Coach Garner joins Academy with more than 30 years of indoor and beach playing experience.  He claimed his professional beach volleyball status in the early 90s thru early 2000s. He has played all over the United States and Caribbeans. Coach Garner jumped into coaching 27 years ago and has coached at some of the best volleyball clubs in the United States. Coach Garner has coached at every level in the NCAA and Junior College. He has vast experience in developing players at the club level and the collegiate levels. His teams have qualified for Nationals at multiple age groups, finishing as high as 5^th place. He has also placed in tie for 5th at 17open recently at AAU Nationals. Since taking over as the Recruiting Coordinator at Academy , he has helped over 40 athletes go on and play at the NCAA D1,2,3 level. He has helped to develop kids playing in the BIG TEN, ACC, BIG 12, SEC, and several players who have represented USA at the Junior and Collegiate National team levels. Coach Garner is the lead trainer for setters at Academy and will also help oversee development of all positions. 

Level IV

Coach Krista was a 3 sport athlete (Volleyball, Basketball and Softball) who earned many all conference awards, MVP awards and sports recognitions throughout her playing career in High School, College and Travel Teams. She is a graduate of Western Carolina University with a BS in Sports Management and is also a graduate of the School of Sports Management presented by North Carolina State University.

Coach Krista has dedicated over 17 years full time in the profession of Director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources. She has served as District Coordinator, Chapter Director and Certified Clinician for the National Youth Sports Coaches Association. She was awarded the Outstanding Young Professional Award by the State of North Carolina Athletic Director's Association. She has held many certifications in the past as a Athletic Trainer, Strength & Conditioning Coach & Personal Fitness Trainer. She has spent the past 5 years of her career dedicating her time as a Youth Volleyball Coach with the Fuquay-Varina Athletic Association and providing clinics and private volleyball instruction to athletes wanting to succeed in the sport.

Level III

Coach Karl serves as an Assistant Director for Academy. Over his 14 years with Academy, he has helped elevate the club’s standing to a top-ranked position nationally, earning national qualifier bids across various age groups. Coach Karl has coached both national and regional teams, from the basics of footwork and skill progression to more complicated and tactical systems of attack and defense. He is currently the head coach of Academy's 14 Diamond team. Coach Karl also holds the position of Head Coach for the women’s volleyball team at Green Hope High School. He has led the program since 2010. Under Karl's guidance, his teams have consistently advanced deep into the NCHSAA 4A Playoffs, securing four State Championships and achieving two Final Four appearances. He has coached and mentored numerous athletes who have excelled as student-athletes and made significant contributions to their college programs. He channels his passion for volleyball, relishing the opportunity to challenge players to reach their fullest potential. 

Level IV

Coach Sam graduated from Dickinson College in 2022 with degrees in environmental science and archaeology. As a student at Dickinson College he was a member of a club volleyball team and became president/captain of the team during his senior year. After graduating, Sam continued to play volleyball in local leagues, but ultimately fell in love with coaching after he volunteered as an assistant coach at Washington College.  Outside of volleyball, Sam  can be found hiking the nearby trails or scuba diving in the Outer Banks.

Coach Andi joins Academy with more than 10 years of collegiate and club experience. Since 2006, she coached at Triangle volleyball club, where she coached top teams in 12s, 14s, 15s, 16s, and 17s age groups, with numerous Region Championships and top half finishes at Nationals.  Coach Andi also coached Division I at Dartmouth College, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University. She played libero at North Carolina State University in 2004-2008.  She consistently led the ACC in digs and remains ninth all-time in career digs.  During her high school career at Cardinal Gibbons, she led her team to three consecutive state championships, setting school records in single-match digs, single-season digs, career digs, and career aces.  The two-time all conference player and team captain also received TISAC Player of the Year honors in 2003. Coach Andi and Triangle 18 Kaepa were undefeated in North Carolina and the first North Carolina team to finish in the top 10 at a national championship event.

