Head Volleyball Coach Donna Pixley Announces Decision to Retire

Head Volleyball Coach Donna Pixley Announces Decision to Retire

March 9, 2023
Dunham School Head Volleyball Coach Donna Pixley

Head Volleyball Coach Donna Pixley has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

Since joining Dunham in 2001, Coach Pixley has been an unwavering champion for women’s sports and has had a significant impact on our athletic program. During her 21-year tenure as head volleyball coach, her teams have advanced to the state playoffs every season, winning state championships in 2005 and 2022 and taking the runner-up trophy in 2004. She has amassed more than 600 career victories and has been named District Coach of the Year six times, Metro Coach of the Year twice, and State Coach of the Year twice. She was also selected to coach the West All-Star team in 2006 and 2022.

In addition to directing our volleyball program, Coach Pixley oversaw the Middle and Upper School athletic department for four years and served as P.E. department head for six years. She has also been actively involved in club volleyball in Louisiana since 1998. In 2002, she was the head coach of a 15-and-under team that won a USAV National Championship for Volleyball Baton Rouge. She is one of only three coaches in Louisiana to win both state and national titles. In 2004, Coach Pixley started Red Storm Volleyball with only one team. Under her leadership, Red Storm has grown to include 19 teams and in 2022 experienced its most successful season to date, with five teams finishing in the top 10 nationally in the club division.

In announcing her decision to retire, Coach Pixley said, "It is with mixed emotions that I step down as the head volleyball coach at The Dunham School.  On one hand, I am excited about the opportunity to pursue other endeavors, continue building the Red Storm Volleyball Club, and watch our daughter Caylin play at Mississippi College over the next four years.  However, it is with a heavy heart that I leave the program's returning players, a group with amazing potential who will continue the legacy and tradition built over the previous two decades.  While competing for district and state championships was an amazing experience, it pales in comparison to the relationships I have developed with the incredible young women I have had the pleasure of coaching.  I would like to thank The Dunham School for being a huge part of my family's life, for the investment that so many have made in the lives of our children, and for trusting me to lead the volleyball program for the last 21 years.”

While a national search for our next head volleyball coach will be conducted this spring, Athletic Director Neil Weiner has begun the process of finding a leader who understands both the importance of women’s sports and how the volleyball program reflects the values of The Dunham School. "Our number one priority is to ensure that we have a talented coach and mentor who believes in the mission of our school as well as the transformational impact athletics can have on a girl’s life,” said Coach Weiner.

The Dunham community thanks Coach Pixley for her unwavering commitment to her players, the volleyball program, and the school. A reception will be held at a later date this spring to honor her for her remarkable leadership and service.

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