From 2001-2012, with Suzie at the helm for 12 years, the Latin volleyball team won 11 consecutive conference championships and nine consecutive state titles (29 conference titles and 15 state titles overall). Charlotte Latin Volleyball also earned the American Volleyball Coaches Team Academic Award in each of these 12 years under Coach Pignetti’s tenure. Over the course of her 35-year coaching career at Latin, Butler High School, and Charlotte Country Day School, she compiled a win-loss record of 745-150, which is the North Carolina volleyball coaching record for the most wins. She was named the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Charlotte Observer Region Coach of the Year five times during her tenure at Latin (8 times overall).
Pignetti was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s 2012 National High School Coach of the Year and coached Latin’s All-American Eve Davis and the All-America East Team in the 2012 Under Armor All-America High School match.
In 2006 Suzie received the prestigious USA Volleyball Meritorious Service Award for outstanding service to volleyball in North Carolina. Coach Pignetti, a breast cancer survivor, is the Founder and chair of the Annual Serve for the Cure Volleyball Tournament for many years hosted by Charlotte Latin School and Carolina Juniors Volleyball, the largest student-generated fundraiser benefiting breast cancer research and education in North Carolina. Since its inception 18 years ago, Serve for the Cure has raised more than $550,000.
She coached many high school players (including two All-Americans) and club players who have gone on to play at the collegiate level.
She is a founding director of Carolina Juniors Volleyball (CJV), owned by Latin parents Kelly Beck '82 and Allan Haseley, which provided many Latin students and other volleyball players in the area a place to not only train and excel in the sport of volleyball, but to also develop personal strength, determination and leadership skills. Suzie continues to serve as a Master Coach for CJV.
With all of those credits to her name it is obvious that Coach Pignetti is an expert in teaching and coaching volleyball; however, she was never complacent in her abilities. Coach Pignetti was an innovative coach who continually researched better ways and the best tools to teach and coach her sport. In 2002, she brought a new system of teaching, playing and coaching volleyball to Charlotte Latin, which was and is still being employed by the U.S. National Teams.
The true legacy Suzie Pignetti leaves is one of excellence in player leadership, accountability, and trust among the players. She has built a “program” with tradition, fostering a sisterhood among the players that extends well beyond their time at Charlotte Latin. Her former players and their parents frequently returned to support her and her teams as they competed for titles — to once again be a small part of their shared accomplishments. Coach Pignetti is remembered for the amazing career record she achieved, but her true legacy is the disciplined, confident, hardworking, and caring group of young women her program has produced.