Coach Rachel, born and raised in Cary, NC, began playing volleyball at the age of 12. She was a setter for Green Hope High School for all four years. She also played for NC Academy in 2014 and 2015.  Rachel continued to play volleyball recreationally in college and graduated from UNCW in 2021. She currently plays in local sand, grass, and indoor volleyball leagues. Having played for NC Academy in her youth, Rachel is excited to return as a coach.

Coach Angie is from Angier, NC and began her volleyball career as an outside hitter for her high school earning all conference selections academic all conference and  MVP player. She was a 2 sport college athlete at Methodist University transitioning to a middle hitter/blocker and was selected all conference and MVP as well. She began coaching in 1995 in Virginia Beach VA with 13-15 year old girls in the Princess Ann volleyball league. After moving back to North Carolina to Apex she began working with girls from ages 8 to 16 with the Recreation League and club teams. She is thrilled to begin working with girls here at Academy.

Coach Katie grew up in New Bern, NC where she learned to play volleyball from her parents who were avid beach players. She played for New Bern High School all 4 years and also played for a local club named Twin Rivers Volleyball Club as a DS/Libero. Katie began coaching rec volleyball in high school and when she graduated in 2017. She began coaching club ball at the national level while attending East Carolina University. Katie obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology with a concentration in Medicine and now work in the clinical research field. She have been coaching club volleyball for 7 years and she look forward to bringing what she have learned and developing new relationships doing what she loves here at NC Academy. 

Level III

Coach Bruce attended the University of Maryland from 1992-1996, where he played as the right-side hitter for the UMD men’s volleyball team.  He started his volleyball journey at Quince Orchard High School (Maryland), he played three years in the varsity squad and was named MVP and All-Conference team in his junior and senior year.  After college, he played in the USAV league for many years and was named MVP and All-Conference Team for the Chesapeake Region in 2000.  Bruce moved to North Carolina in 2006 and continued to pursuit his love of volleyball by playing in the city men’s and coed leagues and coaching for city (Cary), club volleyball (NC Academy), and school (Thales Academy) teams and private skills coaching.   At home, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.  Professionally, he works as a consultant for the pharmaceutical industry.  

Level IV

Coach Lillian started playing club volleyball in St. Louis, Missouri at age 13, and played for Rockwood Thunder volleyball club. She was a three year varsity 6-rotation outside hitter for Mehlville High School in St. Louis and was Captain her senior year. She Played two years as a OH/OPP hitter at College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick, GA. Her first tournament as a college freshman she made the All-Tournament team at the Early Bird Invitational at Loyola New Orleans. Coach Lillian is the third Carlson sister to be a part of Academy. Her younger sisters Sophie and Evie played for 16 Diamond and 14 Diamond during the 2020-21 season. 

Coach Joe attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he played as a setter and left side hitter for the RPI men's club team as well as in various Asian volleyball tournaments played at universities in the New England area (NYC, Toronto, Cornell, U Penn, Boston University, etc.).  He started volleyball as a freshman in Brighton High School (Rochester, NY) where he played in JV followed by Varsity in his sophomore, junior and senior year, where he was the team captain in his senior year.  After college he played in the USAV league, sand volleyball and various Cary leagues along with Coach Li!  He has been with NC Academy since 2009 coaching various national teams and teaching setter and HS clinics.  He now coaches 16 Crystal for the 2023-2024 season and is also the head coach for Cary Academy's JV  team. 

Level III

Coach Tammy grew up in Durham, NC where she led Jordan High School to 3 consecutive 4A State Championships as a middle blocker. She played volleyball at Appalachian State University for 4 years and won numerous All-Conference and All Tournament accolades including Team MVP. After college, Tammy played many years of USAV, outdoor sand and grass tournaments up and down the east coast.

Tammy has been coaching volleyball for over 20 years at the Club and Collegiate level. In the Triangle area, she has coached for CCVC, TCA and now at the Academy. Tammy’s passion is teaching the fundamentals of volleyball and instilling a love for the game.

