PEORIA, Ill. - Sean Burdette, who completed his third season as the Bradley University women's volleyball head coach last month, has resigned his position effective immediately.

"It is with a heavy heart that I step aside from my position as head volleyball coach at Bradley University," said Burdette.  "After much thought and consideration for my family, I have decided to pursue other opportunities at this time.  I look forward to spending more time with our three young children and being a larger part of their growth and development.

"My family and I want to thank the Bradley University administration for the opportunity to preside over the program for the last three seasons," Burdette continued.  "This has been a wonderful community, not only for our student-athletes, but also for our family, and I wish everyone the best in the future. 

"I deeply appreciate the efforts that our players, coaching staff and administration have put in since my arrival here on The Hilltop almost three years ago.  With the Renaissance Coliseum now complete, the Bradley volleyball program is positioned to make a climb to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference."

"I want to thank Coach Burdette for his service to Bradley University and his student-athletes," said Director of Athletics Dr. Michael Cross.  "He has much to be proud of during his time at Bradley and I wish him much success in the future."

Burdette was named the seventh head coach in program history in January 2008 following a four-year stint as the top assistant at Ohio State.  He also served as the associate head coach at Towson from 2000-03 and as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh from 1997-99.

Burdette inherited a team that finished the 2007 season with a 3-28 record and he did help the Braves to incremental improvements in each of his first two seasons.  The 2010 Braves finished 8-23 overall.

Burdette's teams excelled in the classroom throughout his tenure and his program was recognized for having a 100 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate in October.  The team earned its sixth consecutive American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award this past summer by posting a 3.48 grade point average during the 2009-10 academic year and all 15 Braves earned a spot on the Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll by recording a minimum 3.0 semester GPA in at least one of the two grading periods last year, including 11 players who earned the distinction in both the fall and spring terms.

The Braves' eighth volleyball head coach will call Bradley University's new, $50 million Renaissance Coliseum home.  The 4,200-seat arena opened in August and serves as the game day home for Bradley Volleyball and Women's Basketball, while also housing the entire department of athletics staff, a student-athlete academic support center and state-of-the-art strength training and athletic medicine centers.