Hometown:
Honolulu, Hawaii
Head coach Andrew Palileo (pah-leh-lay-oh) has provided a spark for the Mean Green volleyball program since taking over as head coach in 2013. Palileo has only endured one losing season through seven years at North Texas and has compiled an overall record of 136-89 with the Mean Green. He has also accumulated 412 wins during 20 years as a head coach, and his 136 wins as a head coach at North Texas is the most in program history.
In addition to turning the Mean Green into a C-USA title contender, Palileo challenges his program to be the best in the classroom. Most recently, North Texas volleyball was awarded the 2020 Conference USA Sport Academic Award, which is given to the team who posted the highest GPA during the academic year among all C-USA volleyball peers. The Mean Green have also been awarded the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award during nine of the last 10 years for posting a team GPA of 3.30 or higher. In the 2019-2020 academic year, North Texas turned in a 3.70 team GPA, its highest since Palileo's arrival.
Most recently in 2019, North Texas compiled a 17-11 overall record and finished third in Conference USA with a 10-4 league record. On Sept. 14, 2019, Palileo reached his 400th career win after sweeping Abilene Christian on the road. Sophomore Rhett Robinson and junior Valerie Valerian finished 2019 with First Team All-Conference USA honors, while junior Kaliegh Skopal garnered Second Team All-Conference USA honors and freshman Alysha Johnson earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Valerian also earned AVCA All-Region honorable mention honors after finishing the season with 450 kills and 334 digs.
In 2017, Palileo led the Mean Green to their most successful season in program history during a 29-4 campaign. In that season alone, North Texas captured its first regular season conference championship, first postseason victory, most wins (29), best conference record (13-1), longest win streak (16), best start to a season (12-1), best home record (15-2) and first-ever appearance in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Senior Amanda Chamberlain and junior Karley York were named to the AVCA All-Southwest Region team, and senior Holly Milam and freshman Barbara Teakell earned honorable mention all-region honors. Chamberlain, York and Milam earned spots on the All-C-USA First Team, and Teakell was named the C-USA Co-Freshman of the Year.
Palileo's success goes beyond North Texas. The Honolulu, Hawaii-native has accumulated an overall record of 412-282 as a collegiate head coach while earning conference coach of the year at each of his four head coaching stops. His most recent conference coach of the year accolade took place after leading North Texas to the 2017 Conference USA regular season championship. He was also named the AVCA Southwest Region Coach of the Year in 2017, the first region coach of the year award in program history and second in his career.
Palileo has also displayed an ability to win during Conference USA play. During his first season in 2013, the Mean Green finished just several points away from advancing to the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. In seven seasons at North Texas, Palileo has amassed a 71-31 regular season record against C-USA opponents, a staggering .696 winning percentage.
Palileo recorded his second consecutive 20-win season in 2015 and was instrumental in shaping Carnae Dillard into an All-American. Under Palileo's leadership, Dillard won her second straight Conference USA Player of the Year before becoming only the second honorable mention All-American selection in team history. North Texas advanced to the semifinal round of the C-USA Tournament behind a .241 hitting percentage that was the second-best mark in school history. Also joining Dillard with all-conference honors was Holly Milam, who earned a spot on the All-C-USA second team.
In just his second year at the helm, Palileo led North Texas to one of its most successful seasons. Led by eventual Conference USA Player of the Year Carnae Dillard, Palileo and the Mean Green racked up a 21-9 record entering the postseason, the second-best regular season win total in North Texas history. With momentum on its side and riding a then program-best 10-match win streak, North Texas would make it to the C-USA semifinal round before falling to eventual conference champion WKU. The team's individual talent was recognized as Dillard took all-conference first team honors, senior Hanna Forst was named to the second team, and Amanda Chamberlain was placed on the conference's all-freshman squad.
In his first year at North Texas, Palileo guided the Mean Green through its initial year in C-USA and accumulated a 17-15 record. Two players, sophomore Dillard and senior Karissa Flack, were named to the C-USA all-conference team while setter Amy Henard was named to the all-freshman squad.
Palileo arrived in Denton from Ohio State, where he was an assistant coach for two years. He brought an extensive resume of experience at the Big-10 and Pac-12 levels to the Mean Green. His most recent head coaching position was at Washington State from 2008-2010. While in Pullman, Wash., Palileo took the Cougars to the NCAA tournament in 2009, their first trip in seven years. He also received the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award that same season.
Before heading to Washington State, Palileo was the head coach at South Dakota State for seven years, where he gathered 154 wins and 86 losses. He was named the 2007 Summit League Coach of the Year, when the South Dakota State Jacks were the Summit League regular season and tournament champions and made their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament that fall. Palileo's squad broke or tied 23 team or individual records during 2007.
Prior to South Dakota State, Palileo was the head volleyball coach at Bethel University (St. Paul, Minn.), where he had an 85-55 record in four seasons, the best four-year mark in school history. While at Bethel, Palileo led the Royals to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999 and produced eight first-team All-Conference players, a first-team All-American and two academic All-Americans.
In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Palileo coached the Club SoDa 18s volleyball team in Brookings, S.D., from 2002-2008, and was the Heartland Adidas Select Volleyball Program 18s head coach for five years in Minneapolis, Minn. He served as the director of the Crosstown Junior Olympics at Edina High (Minn.) from 1993-97, and he was the JV coach at Waconia (Minn.) High from 1986-90. A highly regarded clinician, Palileo has also been the head coach of the Midwest Volleyball Instructor Elite Camps since 1997.
Palileo and his wife, Wendy, have three sons, Ashton, Austin and A.J., and one daughter, Alyvia.
College education:
- Crown College (BA Missiology ’91, BA Social Science/Secondary Education)
- Bethel University (MS Educational Leadership ’00)
Andrew Palileo Collegiate Coaching Records
Year School Overall Conference Postseason
1997 Bethel University 8-12 7-4/t-4th
1998 Bethel University 19-16 7-3/4th
1999 Bethel University 25-12 9-2/1st 0-1
2000 Bethel University 22-11 6-5/6th
Total Bethel University 74-51 29-14 0-1
2001 South Dakota State 28-6 15-3/2nd 4-1
2002 South Dakota State 28-7 12-4/2nd 2-1
2003 South Dakota State 13-19 2-12/8th
2004 South Dakota State 22-12 D1 transition year 5-1
2005 South Dakota State 16-19 D1 transition year 3-2
2006 South Dakota State 22-12 D1 transition year 1-2
2007 South Dakota State 25-11 13-3/1st 2-1
Total South Dakota State 154-86 42-22 17-8
2008 Washington State 10-19 3-15/t-9th
2009 Washington State 18-13 6-12/8th 0-1
2010 Washington State 6-22 0-18/10th
Total Washington State 34-54 9-45 0-1
2013 North Texas 17-15 8-6/t-4th
2014 North Texas 22-10 11-5/t-3rd
2015 North Texas 20-13 11-5/t-3rd
2016 North Texas 13-19 7-7/8th
2017 North Texas 29-4 13-1/1st 1-1
2018 North Texas 19-17 11-3/t-2nd 2-1
2019 North Texas 16-11 10-4/3rd
Total North Texas 136-89 71-31 3-2
Career Total 412-284 (.594)
