Michelle Piantadosi-Lima returned to her home state of Florida as the 10th head coach in the history of the Eckerd volleyball program to begin the fall of 2012. She enters her 14th season at the helm for the 2025 season. 

She also launched the beach volleyball program in 2015, quickly turning it into one of the top small college programs in the country.  In 2016, Eckerd claimed the Rox Small College Championship and finished runners-up in both 2017 and 2018.  In 2018, her No. 1 pair of Sibson and Paula Hoffmann ended the season ranked third in the AVCA with a 22-1 record.

Piantadosi-Lima's immediate success as a head coach resulted in back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Championship South Regional and two runner-up efforts towards the top of the Sunshine State Conference standings. This also included a combined 41 wins and a winning percentage pushing close to .700 in her first two years. She is the fastest coach to reach 50 wins in program history and led the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances in her first four seasons.

Piantadosi-Lima navigated the Tritons to their fourth NCAA South Regional appearance in her six years on the bench in 2017 while also winning the 100th match of her career during the season. That season she coached Kaitlyn Sibson, who earned All-SSC, All-Region, and All-American honors while shattering several program records in the process.

In 2022, she led Eckerd back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years, making her fifth tournament appearance since 2017. She guided the Tritons to one of the best seasons in program history with a 24-9 mark with three wins over nationally-ranked opponents including a thrilling five-set victory in the McArthur Center over No. 4 Tampa, Eckerd first win over UT since 2011.  EC's 24 victories are the second-most in program history. She guided Krysten Garrison and Anna Jungjohann to AVCA All-American honors, marking the first time since 2013 that Eckerd has had two players receive All-American honors. Garrison is the first setter in program history to earn All-American honors.

In 2023, she led Eckerd to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, her sixth appearance during her tenure. She led the Tritons to an 11-match win streak from October 6-31, EC's longest win streak since 2011. The team ranked ninth nationally in block per set and 14th in Division II in total blocks. She guided Stella Antypa to All-American honors, the eighth with her at the helm.  

In 2024, she led the Tritons to rank 32nd nationally in aces per set, while junior Kinga Michalska ranked second nationally in aces per set and ninth in total aces. 

Eckerd College - Assistant Athletic Director 2018-2021 
Eckerd College - Senior Woman Administrator 2012-2021 
East Tennessee State University - Assistant Coach - 2010-12
Nova Southeastern - Assistant Coach - 2006-08 

Piantadosi-Lima served as Eckerd's Senior Woman Administrator for nine years, where was a member of the athletics department senior management team and oversaw student-athlete well-being and development and serves as the department's Title IX coordinator. Her continually grown to enhance and support student-athlete development led to her promotion of Assistant Athletic Director in July of 2018, in her first two years as Assistant AD, she enhanced education and support for student-athletes mental health and helped launch the Athletic Diversity Action Committee. 

Piantadosi-Lima was previously the assistant volleyball coach at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.

She is familiar with the Sunshine State Conference, coaching at league member Nova Southeastern University for four years beginning in 2006. In 2008, the Sharks reached the “Elite 8” and captured the NCAA South Region crown for the first time in school history.

Her coaching accomplishments at NSU landed recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as ‘one of the 30 best coaches in the country under the age of 30.’

Volleyball 
First Program Win: 8/31/2012 vs. Chestnut Hill (Pa.)
Program Wins Leader: 9/11/2021 vs. Albany State (Ga.) 
100th Career Win: 10/27/2017 vs. Rollins
200th Career Win: 10/28/2024 vs. Florida Tech
Her 20+ single-season win totals (2012, 2013, 2022, 2023) represent four of the 11 recorded in the program's history.

Beach Volleyball 
Rox Small College Champions - 2016
Rox Small College Runner-up - 2017, 2018
 

NCAA Postseason Appearances (6): 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023
All-American

• (2012): Ali McAlvany (Third Team), Lindsay Biggs (Second Team)
• (2015): Tjasa Kotnik (Third team)
• (2016): JaQuayla Baker (Honorable Mention)
• (2017): Kaitlyin Sibson (Honorable Mention)
• (2022): Krysten Garrison, Anna Jungjohann (Honorable Mention) 
• (2023); Stella Antypa (Honorable Mention)

All-Region

• (2015): Tjasa Kotnik
• (2016): JaQuayla Baker
• (2019): Sydney Case
• (2022): Krysten Garrison (First Team), Anna Jungjohann (Honorable Mention) 
• (2023): Stella Antypa (First Team)

All-SSC

• (2012):
  • First Team: Lindsay Biggs
  • Second Team: Kaleigh Humphrey
  • Newcomer Team: Emily Schadow
• (2013):
  • First Team: Lindsay Biggs
  • Second Team: Ali McAlvany
  • Honorable Mention: Katarina Milojevic
  • Newcomer Team: Tjasa Kotnik
• (2014):
  • Second Team: Ali McAlvany
  • Newcomer Team: Lauren Nelson, Kaitlyin Sibson
• (2015):
  • First Team: Tjasa Kotnik
  • Honorable Mention: JaQuayla Baker
  • Newcomer: JaQuayla Baker
• (2016):
  • First Team: JaQuayla Baker
  • Newcomer Team: Paula Hoffmans
• (2017): 
  • Second Team: Kaitlyn Sibson
• (2021):
  • Third Team: Krysten Garrison
  • Freshman Team: Rayna Metha
• (2022)
  • First Team: Krysten Garrison 
  • Second Team: Anna Jungjohann
  • Third Team: Ashley Eck
• (2023)
  • Second Team: Stella Antypa, Jaida Clark 
  • Third Team: Kalli Schoening
• 2024 
  • Third team: Stella Antypa 

SSC Players of the Week (33)

She had a standout four-year career at the University of Tennessee, where she was a two-year captain.  During her time with the Lady Vols, she was a four-year starter and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors after her senior season, while also being selected to the USA Volleyball A2 Team.  She holds the school record for most kills and attacks in a season in the 30-point rally scoring era (2001-07).

Following her career at Tennessee, Piantadosi-Lima competed professionally in Salzburg, Austria, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since 2008, her most recent professional endeavors were found in beach volleyball playing in several AVP tournaments all over the nation.

Piantadosi-Lima graduated in 2005 from Tennessee with her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She achieved her master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Athletic Administration from Nova Southeastern in 2010.

Pinatadosi-Lima is married to Pri Pinatadosi-Lima. In April 2024, they welcomed a daughter, Mila.