Sean Burdette

Sean Burdette is the Women's Head Volleyball Coach at the University of Memphis.

Sean Burdette took the helm of the University of Memphis volleyball program in 2018, and he’s back at “it” in his second-straight head coaching stint.

The “it” is the turnaround of a program’s fortunes in a short amount of time. Burdette did it at Green Bay prior to taking the reins of the Tigers program. And now, he’s doing the same in the Bluff City.

In January 2018, Burdette took over a program that won 10 total matches the previous campaign (2017). Two seasons later, Burdette has the Tigers going in the right direction. Memphis finished 2019 with 17 total wins. The 17 wins were the program’s most since 2015.

Among the accomplishments in 2019 was the program’s best start to a season in school history. The Tigers opened 2019 with an 11-0 record, and Memphis was one of the last five remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I volleyball.

In addition, the Tigers brought home three in-season tournament crowns for the first time since 2011 and won six of their final 10 matches, including road victories at ECU and Wichita State. Memphis wrapped up the season with a home sweep of Tulane, a top-65 RPI team.

Burdette coached an All-America Athletic Conference honoree for a second-consecutive year in 2018. He also worked with a 1,000-assists setter for the second year in a row, the first time Memphis had a setter with 1,000 assists in back-to-back campaigns since 2013 and 2014.

Despite taking over the program late and inheriting a small – in terms of numbers – squad, Burdette put together a 2018 squad that played an exciting brand of volleyball and showed glimpses of the program’s future. Memphis won its first true road match of the Burdette era at Ole Miss, a thrilling 3-2 victory over the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) champion. Later in the campaign, the Tigers pulled out a come-from-behind 3-2 home win over ECU after trailing the match 2-0. In that victory over ECU, Kelsea Bivins downed 33 kills, the most by a Tigers player since 1995.

The Tigers also have performed well in the classroom under Burdette. His 2018 squad earned an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, and 11 players from that team were named to the 2018-19 American Athletic Conference Academic Honor Roll. All four seniors on the 2018 team graduated in May 2019.

Burdette’s efforts have not only been seen on the court, but also on the recruiting trail. The Memphis 2019 recruiting class received High Honorable Mention accolades from PrepVolleyball.com.

Burdette, though, did this turnaround “thing” before his arrival at Memphis. He came to the Bluff City from Green Bay, where he guided the Phoenix from 2014-17. Prior at Green Bay, Burdette served as an assistant coach for the Ole Miss volleyball program from 2011-13.

In Burdette’s time at Green Bay, the Phoenix remarkable improvement each season. He took over the program in 2014 and won only five matches that first season. However, two seasons later, Burdette's 2016 squad won 21 matches (21-9 record), placed second in the Horizon League regular-season standings (12-4 conference record) and finished runner-up in the Horizon League Tournament.

The 21 victories were the most since 2003 and the second-most since it moved to NCAA Division I in 1988. The 12 Horizon League wins were a school record. For his efforts, Burdette was named the 2016 Horizon League co-Coach of the Year.

Burdette, though, wasn’t a “one-hit” wonder at Green Bay. He directed the Phoenix to a 17-13 record in 2015 – a 12-match improvement from 2014 – and a 17-16 mark in 2017. He is the first head coach in Green Bay volleyball history to have three-straight winning campaigns, and the 55 victories from 2015-17 are the most for a three-year span in program history.

In 2017, Burdette’s Phoenix posted a 17-16 overall record, but his squad had an impressive postseason. Green Bay, which placed fourth in the Horizon League regular season (9-7 record), put together a run in the conference tournament that took the Phoenix to the title match, where it fell to No. 1 seed Cleveland State.

The Phoenix earned an NIVC berth and advanced to the regional finals round (final 8). Green Bay defeated Bowling Green and Illinois State in the first two rounds before falling to TCU in the regional final. The NIVC bid was only the second postseason tournament appearance in program history and the first since 2003.

From 2014-16, his program improved its RPI by over 170 spots. The 2014 Phoenix RPI was 246, and their 2016 RPI was 75. In 2017, Green Bay had the Horizon League’s second-highest RPI at 105 (Cleveland State was 67).

Burdette also posted a proven track record in player development. At Green Bay, he coached six All-Horizon League selections, three All-Horizon League Freshman Team picks, the 2015 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and the 2017 Horizon League Freshman of the Year.

His squads performed well on the court and in the classroom. From 2014-16, his teams maintained a 3.60 or higher grade-point average and earned three-straight AVCA Team Academic Awards. Four of Burdette's players also received All-Horizon League Academic Team honors.

Prior to taking over the Green Bay program, Burdette spent three seasons (2011-13) as an assistant coach at Ole Miss. While in Oxford, he helped coach two All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman Team picks and one AVCA All-America selection. Burdette also helped recruit two of the nation's top-100 players in the Rebels’ 2013 signing class.

Burdette had previous coaching stints at Bradley (head coach; 2008-10), Ohio State (assistant coach; 2003-08), Towson (associate head coach; 2000-03) and Pittsburgh (assistant coach; 1997-2000).

He is a 1997 graduate of Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. Burdette played on the men's volleyball club team at Ohio State University from 1990-93. He helped lead the 1993 Buckeyes squad to Big Ten Conference and Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) championships. Burdette earned both All-Big Ten and All-MIVA first team accolades in 1993.

The Silver Spring, Md., native is married to the former Jacqueline Bunting, and the couple has three daughters: Brinley, Carlyn and Chase.