Todd Beamer High School welcomes new head volleyball coach

Published 9:21 am Thursday, July 10, 2025

When Cody Burton took the head volleyball coach job at Green River College, a vacancy opened up for the Todd Beamer High School volleyball team. In stepped Carlie Burson, who is taking over as head coach for the Titans.

Burson is going to make her high school head coaching debut when the Titans play their first game on Sept. 4 against Federal Way. Her coaching experience up to this point has been coaching a 13-year-old club team in North Carolina before taking the helm for the Titans.

“I got really lucky with Todd Beamer,” Burson said. “(Athletic director) Rick Phillips saw something in me when we did our interview and decided to offer me the job here. I am really thankful and excited to see what I can do.”

As a Division III volleyball player herself, she started as an outside hitter, then found a new home on the court.

“I finished my career as a right side. I developed a new love for that position. Some people don’t like it, but it is my favorite,” Burson said.

The West Coast is an entirely new adventure for Burson, a native of New Salisbury, Indiana. Her hometown has a population of around 800 and is quite different than Federal Way. But the diversity at Todd Beamer High School is something that excites Burson.

“We have a ton of diversity and experiences with our girls and girls coming from different walks of life. That has helped us build a community of support and understanding as well. Everybody’s got a story and we are all here to support each other with that,” Burson said.

Burson played at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana, and graduated with a psychology degree and eventually got her master’s degree in sports psychology at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Having a background in psychology is going to help Burson create the atmosphere she is looking for at Todd Beamer.

“It sets me up really, really well. Even with not a ton of formal coaching experience, I know I am a step up because I have that background. It gives me a deeper understanding of how our thoughts and emotions affect us. Without my sports psychology degree, I really don’t know if I would have stepped into coaching,” Burson said.

“I am so prepared to take care of these girls in a way no one took care of me when I was an athlete.”

Following her athletic career at Hanover, Burson took up graduate school at Ball State University working predominantly with their women’s volleyball team and a little bit with the school’s gymnastics team. Burson then headed to North Carolina and worked with members of the military at Fort Bragg and began coaching youth volleyball. From there she moved to Washington after meeting her boyfriend, and now she finds herself at Todd Beamer.

Todd Beamer made the district tournament last year for the second straight year, so Burson is looking to continue that momentum. To do that, Burson’s focus is meeting the players where they are and finding what works for them in the early stages of her coaching career.

“I’m really focused on relationships and building relationships with the girls,” Burson said.

To start, Burson is spearheading the Todd Beamer middle school volleyball camp. Youngsters can get firsthand coaching from Burson and her staff as well as work with high school players and possibly their future teammates.

Burson sees the camp as a way to get involved in her community, and while coaching at Todd Beamer, she’s looking to develop a program, not just a team.

“I’m from a developmental background. I am all about community and development. You can’t expect to spend no time on these girls and have these girls be good and ready to play in high school,” Burson said. “You really have to commit to them at a younger age and develop them. Teach them the correct habits, form and fundamentals so they can be those good players when they get to me. The program is more than just high school.”