Level III

Coach Tkeyah graduated from South Granville high school where she played Varsity for 3 years as an outside/right side hitter. Her senior year she helped her team enter its first ever year playing in the state championship. Coach Tkeyah continued her volleyball career as a DS and played all four years at North Carolina A&T received a bachelors in Psychology. While competing at A&T i received numerous  NC A&T volleyball awards. She currently work at Labcorp. She has been playing volleyball since she was 13, I specialize in outside  hitter and DS. This will be her first official club team and she is very excited for her first season as a coach. 

Keisha J. Demps is a long time advocate for volleyball. She has had an extensive coaching and playing career and brings over 20+ years of experience. Demps played both volleyball and basketball for the University of Arizona Wildcats, earning All-Pac-10 honors in volleyball while also being selected to the US National team in 1998.  She played professional volleyball for two years in Murcia, Spain and the inaugural USPV “Dream Team” where she helped the U.S. win the 2000 Millennium Cup during international competition.

Demps retired from her playing career and began coaching collegiately at University of Nevada-Reno, Boise State & NC State where she trained over 10 all conference players.  Demps later returned to the professional ranks and coached in the USPV with the St. Louis Quest in its opening season.   In 2007 Keisha was named as one of the coaches with USA Volleyball High Performance programs and continues to serve as an evaluator for the past 11 years.   Keisha lives in Raleigh with husband Thomas, daughter Jade (19) and son Thomas IV (14).

Level IV

From Holly Springs, NC. Coach Kaelyn played at Holly Springs High School and was a varsity starter as a middle hitter. She played for Club Red and ended her club career with NC Academy. She then continued her collegiate career at Gardner-Webb University as a middle/right side hitter starting all 4 years, and graduated in 2017 receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is very excited for another great season! 

Coach Jeff began coaching in 1990 as one of the founders of the Fairfax Juniors volleyball club where he coached both 18’s and 16’s. His 16’s team participated in the inaugural multi-region Atlantic Rim Power League. In 1998, he pioneered the Youth Volleyball Program at the Cary Family YMCA. In 12 years he grew this program from individual volleyball skills clinics into both an Elementary and a Middle School League emphasizing skill development. He joined CCVC in 2007 as a coach and rose to be co-director. In addition to teaching volleyball skills to his team, his responsibilities included season planning, recruiting coaches, coordinating skill clinics and strength, agility and quickness sessions, budget preparation and working with the CCVC Board. Assisted in merger between CCVC and TCA. Most recently he coached at Club Red.
Coach Jeff has achieved both USAV Cap I and CAP II certification.

Coach Casey Fields (formerly Salchert) is a 2015 graduate of North Carolina State University which she attended to receive her degree in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. In the fall of 2011 Salchert was the starting setter and captain for Cape Fear Community College. In high school, she played 3 years at Cardinal Gibbons and five years of club at both Triangle (06-09) and Club Red (09-11). In 2013 she began her coaching career at Immaculata Catholic School where she served as the head coach. Casey then spent 3 years as the head coach at Research Triangle High School (14-16).

During Coach Casey's time at NC Academy she has worked with various age groups between the ages of 12 and 15. She most recently assisted 15 Diamond in 2024, prior to that she stood at the helm of 14 Diamond for the 6 seasons. In 2019 her 14 Diamond team became the first 14's team in Academy history to qualify for USAV Nationals. Placing 3rd at the Sunshine Qualifier in USA and narrowly missing the Open bid when finishing 3rd at Big South. Along with 17 Diamond in 2021, these are the highest placing Open finishes in club history. At Nationals they went on to finish 3rd overall in the USA division, again becoming the first team in Academy history to secure a Top 3 finish at USAV Nationals. In 2022 and 2023 she coached teams to back to back 14 Open qualifications, becoming the first team in Caroina Region history to earn a 14 Open bid from a national qualifier. Starting in the 2025 season, she is looking forward to taking over 13 Diamond where she will 'go back to her roots' in coaching fundamentals and cultivating a life long love of the game in her athletes. Coach Casey married Coach Ross Fields the summer of 2019 and they currently reside in Durham, they welcomed their first child, Samuel, in January of 2023. She is excited to be returning for her 12th season with Academy.

