of the, if not the top volleyball conferences in all of Division III, the Majors battled it out with the likes of No. 5 Trinity, No. 12 Southwestern, No. 22 Austin and No. 24 Rhodes -- all selections to the field of 60 teams for the Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.

Linebarger pushed graduating seniors Colleen Kelly and Kim Fox to perhaps one of their best seasons in a Majors uniform, as the duo combined for 749 of 1243 total kills and 726 of 1607 total digs on the year.

Millsaps as a team finished the year ranked amongst the top in a pair of statistical categories, ranking No. 1 in the conference in both service aces per game (3.34) and total service aces (408). The service aces per game was the fourth-highest mark in the SCAC era and ranked No. 29 in Division III.

Linebarger was hired on July 15, 2005, and led the Majors to a 15-19 season in his first year -- a year full of crisis. The team's schedule was interrupted by Hurricane Katrina and caused Millsaps to close for two weeks, sending players home and forcing practices to be cancelled.

The team resumed practices on Sept. 8, but their shortened schedule affected their start as the Majors began with a 1-7 record. The turning point in the season came against LeTourneau College as the Majors took the victory and went on to win 10 of their next 12 games, going 4-1 in their first SCAC Cross Divisional.

During the season the team only had five home matches, causing the constant traveling to weigh on the team. However, they were able to finish the year with a 15-14 record over D-III opponents.

Seniors Ashley Weber and Jen Pujol were also named to the All-SCAC team. The teammates proved Linebarger’s philosophy on both sides of the ball as Weber defensively had a career high year with a total of 523 digs, 4.39 per game. Pujol had a career high year offensively with 389 kills, 3.27 per game. She also had a hitting average of .337 for the year.

Linebarger inherited a 20-11 Majors team that finished tied for fifth in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2004. Senior outside hitter Ashley Weber and junior outside hitter Colleen Kelly were both named to the All-SCAC team in 2004 for the Majors, who upset a nationally ranked Southwestern University team.

Prior to his arrival in Jackson, Linebarger spent one year coaching at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, serving as a graduate assistant women’s volleyball coach. He handled most recruiting duties for the Indians and worked as a graduate assistant in the Department of Kinesiology.

Linebarger also spent three years working at Florida State University. During his tenure, Linebarger worked for two years under Dr. Cecile Reynaud and one year for Todd Kress. During the 2002 season, Linebarger helped guide the Seminoles to an overall record of 21-13, an ACC record of 10-6, a trip to the ACC Tournament Championship match and a birth in the NCAA tournament. This marked the first time since 1998 that a Florida State team advanced to the national tournament.

In 2002 Linebarger led Big Bend Juniors to a 17-1 record and to the Gulf Coast Region Championship. The team eventually qualified for USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships.

Linebarger received his Bachelor of Science from FSU in 2002 and his Master of Science from ULM in 2005. Linebarger’s professional affiliations include the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the American Volleyball Coaches Association.