Sarah Baldwin enters her third season as an assistant coach with Lipscomb Volleyball. Prior to the start of the 2025 campaign, she was named the program's Recruitng Coordinator.
So far in her two seasons with the Bisons, she has been a part of the coaching staff that has seen the program advance to back-to-back ASUN Championship Match appearances in 2023 and 2024.
In her first season in Nashville (2023), she played a tremendous role in helping the Bisons win 20+ games for the 10th time in program history.
The Kailua, Hawaii native made the transition to Nashville after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Holy Cross and five at Southwestern.
"We are extremely excited about Sarah's arrival to Lipscomb and Lipscomb Volleyball," said Rosenthal. "Having known Sarah for years, I have always admired the way she goes about coaching and her ability to connect with the athletes she coaches. She is tremendously respected for her work ethic and attention to detail. A fierce competitor on the court, Sarah played with a passion that was truly impressive."
Rosenthal continued by saying, "Her playing experiences will continue to aid her and our program as we seek to push this program to the next level. Throughout the interview process, I was continually impressed with the level of excellence that Sarah aspires to be a part of. Sarah approaches the coaching profession with a championship mindset, which will only add to what we already have in place. Our staff was not only impressed but felt extremely comfortable with Sarah. I believe that Sarah will be an excellent addition to our staff. We are excited to welcome Sarah and her husband, Theo, to the LUV Family."
Before getting into coaching, Baldwin had an illustrious playing career at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a four-year starter, primarily as the Libero. As a player with the Longhorns, Baldwin was a three-time Big 12 Champion and made three NCAA Semifinal appearances. She also won an NCAA National Championship as a player at Texas in 2012.
Right after her playing career concluded, she gained some experience in camp and club coaching with UT Volleyball Camps, All-American Volleyball Camps, and Texas Shock Volleyball Club camps, as well as an assistant coach for Austin Skyline Juniors.
She then got her first opportunity at the college ranks at Southwestern University, an NCAA Division III institution in Georgetown, Texas. She served five years as an Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator, and Director of Operations. In her first season with the Pirates, she helped guide her squad to the NCAA Division III Volleyball national semifinals.
Baldwin then coached two seasons at Holy Cross, holding the same role she had at Southwestern previously. While with the Crusaders, she also served as the head position coach for Liberos, defensive specialists, and pin attackers.
"Sometime in February, I received a text from Coach Brandon Rosenthal that read, "Ever thought about living in Nashville?" said Baldwin. "My first reaction was that my husband is not the biggest country music fan and would never go for it. In all seriousness, though, it was a question from Coach Rosenthal that I knew I had to hear more about."
Baldwin would go on to say, "After a few conversations with Coach Brandon Rosenthal, Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson, and others in learning about Lipscomb's culture, the team, and university, it became apparent that this could be a great opportunity. What became clear was this overwhelming possibility to grow and coach talented young women with a seasoned head coach and a noticeably supportive Athletic Director."
Baldwin mentioned that the campus, as beautiful as it is, has high-caliber facilities and people, which is her second most important decision point. "It truly is the people of Lipscomb that moved the needle for me from considering to wanting to join the Lipscomb community. Everyone I interacted with throughout the interview process was open and welcoming, making it feel like my next home away from home, all from one on-campus visit."
"I offer immense thanks to the volleyball program coaches and staff, Coach Rosenthal, and Athletic Director Hutcheson for their work getting me to Lipscomb to join what I know will be a very special experience," concluded Baldwin.
Baldwin graduated from the University of Texas in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and an education minor.
