Angela Burkett begins her eighth season as the head coach of Penn State Harrisburg women’s volleyball in the fall of 2023. Prior to being named head coach, Burkett served two years as an assistant for the program.

Since taking the helm of the program in 2016, Burkett has led Penn State Harrisburg to three conference championship tournament appearances, while her players have combined to earn an NCAA Woman of the Year nomination, an NCAA Statistical Championship, a conference player of the year award, and seven all-conference accolades. 

Most recently, Burkett led Penn State Harrisburg to its fifth straight season with double-digit victories in 2022. Under Burkett's tutelage, a pair of seniors in Anna Ruff and Alyssa Snyder were named to the United East All-Conference Second Team for their efforts. Snyder completed her career ranked second all-time in program history in total assists, while Ruff wrapped up her career ranked third all-time in both total points and total kills. 

In 2021, Burkett led Penn State Harrisburg to a third consecutive postseason appearance for the first time in program history after the 2020 season was cancelled due to health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lions won 19 matches and made a run to the United East Championship Tournament’s semifinal round for the second straight season. Under Burkett’s guidance, Melanie Sheaffer earned United East All-Conference First-Team recognition, while Cheyenna Buckingham secured second-team all-conference honors. Setter Alyssa Snyder also became just the second player in program history to tally 1,000 career assists.

Burkett led the program to an impressive turnaround in 2019, as the Lions finished the year with a winning record for just the second time in program history. The Blue & White tallied 15 wins and earned the No. 2 seed in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Playoff Tournament before falling in the semifinal found. Under Burkett’s guidance, three players in Brittany Ebaugh (1T), Alexis Imler (2T) and Katelyn Kreider (3T) earned all-conference honors for their efforts, with Ebaugh being named the NEAC Defensive Player of the Year. Ebaugh also received ECAC All-Conference recognition and won the NCAA Statistical Championship in the category of block solos.   

The 2018 season saw Burkett lead multiple players to elite conference rankings and new Penn State Harrisburg career records. Against Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) competition, the team ranked third in total aces, while four individual athletes achieved top-10 rankings in kills per set, digs per set, total blocks and solo blocks. School records were set in the categories of career digs, career kills, total points and block assists. The Lions continued to maintain high academic standards by posting a 3.4 team GPA during the fall semester. The squad also volunteered in the community at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center’s Children Cancer Unit, actively participated in the Adopt-A-Family program and helped at an elementary school field day.

The 2017 season saw team members break the school’s all-time assist and aces record, finish second in conference aces per set, third in conference assists per set and fourth in total conference blocks. Off the court, the team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Academic Team Award for maintaining a 3.3-plus GPA during the fall and spring semesters. The team volunteered over 75 hours in the community through the Adopt-A-Family initiative, reading to elementary school students, mentoring youth, cooking at a women’s shelter and performing karaoke with nursing home residents.

After a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Penn State Harrisburg, Burkett was promoted to head coach of the program prior to the 2016 season. She laid the groundwork for the program’s rebuild by leading the team to its first conference win in the CAC. Multiple student-athletes achieved personal accolades, as they resided in the top six in the conference for assists, solo blocks, and hitting percentage.

During her tenure with the program, Burkett earned her Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP 1) through USA Volleyball and was hired as an assistant coach for the USA Volleyball Girls' Select National A3 Training Program during the summer of 2019.

Prior to joining the Penn State Harrisburg staff, she was an assistant coach for Lower Dauphin High School (2010-2014). While there, the Falcons earned a division title in 2010 and berth to the PIAA Girls’ AAA District Playoffs. She also served as head coach for local high school volleyball clubs.

Burkett was a defensive specialist at Lock Haven (Pa.) beginning in 2004. She helped lead the Lady Eagles to back-to-back NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances in 2004 and 2005, the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships in 2004 and 2005 and a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Title in 2004. Burkett graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.

In addition to her coaching duties, Burkett serves as Penn State Harrisburg's senior woman administrator (SWA) and academic success coordinator. Outside of coaching, Burkett utilizes her numerous group fitness certifications and resides in Middletown, Pa. with her husband, Jeremy, and daughter, Ellie.