Karli Morrison named new head volleyball coach at Randall High School

Canyon ISD continues to get its coaches in order before the start of the 2024 fall season announcing the addition of Karli Morrison as the new head coach for the Randall Lady Raider volleyball program on Monday.

Morrison takes over for Haleigh Burns who left for Bell Street rival Amarillo High three weeks ago. Morrison is no stranger to the Texas Panhandle growing up in Dalhart and graduating from West Texas A&M in 2010.

“I’ve grown up in this area my entire life,” Morrison said. “I started my coaching career in Hereford and each move that I made was a position move. Coming back to Randall helps me be closer to my family.”

Morrison has plenty of head coaching experience over the past decade with stops at Levelland, Lubbock-Cooper and most recently Weatherford the past two years. Over that time Morrison has put together an impressive 317-146 career record with multiple playoff appearances.

Canyon ISD athletic director John Peterson worked with Morrison in Levelland and knows the caliber of coach Randall is getting.

“We’re excited to have someone like coach Morrison coming into the district,” Peterson said. “She’s a winner everywhere she’s been, and we want to see her continue that standard of excellence for Randall volleyball.”

Being an Amarillo-area native, Morrison knows the Randall program all too well. She battled them during her time at Lubbock-Cooper and has always carried a huge respect for what Randall has accomplished.

“This is just a great opportunity,” Morrison said. “I feel blessed to walk into a program that’s so established. I know coach Jason Culpepper started this proud tradition and Haleigh Burns added to it. I can’t wait to keep it going.”

Bushland head volleyball coach Jason Culpepper is one of Morrison’s closest mentors. Morrison first met Culpepper as a high school player at Dalhart and learned from the legendary Culpepper early in her career.

Through this hiring process, Culpepper was influential to Morrison in taking the Randall gig.

“Coach Culpepper coached me in high school,” Morrison said. “He came in and turned that Dalhart program around. When I was in college, I helped him out at Randall. There is a lot of history between us. I told him I had a call from Canyon ISD last week and we talked a lot before I got this job. I know he’s excited that I’m here. He’s a part of my village and makes you better as an individual. He’s made me better as a coach.”

Culpepper echoed Morrison’s comments.

“Karli has overcome a lot especially when she was younger,” Culpepper said. “She’s always known she wanted to coach. What I love about it now is, we talk a lot and bounce ideas off each other though she’s more new school and I’m old school. I think what Randall is going to get is a coach in Karli that will do whatever she can for her team. She’s been great wherever she’s been, and she’ll be a great mentor to those players.”