Level IV

Coach Ross began his volleyball career in Indiana and continued during his time at Purdue University. He first began his coaching career in Indiana and then moved to France to teach and coach. He then joined Academy in 2015 and began coaching at Knightdale HS where he led the team to a top 3 finish and a berth in the 4A playoffs. After one year at Knightdale, he moved to Chapel Hill HS where he has returned the program to its premier place in the 3A class. During his tenure, the Program has won the 2019 3A State Championship; they were runners-up in 2016 and 2017 while also finishing 3rd in 2018. He has helped over 20 student-athletes to pursue their dreams of playing collegiate volleyball from Division I to NAIA levels. While he has worked with all levels of players, his greatest successes at the club level have been coaching 13 Diamond to the highest finish ever for an Academy team at AAU (3rd place in 13 Premier 2017) and assisting 14 Diamond to a 3rd place finish in 14 USA at USAV Nationals in 2019.

Level IV

Coach Lauren started playing organized volleyball in St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 10. In High School, Lauren was a four- year varsity player as an Outside Hitter. After High School, she attended Gannon University where she became the third Volleyball Player in Gannon History to be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. She capped her Gannon career with a First-team All-America honor. She was a four-time All-PSAC selection, named Daktronics Atlantic Region Player of the Year and the PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year. Lauren has coached volleyball at the Elementary, Middle, High School, and Collegiate levels. She is currently a Health and Physical Education Teacher in the Wake County Public Schools. 

Level IV

Logan grew up in Durham, North Carolina and began playing volleyball competitively in 2019 for NC Academy boys and was recruited to play for St. Andrews University where he played his freshman year and transferred to Pensacola Christian College. He coached 2 seasons for the West Florida Waves Volleyball Club as well as a Varsity season for East Hill Christian School. Logan is finishing his degree in Secondary Education online and is looking forward to a great season and excited to be back with his Academy family! 

Coach Iyana has been playing volleyball since she was 12 years old. She attended JF Webb High School and played outside hitter and middle. Between 2017 and 2020, Iyana continued her passion and became a member of the Saint Augustine's University volleyball team as an outside hitter. Coach Iyana received her bachelor's degree in political science while at St-Aug. She is currently employed by Durham Public Schools as a history and personal finance teacher. She was previously the head coach of volleyball at Hillside High School. Iyana is thrilled to be coaching with NC Academy this year. 

Coach Greg has been playing and coaching volleyball for more than 30 years.  He began his career playing competitively in high school in Ohio and continued playing club while in college.  Coach Greg has been coaching for several years and currently is the head coach at Thales middle school and coaching two rec teams as well.  Coach Greg still plays several times a week when he is not coaching.  He is very passionate about coaching and enjoys developing kids into better players while having fun.

Level III

Coach Sarah is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill studying Neuroscience. In high school she made All-Conference all four years, and her team won the 1A State championship senior year. She competed as middle, outside and DS. Sarah also brings four years of competitive club experience and USAV certified junior reffing and clinic coaching experience.

For  11 years coach Lorraine has coached all ages at CCVC and was their lead coach in their Special Position Academy Clinics. She focused on teaching the basics and fundamentals which contributed to a successful development program at CCVC. She worked the last 17 seasons with the Green Hope High School JV volleyball program as the Head Coach of a young Falcons squad. Retiring 2021 with a record win 298 wins and 28 losses.  She also assisted the Green Hope High School Varsity squad with an unprecedented performance by the Falcons again this pass  season.

