University of Iowa Athletics
Assistant Coach

Bre Payton

Bre Payton - Volleyball - University of Iowa Athletics

Bio

Bre Payton has been a member of the University of Iowa coaching staff since 2015, starting as the director of operations before being elevated to an assistant coach in March 2016. Payton is the offensive coordinator for the Hawkeyes.

Payton’s third season at Iowa saw the Hawkeyes finish with 15 wins and its highest-ranked win in program history, defeating No. 6 Wisconsin on Oct. 6, 2018.

Payton lead sophomore setter Brie Orr to the second-best season an Iowa setter has had since the 25-point scoring system was implemented in 2008. Orr tallied 1,242 assists and became the ninth player in program history to amass 2,000 career assists with her 19th assist in the third set against Wisconsin on Oct. 21.

In Payton’s second season as an assistant the Hawkeyes finished with an 18-15 overall record and a 7-13 record in the Big Ten.  The 18 wins are the second most for the program since 1994. After a 19-13 record in 2016, the 2016 and 2017 seasons mark the first back-to-back winning seasons since Iowa had five straight winnings seasons from 1986-90.

Iowa opened the 2017 season 12-3, its best start since 1994 (12-3). The Hawkeyes swept Rutgers, 3-0, in their conference opener Sept. 22, 2017, marking the first time Iowa won its conference opener since 2009.

Freshman Brie Orr led the Hawkeyes with 1,201 assists, becoming the third freshman in program history to eclipse the 1,000 assist mark. After registering 117 assists, 13 kills, and a .500 attack percentage in three matches at the American Volleyball Classic on Sept. 15-16, Orr was named B1G co-Freshman of the Week. Orr was the first Hawkeye in program history to receive conference freshman of the week honors. The award was introduced in 2009.

Three Hawkeyes — Annika Olsen, Taylor Louis, and Jess Janota — earned All-Big Ten honors for the first time since 1989. All three earned Big Ten honorable mention. Louis led Iowa with 386 kills and had a .248 attack percentage while chipping in 54 blocks. Janota ranked second on the team with 274 kills and a .304 attack percentage. Olsen, who also received the Sportsmanship Award, led the Big Ten with 555 digs and 4.83 digs per set.

Iowa finished the 2016 season with a 19-13 overall record and a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play, recording the program’s first winning season since 2000. The nine conference wins is the most for the squad since 2000.

Iowa’s 19 wins were the most for the program since 1994. The Hawkeyes defeated two ranked teams in the same season for the first time in more than a decade as they topped No. 17 Purdue (3-2) on Oct. 7 and No. 24 Illinois (3-2) on Oct. 29.

Under Payton’s tutelage, senior Loxley Keala became the eighth player in program history to garner 2,000 assists, a feat she accomplished in just two years with the program. As a senior, Keala amassed 1,212 assists and became the first Hawkeye to earn All-Big Ten honors since 2001.

The Waterloo, Iowa, native joined the Hawkeye coaching staff following a year as a graduate assistant at Minnesota State, Mankato. Payton’s duties included travel arrangement, meal planning, coaching, assessing film, and recruiting. While there, she earned her master’s degree in sports management.

Payton played collegiate volleyball at Northern Iowa. The four-year starting setter earned first team all-conference honors and conference player of the year recognition in three consecutive seasons (2009-2011). She is a two-time second team All-American (2010-11) and an honorable mention All-American (2009).

She completed her degree at UNI in movement and exercise science: sport psychology in 2012.