University of Portland Athletics

Megan Burton joined the University of Portland volleyball program in the Spring of 2019 as an assistant coach. After the 2019 season, Burton was promoted to head coach of the volleyball program.
 
"Megan stood out among a talented pool of candidates that were interested in the position," Vice President of Athletics Scott Leykam said. "She was a great culture fit here at Portland as soon as she joined the program last spring and has exuded professionalism, while creating a sense of excitement about the future. She has a deep knowledge of high-level volleyball as both a player and coach, and knows what it takes to be successful in the West Coast Conference. She is well-respected in the industry, as well as within our locker room, and we are excited to see the program grow under her guidance."
 
2025 was Burton's best season on The Bluff as the Pilots tallied the most wins since 2018. Portland also had the most WCC wins since 2016 with nine.
 
Havannah Hoeft and Maui Robins were named to the All-WCC First Team. The All-WCC Second Team featured the likes of Lucia Busso and Taina Kaauwai.  Kaauwai became the fifth Pilot in program history to earn All-WCC postseason honors in three straight seasons. Elin Larsson received her second All-WCC Honorable Mention, leading the Pilots in kills with 315. This was the first time in Pilot's history that five players have earned All-WCC honors. This was also the first year the Pilots have had two players earn First Team All-WCC honors.
 
Robins was a cornerstone for the Pilots across four seasons. In 2025, she led the team in service aces (31) and ranked top-three in both kills (300) and digs (234). She reached the 1,000-career-kill mark and finished her career top-10 all-time at Portland in kills, attack attempts, and service aces. Robins is the only Pilot in program history to earn All-WCC honors in all four seasons.
 
Burton had a strong year in 2024 improving her win total from 2023. The Pilots went undefeated in neutral site games during the 2024 season for the first time since 2018. Robins made the All-WCC Preseason Team and finished the year as an honorable mention.
 
Kaauwai led the WCC in hitting percentage and finished 33rd in the country in that field. She also set the school record for blocks in a game with 12.
 
Kaauwai’s consistency made her an All-WCC First Team member as the first Pilot to make the team since 2017. She made history as the first player in program history to earn AVCA All-Region honors, picking up Honorable Mention for the Northwest Region.
Havanna Hoeft made a strong first impression on The Bluff as she was an All-WCC Honorable Mention in her first year with the Pilots.
 
Burton oversaw more conference award winners in 2023 with Robins making it to the All-WCC Second Team. Elin Larsson was an All-WCC Honorable Mention winner and Kaauwai made the All-WCC Freshman Team.
 
The 2022 season saw another big jump in wins for Burton who doubled the Pilots total from the year before. This made it her third straight year at least doubling the number of Portland wins.
 
The Pilots were led by All-WCC Honorable Mention winners Jayde Harris and Noelani Helm while Robins was also awarded as a member of the All-WCC Freshman team.
 
As things returned to normal in the fall of 2021 Burton improved the Pilots record by three wins and Harris collected All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention.
 
Burton fully took over in a shortened 2020-2021 season as the Pilots only participated in 16 contests with the season starting in the winter. Burton helped Mia Wesley and Carey Williams to All-WCC Honorable Mention awards.
 
Burton spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Nevada, where she served as co-recruiting coordinator and was involved in all facets of team operations.
 
Prior to her time at Nevada, Burton was an assistant coach at San Jose State and director of operations at her alma mater, Saint Mary's.
 
Burton was a four-year starter as a player at Saint Mary's and twice earned All-West Coast Conference first team honors. She helped lead the Gaels to their first-ever WCC Championship in 2009 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships. Burton is still among the school's all-time leaders in blocks and hitting percentage.