Haleigh Burns named new head volleyball coach at Amarillo High

After five successful seasons at Randall, Haleigh Burns is making her way down Bell Street to take over as the new head volleyball coach of the prestigious Amarillo High volleyball program.

The news was announced by the Amarillo ISD athletic department Monday afternoon officially naming Burns the new head coach following former head coach Mike Moffitt’s move to Lubbock-Cooper almost a month ago.

“We are really excited about coach Burns coming to Amarillo High as the head coach,” AISD Athletic Director Brad Thiessen said. “Her record at Randall speaks for itself. What is really impressive is how hard she gets her kids to play every year.  She builds those relationships that are so important to success.  We really look forward to watching her lead the program at Amarillo High.”

The Caprock and West Texas A&M graduate started her coaching career building her Alma Mater Lady Longhorn volleyball program before making the leap to Randall.

In her time at Randall, Burns carried a proud Lady Raider tradition building a tremendous resume going 169-37 making three trips to the UIL state tournament while winning a Class 4A state championships in 2022.

“I definitely wasn’t looking for anything,” Burns said. “I’ve been getting ready for next season. After coach Moffitt left, there was speculation and definite hesitation on my part because I’m a loyal person. In the end, I felt this was a natural progression for my career and a great move for myself and my family.”

This decision to move from Randall, a place Burns has called home for five years, didn’t come lightly. When telling her players Monday it’s easy to say there weren’t many dry eyes in attendance.

“It was a really hard day,” Burns said. “It’s been a very emotional day but it’s also an exciting one. I’m extremely fortunate to wear the silver and black for the last five years. Those have been some of the best years of my life. The people and the support at Randall were like non other and I loved the players so much. Amarillo High is an incredible program and has been well before I came into the volleyball world. I’m just excited to see what we can do and keep growing the game of volleyball.”