Coach Lorraine has over 40 years of coaching experience with 11 years as a College Coach at Bryant College D-II for Women and Men. She spent 7 years as a Physical Education teacher and Volleyball Coach at Warren High School. During her career at Bryant College, Coach Hudak was named to the Hall of Fame as the Pioneer of Women’s Sports and Most Successful Volleyball Coach in the history of the college. She has coached nationally ranked teams, named the Bryant College coach of the year, winner of the New England Conference Championship, and a State Playoff Contender.

Level IV

Coach Jo is studying History while obtaining a 9-12 teaching licensure at Meredith College where she plays on the volleyball team as a Libero. She began playing volleyball at 9 years old and continued to play throughout middle school and high school. During her high school career, Hannah Jo played club ball for NC Elite and NC Volleyball Academy, and high school ball at Middle Creek High School. She has worked at the Kraft Family YMCA as a Youth Coach/Referee of the youth volleyball program for 4 years and was promoted in 2020 to Volleyball Coordinator at the Taylor, NW Cary, and Kraft locations. She has also assisted the premier season for the Valor Volleyball club team and took them to Orlando for AAU Nationals in 2020. Coach Jo looks forward to joining the NC Academy coaching staff and family.

Coach Sophia is a recent graduate from UCLA with a degree in Neuroscience and Developmental Psychology. She has been playing club volleyball since she was 10, with 4 years of national club experience at Academy as a setter. She started coaching for Academy in 2019, coaching both 12 Crystal and 12 Diamond. She is excited to start her third season coaching at Academy, after returning from California, and assisting 13 Diamond. She absolutely loves impacting the next generation of volleyball, helping them learn the fundamentals, understand the strategy behind the game, and build as leaders. Outside of volleyball, Sophia works as a toddler teacher with Head Start, and plans on pursuing a doctorate in child psychology. 

Coach Joe is a 2014 graduate of NC State University with a degree in Middle School Language Arts and Social Science Education. He played club volleyball while at NC State from 2011-2014, co-captaining the team his senior year. He continues to play volleyball year-round, mostly indoor and grass, in local leagues and local and regional tournaments. Coach Joe is passionate about the sport and enjoys working with upcoming players to help them always be working to improve and better themselves.

Coach Erica grew up in Kernersville, NC, where she played volleyball competitively for Set Point Volleyball Club for 5 years. She first started coaching youth volleyball camps at her local YMCA while she was still in high school. Erica is a 2017 graduate of NC State University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering. While at NC State, she continued playing intramural volleyball for fun. After graduating college, Erica began her first season coaching at Academy. As a coach, Erica believes the best way for players to improve is by mastering the fundamentals, setting individual and team goals, and pushing players to reach those goals in a positive environment. Outside of volleyball, Erica has a career in medical device product development and enjoys fostering dogs, NC State sports, and spending weekends at the beach.

Level II

Coach Zamyiah started playing volleyball at 12-yrs old and has spent her career as a pin hitter. During her time at South Granville HS, she was part of the team that won the state championship in 2015. She went to Averett University, where she played both softball and volleyball. At Averett, her volleyball team won two conference championships and was a runner-up once. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry. Following graduation, She had the opportunity to play volleyball in the UK at Bournemouth University, where she competed in both indoor and beach volleyball while earning her Master’s degree. She also played on a club volleyball team and enjoyed traveling across Europe to experience different cultures. After completing her Master’s in Investigative Forensic Psychology, she returned to the U.S. and began assistant coaching at Falls Lake Academy High School. 

Gabby is entering her 2nd year coaching at Academy after spending 7 years playing club at the national team level. She helped guide her 14 Crystal team to a 9-0 record and a gold championship at Capital Hill Classic, becoming the 1st Academy 14s team to achieve this. Gabby just graduated from High Point University with her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, in the fall she is going back to school to earn her Pharmacy Technician license. Outside of volleyball, she likes to spend time with friends and her two dogs.

