Jim Dietz has been named the Upper Iowa Head Volleyball Coach; it was announced by Upper Iowa Vice President for Athletics Rick Hartzell. Most recently, Dietz dedicated 16 seasons at the forefront of the Lincoln Land Community College's volleyball program, compiling an overall 530-200 record. 
 
"We are excited to have Jim Dietz as our new head women's volleyball coach at Upper Iowa," said Hartzell. "Jim has a long and successful track record in the volleyball coaching world, and he is hungry to take our program to the top echelon of the GLVC.  His broad and varied volleyball experience, his Midwest ties and his knowledge of volleyball coaching and recruiting makes him a great choice to lead our program."
 
Dietz was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2022 to punctuate his tenure with the Loggers. During his 16-year run, he boasted 14 NJCAA All-American's, two AVCA All-American's and seven MWAC Freshman of the Year selections. The Lincoln Land Community College volleyball program were the NJCAA National Runner Ups in 2015 and 2016, while notching third place in 2017 and eighth in 2018. Under his tutelage, the program claimed the Region XXIV Championship title five times, while Dietz was named NJCAA District K Coach of the Year on five different occasions. 
 
"I was really impressed with Upper Iowa and the vision the athletic director has for the department," said Dietz. "It was great to see that same attitude carry over to the athletes and staff. The university presents a tight-knit aura that's appealing to be part of, and it's a dream to be able to coach back home in Iowa."
 
Dietz has served as a Chairperson for three different entities; Central Illinois High School Volleyball All-Star Match, the NJCAA Region XXIV (2018-21) and MWAC Volleyball (2009-2018). He was also an NJCAA DII Coaches Representative (2018-21). Dietz is a columnist for Volleyballmag.com and has a plethora of published content, some of which has been utilized by the AVCA and USA Volleyball. 
 
"I have a lot of people to thank professionally for helping me as a coach," noted Dietz. "This includes Jim Stone (retired USA 18u/Ohio State coach), Dr. Matt Hensley (A.D. at Mahomet-Seymour High School), John Kessel (former USA Volleyball Grass Roots Director) and all of my former players. They're the ones whose sweat equity led to success in a program."
 
UIU volleyball concluded their 2023 campaign with a berth into the GLVC Championship Tournament. The squad will return two all-GLVC honorees in the form of Zoe Semelroth and Nicole Pozorski, as well as several experienced Peacocks back for the 2024 season.