Andrea Beaty is coming home.
The former area standout volleyball player and coach has been selected as the new head coach at Saint Louis University, where she replaces Kent Miller.
It’s not her first experience with the school.
“I am humbled and honored for this incredible opportunity to come back home and lead the Billiken volleyball team,” Beaty said. “I would like to thank Athletic Director Chris May, Dr. Janet Oberle, and President Dr. Fred Pestello for this opportunity, as it is a dream come true.”
Beaty played for the Billikens in 2010 and 2011, earning the 2010 Atlantic 10 Conference rookie of the year award and being named to the 2011 All-Atlantic 10 Conference team while recording 357 kills.
She will have at least one familiar face to work with in 2023. St. Francis Borgia graduate Abby Lynn, who played for Beaty in high school, will be a senior with the Billikens in the fall.
Beaty began her volleyball journey in the area, playing at Washington High School and for St. Louis area club teams.
She was the 2009 Missourian All-Area player of the year and was a finalist for the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year award as a senior.
Beaty played collegiately with Saint Louis University from 2010-11, and moved to Missouri State University from 2012-14.
Anne Kordes recruited Beaty to play at Saint Louis University and was head coach during Beaty’s freshman season. She currently is associate director at KIVA Volleyball Club. Kordes told the Saint Louis University sports information department that Beaty will succeed.
“From recruiting and knowing Andrea, SLU is in great hands,” Kordes said. “But more importantly, I think it’s about watching her grow as a coach and what she’s done with her collegiate coaching career. Spending time with her at different camps and over the phone, I’ve continued to be impressed by her growth and knowledge. And then, of course, she has a natural charisma and positive personality that I think will draw in not only recruits, but also the community. What always comes to mind when I think about Andrea is that she’s a winner and she cares. I think she’ll develop a family-type atmosphere in which student-athletes will feel excited and empowered. She’ll do a phenomenal job, and I’m super excited for everybody involved.”
With Missouri State, Beaty added over 500 kills and 200 blocks to her career totals. She made the Missouri Valley Conference second team in 2012 and also made the MVC scholar-athlete first team the same year. She missed the 2013 season due to injury, but returned to complete her career.
Beaty, who had assisted with club programs during her college years, shifted completely to the coaching ranks following her graduation from Missouri State.
She was named St. Francis Borgia’s head coach for the 2015 season, replacing Brad Bruns, who focused on being the school’s athletic director.
“I have had the warmest of welcomes, especially from the Washington, Missouri, community, of which I am so proud to say I am from,” Beaty said. “With great gratitude, I would like to thank Brad Bruns for recruiting me to head coach at St. Francis Borgia in 2015. His constant support throughout my career is something that I will never forget. I would also like to thank Chris Arand for being a great mentor and friend during my time at Borgia, as well as after.”
From 2015-18, Beaty led the Lady Knights for four seasons, posting a record of 100-41-6. The Lady Knights won district titles in each of those years and finished third in the Class 3 state tournament in 2016 and 2018.
“Andrea did an amazing job at Borgia,” Bruns said. “We were so lucky to have her. I knew when she was hired that she would not be at the high school level for very long. Her volleyball IQ and skills as a coach are beyond compare. She was always destined for something bigger. I’m extremely proud of her and I know she will continue to accomplish great things.”
Beaty’s veterans won the Class 3 state title under CJ Steiger in 2019.
Beaty left Borgia to move to the college coaching ranks. She was an assistant coach and domestic recruiting coordinator for the University of Texas-El Paso for two seasons.
“When I was lucky enough to hire Andrea in 2019, we took a shot in the dark with a young high school coach who had had success, had a ton of energy and a big personality, and was hungry to get into the world of college volleyball,” UTEP Head Coach Ben Wallis told the SLU sports information department. “She turned into a really good coach right away for us, and it was pretty obvious to me that, down the road, she would have some opportunities as a head coach. Probably her most important quality is that she loves volleyball. She eats, sleeps and drinks volleyball, and I think that’s the only way these days to have a great amount of success as a head coach. She has a really good eye for athletes and knows how to train them, with a good knack for being an outside-the-box thinker when it comes to training. Andrea’s going to have great success at Saint Louis. It’s awesome for her that she’s an alum and loves St. Louis, and I’m fired up for her to get her opportunity.”
Beaty then spent a year at Syracuse University. She began as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator there and later was promoted to associate head coach.
“I think this is a great hire for Saint Louis,” current Barry University Head Coach Leonid Yelin, who worked with Beaty at Syracuse, told the SLU sports information department. “Andrea worked with me (at Syracuse) for only one season, unfortunately. But if I were looking to hire somebody anywhere in the nation, the best school in the world, she would be No. 1 by far. She was a good player, she knows how to communicate with players and can relate to them. So much enthusiasm and knowledge of the game, I can go on and on. It’s a great hire, and I’m absolutely sure you’ll never regret it.”
In 2022, Beaty moved to Denver University, where she became associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. She was awarded the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Thirty Under 30 Award in May 2022.
With coaches Tom Hogan and Jim Stone out due to illness, Beaty became the team’s interim head coach, earning her first collegiate win in a sweep over Air Force Academy Sept. 15, 2022.
“Andrea is not only a great coach, but she’s an amazing person,” Hogan told the SLU sports information department. “I truly appreciate the way she stepped into the head-coaching role this past season in my absence and successfully led the team through a challenging time. We are very excited for Andrea in this wonderful opportunity and wish her nothing but the best of luck as she heads home to St. Louis.”
Stone, a former Ohio State head coach, concurred.
“I think Andrea is an up-and-coming star in the coaching world, and I say that not in a cavalier way,” Stone told the SLU sports information department. “She’s gone through the process in terms of assistant coaching and getting herself prepared for head-coaching responsibilities. I had the opportunity to work with her this past year at Denver. She’s been a sponge and has asked questions, and I think she’s prepared herself to do a great job at Saint Louis.”
Beaty led Denver throughout the 2022 season as the interim head coach, finishing at 19-12.
“It is a privilege to be wearing the Billiken logo once again, and I plan to make SLU and Washington proud,” Beaty said. “This is going to be a fun ride for all of us, and I am eager to hit the ground running.”