Coach Betsy is a graduate of University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with a degree in Human Growth and Family Studies.  Betsy played volleyball at the Junior College level for two years in Syracuse, NY.  Betsy has continued to play volleyball both indoors and out over the past 30 years.  Betsy coached at CCVC for six years, until her children's sporting interests took over her spare time and weekends.  Betsy is excited to come back to the coaching world with Academy Volleyball Club after an extended family leave.   

Coach Logan was a standout indoor and beach volleyball player during her pre-college years.  She played on Triangle's top team (Black) for 7 years. As well as playing the beach volleyball circuit during those 7 years, and placed in the top 3 of the USAV National Beach Volleyball Tournament, two years in a row. She was recruited by Virginia Tech, where she was starting libero from 2019-2021.  She set several school records, including most digs in a year by a Freshman and most digs in single game.  After graduating, she was recruited to play her final year at the University of Pittsburgh, where she helped the team to the NCAA Final Four.

Level III

Coach Nadiya has a passion for seeing young women succeed in sports. Volleyball, being a team sport, teaches many lessons that can also be used off the court. Coach Nadiya brings her experience and passion for the sport in her “work hard, play smart, and never give up” attitude.

Coach Nadiya started playing volleyball at the age of 12 and quickly rose to become a primary player for the former U.S.S.R Republic of Kazakhstan’s Junior National Team by age 15. During this time of competitive play, she held several positions and was the winner of international, national, and regional tournaments and championships. Coach Nadiya later played volleyball for the Kazakhstan Women's National Volleyball Team and was the team captain for the National Technical University of Kazakhstan Women's Volleyball Team.

After graduating with a Master’s degree in Electromechanical Engineering, Coach Nadiya played on the Institute of Physical Education & Sports of Kazakhstan Women’s Team. At the same time, she coached school teams and was the assistant coach of college teams in Kazakhstan. Her love of playing volleyball continues, and she currently plays in the USAV Carolina Region league and competes in various indoor and outdoor tournaments in the Piedmont-Triangle area.

Level IV

Coach Meg began playing volleyball in Coventry, Rhode Island at 11 years old, playing year-round seasons of club volleyball, school volleyball, and sand volleyball each year. She played high school varsity volleyball for four years as an opposite hitter and alternate setter. She began her coaching career as a volunteer, then assistant coach, for various boys and girls teams with South County Juniors Volleyball Club in 2019. Meg is excited to share her lifelong passion for volleyball with the next generation of players at NC Volleyball Academy.  

Coach Alyssa is entering her first year coaching at NC Academy. She has competed with NC Academy from her 13s - 18s year. During her time on 16 Crystal, Alyssa helped her team win the open division at Queen City Classic. During her 18s year, she was part of the first Crystal team to qualify for nationals in Academy History (2021). Now, she is competing on William Peace University’s Volleyball team as an Outside Hitter. She is double majoring in Business Administration and Marketing while minoring in communications. Outside of volleyball, Alyssa holds many roles on campus such as the 2023-2024 Student Body President and Resident Advisor for the first-year community.

Coach Mitch holds a Computer Science degree from NC State University and has been with SAS Institute for over 25 years.  His passion for volleyball began at the age of 12, and he has since played in company volleyball leagues as well as community sand leagues. His commitment to player development is evident in the multitude of skills clinics and youth programs he coaches.  Coach Mitch coached several years at Apex Community center where he fell in love with coaching.  As an Assistant Club Coach, he played an essential role in securing a USAV 16 Open National bid during the 2023-2024 season, and helping to capture a championship at the Big South National Qualifier Tournament.  Outside of volleyball, he enjoys quality time with his wife, three children, and dog Sadie, all while exploring the world through travel adventures.

Coach Spencer will be entering his 9th season coaching club volleyball at NC Academy, and has been coaching for 17 years. He is no stranger to volleyball as he has collegiate coaching experience as well as having worked with in the past with Club Red,  Challengers & CCVC. Spencer was CAP I certified in 2009 and has coached the Carolina Region Select team in the High Performance Championships in 2008 - 2010. Spencer also served as Volunteer Assistant Coach for NCSU under coach Rita Stubbs for 3 years from 2005-2008. Spencer also played and served as president for the NC State Men's Club Team.

