Cardinal Perspectives – Casey Burford, Women’s Volleyball Coach

Cardinal Perspectives is a series featuring in-depth conversations with alumni, students, faculty, staff and the extended family and community of The Catholic University of America.

Today, Casey Burford, volleyball head coach, joins Tyra Wilson, advancement coordinator for Athletics, to discuss Catholic University’s volleyball program and how alumni can give back to current student-athletes.

After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Health and Physical Education from Rowan University in 2014 and her Masters of Education in School Counseling, Casey coached volleyball at various colleges and universities at Division I and III levels. She took over the team at Catholic University in August 2024 and won 15 matches her first season.

Coach Casey led her squad to a 3-1 win over Susquehanna in the first round of the tournament to earn the program's first win in the Landmark Conference tournament since 2013. Two players also earned spots on the 2024 All-Landmark Conference Second Team.
Tyra Wilson joined the Catholic Athletics and Division of University Advancement staff in the fall of 2024, and started as a volunteer coach with Catholic University Volleyball in August 2025. She focuses on developing the middle blockers and helping strengthen the team’s overall blocking technique.

Prior to joining Catholic University, she served as a marketing associate and marketing intern with the Washington Nationals and also gained valuable experience while working with the Capitals and Commanders. Before starting her career in a professional capacity, Tyra was a Division I volleyball athlete at Binghamton before spending a year as the Georgetown women's volleyball graduate assistant. 
Let’s dive into the conversation!

Neil Donahue
Welcome to this episode of Cardinal Perspectives, a series featuring in-depth conversations with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and the extended family and community of The Catholic University of America.

In this episode, Casey Burford, volleyball head coach, discussed Catholic University's volleyball program and how alumni can give back to current student-athletes. After earning her bachelor of arts in health and physical education from Rowan University in 2014 and her master’s degree in school counseling, Casey coached volleyball at various colleges and universities at the Division I and Division III levels.

Casey took over the team at Catholic University in August of 2024 and won 15 matches in her first season. Burford led her squad to a win over Susquehanna in the first round of the tournament and earned the program's first win in the Landmark Conference Tournament. In addition, two players also earned spots on the 2024 All Landmark Conference.

Tyra Wilson
Hello, my name is Tyra Wilson, advancement coordinator for the Department of Athletics. I'm here with head coach of the women's volleyball team, Casey Burford. You're heading into your second season as the head coach at Catholic University. How has the experience been for you so far?

Casey Burford
The transition to Catholic has been very easy, very seamless. I was welcomed with open arms, not only from the athletic department, but the campus community as well. My team really embraced me. I was a last minute coach added to the program, so I know that they were a little worried about what was going to happen, but they truly embraced me and bought into what I was bringing.

I think that just speaks to Catholic University as a whole is that, everyone is welcoming and wants what's best for people when they come to be a part of their community.

Tyra Wilson
I would echo that statement. And I can say that the team bought into it because you guys earned your first playoff win since 2013 in the program.

What was that like for you and the team and does that pave the path for where you want the program to go in the future?

Casey Burford
Yes, that was a big highlight for our program and our team. And I think being a younger group, it was helpful for them to see, “oh wow, we can do this and we can be top contenders in our conference.”

Coming from that, it's just a matter of the culture and consistency and making sure that we are coming into practice every day, giving it our all, making sure that we're holding each other accountable and being competitive with one another. The consistency with how we were entering the gym and leaving our worries at the door was also a big thing that we talked about.

The gym is our sanctuary and a place where we can be ourselves, pull out the best in each other, and really just work as a team to make it to the top.

Tyra Wilson
You described a lot of good things that feed into a culture, but are there any defining characteristics that you would highlight that speak to it specifically?

Casey Burford
Yes, the competitiveness, holding each other accountable… the team bought into everything that the coaches were asking of them, which isn’t an easy thing to do, especially if some of them are set in their ways or if we have newer first-years unsure of what to expect of playing at the college level.

I think that overall building a community and culture of trust and bringing out the best in each other was something that we really focused on.

Tyra Wilson
I think it really shined through in the group. Moving on, not only as a former student-athlete yourself, but as a head coach and with all of your coaching experience, how do you think that the experience of being a student-athlete prepares students for life after college?

Casey Burford
I might be biased, but I think student-athletes are the best employees that someone can hire. Being a student-athlete, you are equipped with a bunch of skills and life lessons that maybe not everyone gets.

You're learning to be resilient, you're learning to be accountable. How to communicate with your coaches or teammates. How to take feedback from others, whether it's your coaches or teammates or even professors. And talking about that communication piece, sometimes they have to miss class,, so making sure they're proactive with things.

All of those things translate into the real world after college. Being a student-athlete, you're equipped with a toolkit for life. You can take those skills into a bunch of different settings, whether it's work or just life events that are happening.

Tyra Wilson
What would you say is your vision for the future of Catholic Volleyball?

Casey Burford
My vision is to consistently compete at the top of the Landmark Conference. I would say it's a privilege that we get to compete against Juniata, who's the reigning national champion for the nation. So we are seeing top level talent just within our conference. We're also seeing that in our out-of-conference schedule to get us ready for those tough conference matches.

I also want us to make a name for ourselves at the national stage. I want people to know what Catholic Volleyball is, and I want it to be a desirable place for people who are looking to play volleyball at that next level as well.

So overall, just making a name for ourselves and making us respected within the world of Division III volleyball.

Tyra Wilson
Those are great objectives, and I think you're well on your way to achieving them. As we continue on just looking at the athletics department generally, are there any initiatives or developments that you're most excited about?

Casey Burford
There are many facility upgrades that are being worked on or thought about, not only for the DuFour center, but the campus as well.

