University of Nevada - Reno Men's Volleyball

Nelson, a former Wolf Pack assistant coach and alum, as the head coach of the women's volleyball program on Jan. 12, 2015. In his first season at the helm, Nelson led Nevada to its most successful campaign since 2010 when it went13-17 overall. The Pack finished with a 12-18 overall record and a 7-11 conference mark for a seventh place finish in the Mountain West. The seven conference victories and seventh place finish in the league were both program bests since joining the MW in 2012. On Oct. 3, Nelson helped lead the Wolf Pack to its first victory over a top 25 team since 2006 with a 3-2 win over No. 25 Wyoming. Madison Morell recorded 31 kills in the win which tied for second most kills in a match in program history. Morell flourished in her first season with Nelson as the Plano, Texas native earned All-Mountain West honors and entered the top 10 in kills, attacks, points and service aces in a single season. The 2015 season also saw seven of Nelsons players named to the Academic All-MW honors. Nelson came to Nevada after a strong three-year run as an assistant coach at the University of Miami where he helped lead the Hurricanes to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. He previously served as a Wolf Pack assistant coach in 1999 and received his Master's degree from Nevada in history. Nelson played collegiately at UC Santa Barbara from 1985-89 and helped the Gauchos to an appearance in the NCAA Championship match in 1988. He played professionally in Finland and The Netherlands before embarking on a coaching career that includes time at high school and club levels in addition to serving as an assistant coach for top men's and women's programs in the country. Prior to his three-year run at Miami (2012-14), Nelson was the associate head coach of the men's program at UCSB for four years, which included an appearance in the NCAA Championship match in 2011. That was his second stint with the men's program at UCSB, having worked there from 1997-99 as well. Nelson also served as an assistant for the women's program at UCSB in 2011. Nelson has also coached at Fresno State and Santa Barbara City College in addition to coaching club volleyball and at the high school level in his career. During his previous stint at Nevada, Nelson coached a number of all-conference selections including Kelli LaBossiere and Nevada Hall of Famers Suzanne Stonebarger and Michelle More "I met a number of members of the Wolf Pack family and a recurring theme was how excited they were to be at Nevada," Nelson said. "Their excitement was contagious and I can't wait to get back to Reno, roll up my sleeves and start working towards getting the Wolf Pack to the top of the Mountain West. During his collegiate playing days, he was a teammate of Miami head coach Jose "Keno" Gandara. In 1989, he ranked third in the country in hitting percentage. Nelson was invited to the USA National Team tryouts in 1986 and 1989. Nelson, a native of Santa Barbara, graduated from UCSB in 1991 with a bachelor's degree with a double major in history and environmental studies.

Burton enters her third season on the Wolf Pack coaching staff. Burton's primary responsibilities include training middle blockers, assisting the defense in the front court and preparing scouting reports. Burton came to Nevada after one season at San José State University and two seasons as the volunteer assistant coach at St. Mary's College, her alma mater. A four-year letterwinner at SMC, she holds the school record for hitting percentage and is ranked in the top five in career blocks and block assists. A four-year starter at middle blocker she was named to the All-West Coast Conference freshman team and twice earned first-team All-WCC honors. She was twice named the WCC academic team. The Gaels won the 2009 WCC title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2009. The 2009 squad advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and ended the year ranked 20th in the AVCA poll. Burton received the George R. McKeon Senior Award that is presented to the SMC athlete who has been outstanding in their sport, academics and community service. A four-year member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee she was co-president for two years and represented SMC at the 2008 National SAAC Conference. She has coached club volleyball since 2007 working with the NorCal Volleyball Club, Asics Rainbows Volleyball Club, and CityBeach Volleyball Club. Burton graduated from Saint Mary's with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with a minor in economics in 2012.

Norton comes to Nevada with experience in recruiting, scouting and game planning Print Email Text Wolf Pack Women's Volleyball Home     Email this article   Printer-friendly format Assistant coach Tyson Norton serves is a new addition on the bench for head coach Lee Nelson. April 9, 2015 RENO, Nev. -- First-year volleyball coach has named Tyson Norton to his coaching staff. Norton, who has spent the last three season as the top assistant for the men's program at UC Santa Barbara, will bring a wealth of knowledge in teaching, scouting and player development to the Wolf Pack, Nelson said. "Tyson brings a lot of high-level experience into our gym. His background as both a Division I libero and coach is going to help us improve our serve receive immediately," Nelson said. "He is a great person and will represent our program and university in a manner that we can be proud of. I am very excited to welcome Tyson, his wife Sarah and his daughter Riley to the Wolf Pack family." In his two stints with the Gauchos from 2008-09 and 2012-15, Norton performed multiple duties from fundraising to scouting opponents. Norton helped coach two players, Dylan Davis in 2013 and Jonah Seif in 2014, to AVCA All-American selections while also mentoring multiple All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) selections. On the recruiting front, Norton helped UC Santa Barbara bring in a top-five class in 2014 according to Volleyball Magazine. Norton previously served as an assistant coach at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif. for one year where he had his hand in recruiting and creating and implementing daily practice plans. It was also during this time when Norton planted his deep ties to club teams in Northern and Southern California where served as a head coach and camp director. As a player, Norton suited up for the Gauchos for two seasons after transferring from Golden West College. Norton played in 28 of UCSB's 32 matches during his senior season where he averaged 1.21 digs per set and helped lead the Gauchos to a 20-12 record and an appearance in the semifinals of MPSF Tournament. A native of Corona, Calif., Norton earned a B.A. in communication from UCSB and holds a Master's degree in coaching and administration from Concordia University. -- @NevadaWolfPack --