Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- burgessk@ecu.edu
- Phone:
- (252) 737-4810
Kirstin Burgess is in her third season as head coach of the East Carolina women's tennis program.Â
Burgess led the Pirates to nine dual wins in 2023, increasing the club's victory total by five from the previous campaign. ECU went 4-1 at its home facility, the River Birch Tennis Center, with wins over N.C. Central, Hampton, Chowan and VCU. Burgess mentored Ines Bachir and Alisha Hussain to a 15-4 doubles record, including a ranked win over a duo from William & Mary. Then, in the fall of 2023, she helped Martina Muzzolon capture the A1 draw consolation title at the ITA Carolina Regional - the first regional championship in program history.
While in her 11th overall season at East Carolina, Burgess took over as the program's interim head coach after being appointed to the top position following the retirement of Tom Morris on March 1, 2020. She was formally appointed to the head coach position on February 10, 2021.
Burgess was initially hired as an assistant coach prior to the 2012-13 season and was elevated to associate head coach at the start of the 2017-18 campaign.
Burgess earned her first win as interim head coach of the Pirates when ECU swept UNCW 4-0 on March 6, 2020. It was one of two matches in charge for Burgess before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to Covid-19.
In her eight seasons since returning to Greenville, Burgess has helped lead the Pirates to new heights. Burgess has had a pivotal role in helping the five ECU players that have earned national rankings in program history. Burgess and her doubles partner, Gillie Bailey, were the first two Pirates to be nationally ranked, checking in at No. 48 in the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings in 2005-06. Burgess has since tutored Celia Ruiz, Lisa Hofbauer and Alisa Diercksen, who have all entered the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s national polls. Ruiz was ranked in both singles and doubles, while Hofbauer and Diercksen were ranked in the top-50 in doubles.
In 2019, Burgess helped lead the Pirates to the best season in program history. The Pirates lost their first two matches of the season, but after that, they did not lose for the rest of the regular season. ECU won 22 straight matches, which is not only an ECU women’s tennis record, but is the longest winning streak for any Pirate team. The Pirates finished with a 22-3 record, breaking the team’s record for wins in a season.  At the end of the season, Hofbauer became the second Pirate to earn All-AAC honors, joining Ruiz. ECU also stretched its home winning streak to 19 straight matches, dating back to 2017.
ECU’s accomplishments were recognized on the national stage, as the Pirates were ranked No. 49 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the highest ranking in school history. Along with the team ranking, Hofbauer and Alisa Diercksen were ranked No. 49 in the ITA’s doubles ranking, making Diercksen the fifth ECU player to earn a spot in the national rankings.
After a down season in 2017, the Pirates bounced back to go 17-9 in 2018. Ruiz was a unanimous selection to the AAC’s All-Conference team, the third consecutive time Ruiz had been recognized as one of the league’s best players. The Pirates were dominant at home, going a perfect 7-0 in Greenville.
While 2017 was a down year for the team as a whole, ECU went just 12-11, Burgess tutored Ruiz to multiple program firsts. After going 13-6 in both singles and doubles, Ruiz was named the American Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Co-Player of the Year, becoming the first Player of the Year selection in program history. Ruiz also became the first ECU player to be ranked in the ITA’s singles poll when she entered the rankings at No 124.
Burgess, a native of Benoni, South Africa, was a four-year letterwinner for the Pirates from 2003-06. She posted a career singles record of 60-48 and a doubles record of 77-31.
Burgess ended her collegiate career with a personal-best 17 singles victories during the 2005-06 season, including an 11-5 mark against dual meet competition. Paired with Gillie Bailey, Burgess posted a 15-4 record at No. 1 doubles and helped the Pirates to a program-best 19 victories that year. The tandem rose to a national standing of No. 48 in the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings in late March - a first for an ECU doubles team in the modern era.
