State volleyball coaches name award in honor of UD coach

Barbara Viera

The Delaware Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association has established the Barbara Viera Sportmanship Award in honor of the former UD women's volleyball head coach who retired last spring.

The award was established in appreciation of Viera's outstanding dedication and contributions to volleyball in the state and as a reflection of the association's gratitude for her achievement and commitment to the sport of volleyball at all levels of competition.

The award will be presented annually to a high school team, selected by the coaches and officials, that best exemplifies sportsmanship throughout the season.

The first award was presented to Archmere Academy at the Senior All-Star Match, held Nov. 18 at Wilmington College.

Viera, whose 27-year tenure as head women's volleyball coach at Delaware is the longest in Blue Hen women's athletics history, announced her retirement last May 15. She was replaced this season by Shannon Elliott.

One of the nation's most successful and respected volleyball coaches, Viera posted a 27-year record of 682-429-4 (.613) at Delaware from 1973-99. In her 27 seasons, Viera's teams posted winning marks 22 times. She led teams to four postseason national tournaments, taking her 1975 and 1979 teams to the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championships and her 1992 and 1994 squads to the National Invitational Volleyball Championships. She was named league Coach of the Year four times, once in the ECC (1986) and three times in America East (1992, 1994 and 1996).