Kevin Robinson – our athletic director – he is coming in like with a plan. I would say he's coming in hot, but in a great way. He wants to make changes and I think overall, make the student-athlete experience better. And the student-athletes see that. They see if things are being upgraded and their experiences being thought of.

That's big for them. And I'm really excited to see what else we can do within the department to make it a great student experience for everyone.

Tyra Wilson
I agree, there's a lot of growth potential here. It's still beneficial for them to see that we're putting that effort forth, and they can be proud alumni and maybe point some future Cardinals our way.

Are there any opportunities for athletics alumni to get involved and support current student-athletes at Catholic University?

Casey Burford
Yes, I would love to have our alumni involved in any way that we can, whether it's supporting us at games or talking to our team about their life experiences and their time at Catholic.

Things in the more professional sense would be great too, like internship or shadowing opportunities.. This year, I'm really excited, because wee're going to be home for Cardinal Weekend, which isn't a typical thing. So we've decided that we're going to celebrate our 2001 championship team for Catholic Volleyball.

This is a group that played really tough teams and they came out and won the first championship for Catholic Volleyball. We want to recognize them. We're coming up on a reunion for that and excited to get them out here. So even if you are not a part of that program and you're just a Catholic Volleyball alumna, we'd still love to have you and celebrate.

We're playing against Drew on October 18th and we'll do an event in the Cardinal Room before the game. During the game, we'll set up refreshments for them to watch our game, mingle, and get to know each other again. We're just really excited to get them back on campus.
 

Tyra Wilson
I know that event's gonna turn out really well, and just the general vibe of Cardinal Weekend it'll be a great homecoming for everybody.

Casey Burford
Yeah we're really looking forward to it.  I know the girls are super excited to meet people that are a part of our program.

Tyra Wilson
With your student athletes, how do you balance those athletic demands with personal growth and making sure that your girls get the full division III balance experience?

Casey Burford
We, as a coaching staff, are focused on our players as whole persons. We want to focus on having them excel in the gym and athletically; but also developing skill sets as leaders. We have leadership committees that they're all a part of and focus on things that they care about, so it’s nice to see the different ideas that they have and ways that they can contribute to our program as leaders.

We also prioritize their mental health. Our biweekly check-ins are really important. Not only to see how they're doing mentally, but also do they need any additional support from us, whether it's academic or counseling services or just a listening ear, someone to talk to.

I think our incoming first-years especially. This is a new life event for them. Those check-ins really help us make sure that they're transitioning well and feel like they're welcome and that they have everything that they need to succeed, ot only in the volleyball sense, but as a student as well.

Tyra Wilson
That's something that I think the athletic department does really well – de-stigmatizing that conversation around mental health. So that's awesome that you are carrying that on with the volleyball program.

Casey Burford
Yeah, we definitely encourage  any of the mental health student-athlete events that are on campus. We encourage our team to partake in that.
We take it seriously and we want to make sure that they're okay and that they feel supported overall.

Tyra Wilson 
Casey, can you speak to some of the more rewarding aspects of being a coach? And following up on that, what do you hope that your student-athletes take away from coming under your guidance and leadership?

Casey Burford
I think the most rewarding part are the relationships that I'm able to build with my student-athletes. Not only the trust that we're building on the court, but off the court as well. And again, I really take it seriously that I am a mentor and a coach to them, whether it's in volleyball or academics or life in general.
I love being able to build those relationships from the beginning and having them stand throughout time. I still talk to a lot of alumni from other programs that I've coached for. Whether they're a part of the coaching staff that I've been a part of, or just friends now; I really enjoy that piece of it and I love getting to know them as people, getting to know their families and learning how their different personalities can mesh into our program even better. I think being coachable comes from that trust and building that relationship at the beginning is what built upon that.

Tyra Wilson
Is there anything you would want them to reflect back and be like, “Oh, Coach Casey taught me so much about this,” or, “I really had this takeaway from my time at Catholic under her as a head coach?”

Casey Burford
Yeah, I think overall, finding the joy in thing., I want them to know –and we always talk about it – being a student athlete is a privilege. This is something that not everyone gets to do.

I hope they come to the gym every day and find joy in things, even if they're having a bad day. I hope they come and feel supported by their teammates and coaches.

Just uplifting them overall is something that I really strive to do as a coach. 
 

Tyra Wilson
That's beautiful.

Casey Burford
Thank you. So Tyra, I'm gonna turn the tables back on you. You are a successful collegiate volleyball athlete and you're now coming onto our coaching staff at Catholic University. What makes you excited about being a part of our coaching staff and our program overall?

Tyra Wilson
I started  right after you last year and just wanted to make sure I stayed connected to volleyball. I remember coming to you and asking if there was any way I could just help out with the program.

It was very informal last year, just when my schedule allowed. But I can speak to a lot of the same things you were saying about the team, the joy that's very evident in the gym. I can sense strong relationships being built with the girls on the team. And of course, I'm going to have that love for volleyball through and through. There's nothing that brings me more joy than just even being around it, even if I’m not playing myself. I have some knowledge that I can pass on and just help the team grow even stronger.

Leading into this school year, 2025 - 2026, I'm really excited to formalize that relationship a little bit more. Really trying to be present at all the practices, all the games, so  I can continue building my own relationship with the girls and getting that trust that you speak of.

Some days they might not know what I'm gonna show up, but if I'm more of a consistent force, I think my advice or whatever I have to tell them will come across a little bit stronger, and I'm actually really excited to see you and your craft every day. So, I think the season will be great.

I think there's a lot of momentum to build off of. I think I'm going to end the interview there before Casey turns any more questions on me. So I'm Tyra Wilson again, and Head Volleyball Coach Casey Burford, thank you so much for joining us.

Casey Burford
Thank you, Tyra.