Gophers volleyball announces coaching changes ahead of spring practice

The Gophers volleyball team announced the departure of two assistant coaches and the return of a familiar face on Wednesday.

Pedro Mendes is back as an assistant coach after spending last season with Northwestern. Mendes coached one season at Minnesota under Hugh McCutcheon in 2022 after coaching stints in Sweden and Turkey. He returns to Minnesota along with his wife, former Gopher great Lauren Gibbemeyer, and their two children.

Mendes' arrival comes as assistant coaches Eric Barber and Kylin Muñoz announced they have left the program after one season. The married couple had history with Cook from their previous coaching and playing days and were core members of his first coaching staff last year.

"We have made the difficult decision to move closer to family at this time," Barber and Muñoz said in a statement. "Minnesota will always be a special place because of the wonderful people we have grown to love."

Associate head coach Kristen Kelsay remains with the staff and the Gophers plan to add one more assistant before the start of next season.

The team has been dealing with turnover on the roster as Taylor Landfair transferred to Nebraska and middle blocker Arica Davis announced last week she is transferring to High Point to play closer to home in North Carolina.

That leaves Minnesota with just one middle blocker on the roster for next season, freshman Calissa Minatee.