Level IV

Coach Josie Richardson is a sophomore in college at William Peace University. She is a Criminal Justice major and is planning on getting her masters in criminology after she graduates. She played two years on JV at Farmville Central High School and then two years on varsity there as well. Josie received the hustle award her sophomore and senior year of high school, Josie also ran winter and spring track until her sophomore year. She started playing volleyball at the age of eight with recreational league then moved on to club at 14. She played for Coastal Plains Volleyball Club until she graduated and tried out for WPU team.  

Level I

Coach Corrinna has 20 years of volleyball experience between playing and coaching. She played D3 at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia and has continued to play in competitive adult leagues both indoor, grass and sand. After taking a break to have a family, she returned to coaching volleyball in Granville County where she resides with her family. She is currently the head coach at Falls Lake Academy where she has taken a brand new school program and developed it into a very competitive program built on strong fundamentals and increasing each players’ volleyball IQ. Coach Corrinna started her 5th year with the program this past season. The high school joined the NCHSAA 3 years ago. Since joining, She taken the team post season each year. In 2017 they made the final four in 1A and East Regional Runner up. This year she lead her varsity team to a conference championship, Regional Championship and finished with taking the 1A State Championship. She previously coached at Jammers for 4 club seasons with ages 12-16, and had some of the top teams in the club. In 2017, she started Power Performance Volleyball Club, based out of Granville County. She took a 17s team on a semi-national schedule and finished in the top third in our region. She is very excited to be joining Academy and looking forward to a great season. 

Coach Jill graduated from Clarkson University where she played collegiate volleyball and earned her BS in Mathematics. After college, she played Carolina Region USAV, sand and grass tournaments and coached USAV with CCVC for 3 seasons until focusing on her family. Coach Jill started coaching again when her daughter became interested in Volleyball, coaching various recreational leagues. She was the head coach for Carnage Magnet Middle School from 2015 – 2019, winning 2 Conference Titles. She has also been the Coordinator of the Kraft YMCA Volleyball program since 2015. Jill coached 3 club seasons with NC Elite, coaching 13’s and 14s and is looking forward to being the JVA Volleyball Coach at Middle Creek High School this fall. She enjoys spending time with her family, being involved with the community and sharing her love of the game. 

Coach Sierra (Sie) is entering her first year coaching at NC Academy. Originally from Virginia, Sierra competed for two years at both Active Volleyball Club and Timberlake Volleyball Club while playing competitively at Dan River High School all four years. She competed alongside Coach Alyssa and Coach AJ for one year at William Peace University as a Setter and Defensive Specialist. She is currently getting her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a double minor in forensic science and psychology. Sierra is going into her second season as the Head Coach of the JV-A volleyball team at Sanderson High School. At school, she serves as the Ad Hoc Senior Class Representative for the Student Government and Programming Association (SGPA). Outside of volleyball, she enjoys exploring new places and spending time with her dog, Curtis.

Coach Tania relocated with her family to NC from upstate NY in 2000. Her previous experiences include beach volleyball in the NOVA circuit, she served as a middle hitter as well as a setter in college at Monroe. She worked as a referee and in club management and marketing. Since she has been in NY she has continued to play beach volleyball as an adult in local leagues. Coach Tania ran Western Wake Volleyball Club in Cary for 13 years. Other club coaching after Western Wake include 4 years at Triangle Volleyball club coaching ages 14-16 National. This will be her 2nd year with us at Academy as the 18 Diamond coach, prior in 2011. She has also served as Head Coach at local schools throughout the years including Durham Academy, Raleigh Charter, Southern Wake Academy and currently at Northwood High School. College coaching experience includes Wake Tech. Tania lives in Apex, NC and lives with her husband and has 2 boys. She is a photographer, teaches horseback riding and is the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization for animal rescue called "Help em' Furget". Tania is excited to rejoin the Academy team and looks forward to working with our athletes. 

