HARRISONBURG, Va. – Fresh off the school's first Sun Belt Championship in any sport, James Madison Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne announced Wednesday that volleyball Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher has received a contract extension through the 2027 season.
 
"Lauren is the winningest coach in our program's history and keeps finding ways to raise the bar higher," Bourne said. "Volleyball will forever be remembered as our first program to achieve a Sun Belt Championship, and they did it with a team that worked hard with great talent, but that also had fun and genuinely enjoyed their experience as JMU student-athletes. When we speak of our positive culture in JMU Athletics, Lauren has embodied that for a long time. We're excited to keep her in Harrisonburg leading our program into a new facility and towards many future possibilities."
 
In Steinbrecher's 13^th season at the helm, she guided the Dukes to a 24-5 season, including a 15-1 mark in their first campaign in the Sun Belt to win the regular season and claim the top seed. JMU then knocked off perennial SBC heavyweight Texas State in the title match before then falling to BYU in the first round of the NCAA Championship in Pittsburgh. JMU received votes in the AVCA Top-25 Poll during the season, and junior Sophie Davis was recognized as the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and VaSID Virginia Player of the Year.
 
"JMU is home, and there is so much to be thankful for here," Steinbrecher said. "I am thankful for our hard-working student-athletes and support staff, who are the best in the country.  I am thankful for the support and encouragement from our administration.  And finally, I am thankful for this university that is full of warm and kind people with a magnetic culture.  I love going to work every day and I am excited to develop student-athletes as we continue to push for Sun Belt Championships and consistent runs in the NCAA Tournament.  Go Dukes!"
 
Overall, Steinbrecher has led JMU to a 241-119 record in 13 seasons with the Dukes, including eight 20-win campaigns. She currently ranks 38^th among active NCAA Division I coaches with a .669 winning percentage. Steinbrecher has collected four conference Coach of the Year awards, including 2022 in the Sun Belt and three times in the CAA (2010, 2015 and 2020-2021). She has also been named Virginia's Coach of the Year by VaSID on seven occasions. Overall, JMU has earned three conference titles and advanced to three NCAA tournaments under Steinbrecher, who was named head coach on Jan. 25, 2010 and currently stands as JMU's third-longest head coach with uninterrupted tenure.
 
JMU played its final match in Sinclair Gymnasium inside Godwin Hall in 2022, going undefeated at home for the first time under Steinbrecher at 11-0. Overall, the Dukes were 123-40 (.755) in Sinclair under Steinbrecher, including 79-16 (.832) over the last eight campaigns. JMU will move into the renovated Convocation Center for 2023 season. The former home of JMU basketball used to formerly host early-season tournaments for the Dukes but had not done so in 20 years.
 
Steinbrecher spent three years as an assistant coach at Kentucky from 2007 to 2009 and was honored in 2009 as one of the 30 best coaches under 30 in the country after helping the Wildcats progressively improve their record each season. Prior to Kentucky, she competed professionally in Europe following a four-year career at Georgia Tech, having also briefly played basketball for the Yellow Jackets.