Marquette University Athletics
Allie Barber Left a Lasting Impression on MU Athletics
9/24/2020 4:36:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The recent graduate etched her name in Golden Eagles history
For many biomedical sciences majors, Friday and Saturday nights are spent writing up lab reports and studying for upcoming tests.
But recent Marquette volleyball graduate Allie Barber ('20) spent her fall Friday and Saturday nights spiking the ball at a prodigious level, establishing her as one of the most decorated athletes in any Marquette sport.
"This is something I never really anticipated coming into Marquette," Barber said of the incredible heights that Marquette volleyball achieved during her four years. "But I'm most proud of how my class really built up the program and accomplished so many firsts."
The Cedarburg, Wisconsin, native was a stalwart on the court, and was described as a coach's dream.
"She's what every coach is hoping to have on their team," executive associate athletic director Danielle Josetti said. "You just knew if things were getting a little closer than you like, you would look at the rotation to figure out when Allie's coming back."
Barber's play earned her national recognition as soon as she got on campus; she was selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team as an outside hitter all four years and earned All-American status three times.
That might have been a bit of a surprise to some because coming into her college career, the 6-foot-5 Barber did not even play on the outside. She was recruited as a middle blocker, but she switched to play opposite hitter to help the Golden Eagles fill an opening.
"Every time she would play left, she would just beat up on teams. They had a really hard time containing and stopping her," head coach Ryan Theis said. "I just kind of said, 'it seems like you're pretty good over there, give it a go,' and she said, 'let's do it.'"
In her time at MU, Barber set Marquette's all-time kills record, totaling 1,871 while compiling a hitting percentage of .324 for her career.
But aside from all of the honors for her play on the court, Barber's accolades off of it speak to her all-around excellence.
She maintained a GPA of 3.98 over her four years, graduating with a major in biomedical sciences.
"I remember calling her when she got her first A minus," Theis says, laughing at the memory. "I wanted to make sure she was okay that there was a minus next to an A."
For Barber, school was always at the forefront of her decisions.
"I wanted to make sure the school had good academics and athletics," she said. "During volleyball (season), I would always be studying if we were on the road."
Even in her freshman year, Barber knew that her next step academically would be medical school, and kept that goal through her four years.
"A lot of students come in with academic plans that then get pivoted after a few classes," Josetti said. "But Allie just cruised through school at a high pace. For her to be pursuing med school from her freshman year and stick with that, it's really impressive."
Barber is in the midst of applying to different medical schools after earning an MCAT score in the 98th percentile, and is currently taking a gap year while working as a medical scribe in a hospital to gain clinical experience.
"I know she will do an incredible job (as a doctor)," Theis said. "Whatever surgeon or type of doctor she is, I'd be happy to have her operate on me or my kids with complete trust."
Barber also made time to engage the community, participating in a service trip to Costa Rica to build multi-purpose courts for young athletes back in 2018.
"She's a really hard worker and a great leader," Josetti said. "She's just that student who causes no pain, because we never had to worry about her. She makes your job really easy."
It would have been easy for her to be difficult. After all, throughout her career, Barber received award after award with her name on it.
As a freshman, it was BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year. In her sophomore year, she was the BIG EAST Player of the Year and saw her name on the All-American list. Junior year, she earned those same honors, while this time earning Academic All-District Honors.
Then in her final season, it was the same as before on the court, but adding nationwide awards like the Senior CLASS Award First Team, CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, and a nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year.
"I didn't even know some of these existed," Barber said. "They are all amazing honors and it never would have been possible without the support of my former teammates, coaches and Marquette."
Now that Barber's career at Marquette has come to a close, Theis said her lasting impact on the program is clear to him.
"She is without question one of the most special kids I've ever had the pleasure of working with," Theis said. "Her class really pushed us forward over the hump and took us to new levels."
But recent Marquette volleyball graduate Allie Barber ('20) spent her fall Friday and Saturday nights spiking the ball at a prodigious level, establishing her as one of the most decorated athletes in any Marquette sport.
"This is something I never really anticipated coming into Marquette," Barber said of the incredible heights that Marquette volleyball achieved during her four years. "But I'm most proud of how my class really built up the program and accomplished so many firsts."
The Cedarburg, Wisconsin, native was a stalwart on the court, and was described as a coach's dream.
"She's what every coach is hoping to have on their team," executive associate athletic director Danielle Josetti said. "You just knew if things were getting a little closer than you like, you would look at the rotation to figure out when Allie's coming back."
Barber's play earned her national recognition as soon as she got on campus; she was selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team as an outside hitter all four years and earned All-American status three times.
That might have been a bit of a surprise to some because coming into her college career, the 6-foot-5 Barber did not even play on the outside. She was recruited as a middle blocker, but she switched to play opposite hitter to help the Golden Eagles fill an opening.
"Every time she would play left, she would just beat up on teams. They had a really hard time containing and stopping her," head coach Ryan Theis said. "I just kind of said, 'it seems like you're pretty good over there, give it a go,' and she said, 'let's do it.'"
In her time at MU, Barber set Marquette's all-time kills record, totaling 1,871 while compiling a hitting percentage of .324 for her career.
But aside from all of the honors for her play on the court, Barber's accolades off of it speak to her all-around excellence.
She maintained a GPA of 3.98 over her four years, graduating with a major in biomedical sciences.
"I remember calling her when she got her first A minus," Theis says, laughing at the memory. "I wanted to make sure she was okay that there was a minus next to an A."
For Barber, school was always at the forefront of her decisions.
"I wanted to make sure the school had good academics and athletics," she said. "During volleyball (season), I would always be studying if we were on the road."
Even in her freshman year, Barber knew that her next step academically would be medical school, and kept that goal through her four years.
"A lot of students come in with academic plans that then get pivoted after a few classes," Josetti said. "But Allie just cruised through school at a high pace. For her to be pursuing med school from her freshman year and stick with that, it's really impressive."
Barber is in the midst of applying to different medical schools after earning an MCAT score in the 98th percentile, and is currently taking a gap year while working as a medical scribe in a hospital to gain clinical experience.
"I know she will do an incredible job (as a doctor)," Theis said. "Whatever surgeon or type of doctor she is, I'd be happy to have her operate on me or my kids with complete trust."
Barber also made time to engage the community, participating in a service trip to Costa Rica to build multi-purpose courts for young athletes back in 2018.
"She's a really hard worker and a great leader," Josetti said. "She's just that student who causes no pain, because we never had to worry about her. She makes your job really easy."
It would have been easy for her to be difficult. After all, throughout her career, Barber received award after award with her name on it.
As a freshman, it was BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year. In her sophomore year, she was the BIG EAST Player of the Year and saw her name on the All-American list. Junior year, she earned those same honors, while this time earning Academic All-District Honors.
Then in her final season, it was the same as before on the court, but adding nationwide awards like the Senior CLASS Award First Team, CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, and a nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year.
"I didn't even know some of these existed," Barber said. "They are all amazing honors and it never would have been possible without the support of my former teammates, coaches and Marquette."
Now that Barber's career at Marquette has come to a close, Theis said her lasting impact on the program is clear to him.
"She is without question one of the most special kids I've ever had the pleasure of working with," Theis said. "Her class really pushed us forward over the hump and took us to new levels."
Players Mentioned
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