Geneva College Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Wendy Smith, a mainstay in the athletic department for over a quarter century, announced this weekend that the upcoming 2026 season will be the last of her distinguished coaching career. Smith, the all-time leader in program history with 461 victories, will retire later this year.

Smith was hired in 1999 by Geneva to serve as an assistant under then head coach Cindy Guthrie, and the following year Smith was promoted to the head position where she has served for the past 26 seasons. She has a career winning percentage of 55.2% (461-374), and she’s been even better in Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) play where she has posted a 64.6% winning percentage (148-81) since Geneva joined NCAA Division III in 2011, including the college’s first PAC Championship in 2011.

“I never set out in life to be a coach,” says Smith, who played collegiately at Duke. “I had different aspirations, but God redirected my steps, and I have never doubted His call to be here at Geneva. Working with young women at such a pivotal time in their lives has been incredibly challenging but rewarding. No one loves to win more than I do, and we have done our fair share of winning. But mentoring women to have strong voices, caring hearts, and a deep faith in Christ is a richer kind of win that will sustain them through all of life’s ups and downs. It has been the thrill ride of a lifetime.”

Smith’s ten-year run from 2011 to 2020 was one of the most successful stretches in recent conference history. Her teams put together a combined 128-37 record in PAC play (78% winning percentage), winning one PAC Championship and making multiple runs deep in the PAC playoffs.

"Wendy Smith has been a foundational piece of the Geneva College athletic department for nearly three decades,” says Director of Athletics Van Zanic. “Her passion for coaching volleyball has been evident since the day she walked onto this campus. Most importantly, her love of the athletes that she has impacted through Christ will be the legacy that she leaves behind. We celebrate her retirement announcement and are excited for the next chapter of her life, which will focus on more time to spend with her family and grandchildren. She will be a tough act to follow to be sure."

Geneva opens its season on Tuesday with a match at Mount Aloysius at 6:00 p.m. The Golden Tornadoes will play their first home match of the year on Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. against Penn State Shenango.