Belmont University Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Corley announced the appointment of Ellie Burger as women’s tennis head coach on July 23, 2024. A Missouri Valley Conference champion as a player, Burger spent the previous two seasons leading the Missouri State women’s tennis program.
Taking over a team that went 0-19 the season prior in June of 2022, Burger led the Bears to 13 victories last spring for the most since the program was resurrected in 2014. In two seasons at the helm, Burger guided Missouri State to 20 dual match wins and a berth in the 2024 MVC Tennis Championship.
In her second season as head coach at her alma mater, Burger helped the Bears to a 4-4 conference record and a fifth-place tie in the final Valley standings. Two of Burger’s players earned All-MVC honors and Missouri State put together four separate three-match winning streaks.
Originally from Chesterfield, Missouri, outside of St. Louis, Burger was a standout for the Bears from 2017-21. A three-time All-MVC performer, Burger finished her collegiate career third in school history in singles winning percentage (.782). Burger achieved a 43-18 career singles record and won an MVC individual title at No. 3 singles in 2019.
As a true freshman, Burger clinched the 2018 MVC Championship for Missouri State with a three-set triumph at No. 5 singles. The conference title and subsequent NCAA Championship appearance was the Bears’ first since 2002.
Following her time as a student-athlete, Burger was a tennis instructor at Forest Lake Tennis Club in her hometown in the spring of 2022 where she helped run the Forest Lake Tennis Academy.
A MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team member, Burger was voted winner of the prestigious Missouri State Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Scholar-Athlete Award following the 2020-21 academic year. She captained the Bears as a senior and held several leadership roles off the court. Women’s tennis’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative, Burger was Missouri State’s women’s sports representative for the MVC SAAC and also served on the MVC Regulatory Matters Committee.
Burger enjoyed a successful prep career at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis, earning first-team all-state honors as the state tournament runner-up. She reached as high as No. 2 in Missouri and 235th nationally in TennisRecruiting.net’s class of 2017 rankings.
A December 2021 graduate of Missouri State, Burger earned her Bachelor of Science degree in both general business and Spanish.
Ellie’s older brother, Jake, was the 11th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft and currently plays for the Miami Marlins.