Growing girls in sport and in life. Learning something every day." As a player of many years and mom of two grown children, Coach Daphne loves introducing young players to volleyball, and loves watching them grow in the game even more! She began coaching Town of Morrisville and Apex youth rec teams as a parent volunteer in 2013, joined Academy staff a few months later, and has served as head coach for 12 and/or 13 Diamond with Coach Li ever since. Although she is most experienced in coaching fundamentals to middle schoolers at all skill levels, Coach Daphne has also coached high school volleyball for the past several years. 2024-25 will be her 12th season coaching at Academy, her 9th with Chapel Hill HS (Go Tigers!), and 4th as Head Coach at Duke School Middle School (Go Dragons!).

Level IV

AJ is entering her first year coaching at Academy after spending the last 8 years playing club at the national team level. She helped guide her 14 Crystal team to a 9-0 record and a gold championship at Capital Hill Classic. She also helped her 17 Jade team to a 5-2 record while going for a National bid at the Sunshine Volleyball Classic. AJ is starting her freshman season at William Peace University in the fall as a setter/right side and will be studying Psychology. Outside of volleyball, she likes to spend time with her dogs, Spike & Bogue.

Coach Shira is currently a sophomore at Wake Tech Community College. She recently completed a successful freshman season as a setter/defensive specialist for Wake Tech.  After being introduced to the sport in the summer as a freshmen in high school. Shira invested a great deal of time and effort into developing as a player. During her high school career, she played club for Club Red and NC Elite. Shira previously coach at  Jammers Volleyball Club for two successful seasons. During the summer, Shira is an avid beach doubles and a grass player. Coach Shira is excited to join the coaching staff at Academy.  

Level I 

Coach Serita has been involved in the sports of volleyball for over 30 years. She is a former member of the Jamaican National Womens Team for over 9 years as an Outside Hitter.. She played collegiate volleyball at St Augustine’s University 1999-2003 and was a member of their 3 peat Championship team as well as the first Division II team from the CiAA  get an automatic bid to the NCAA..She also coached at my Alma mater 7 years as an Assistant and 4 years as Head Coach..Coach Serita has one daughter 17 years old her name is Mya. In her spare time besides attending church, she loves to cook.

Coach Anne graduated from UNC Charlotte where she played collegiate volleyball and softball.   After college, she played Carolina Region USAV, sand and grass tournaments and local recreational leagues.  Coach Anne was the head coach for Carnage Magnet Middle School from 2009 – 2011 and has coached various youth recreational leagues.  She has coached the 13 Diamond team at NC Academy since 2009 and has led teams to multiple championships and state titles. During the 2018, she lead 13 Diamond to a 13th finished at USAV Nationals becoming only one of two coaches from Academy who has received a bid from a national tournament (Big South). She enjoys involving her teams in community service projects while teaching teamwork, sportsmanship and fundamentals of the game.  

Level III

Coach Kendall played for Academy from 2009-2015. She graduated from Athens Drive High School where she played as an Outside Hitter/DS and served as captain her senior year. She earned a spot on the Southwest Atlantic Conference all-conference team in 2014 and 2015. She was also  invited to participate in the USAV Beach High Performance program in 2014. She earned her undergraduate degree from UNC Charlotte’s School of Architecture where she served on the executive board and played as a pin hitter / Libero for the indoor club volleyball team. While in Charlotte she coached 15's and 16's National Level teams at CUVC. She recently graduated from NC State with her Masters in Architecture and continues to play outdoor volleyball locally with friends as well as in AVP Grass and Beach Tour events. She is mentored by her parents, coach Anne and Tom Yount. She is passionate about building players' confidence and independence to help push athletes to their full potential in resilience, intelligence and skill. 

Level III

Coach Tom was Member/Player NC State Volleyball Club 1988/89. He played sand and grass doubles throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. He also played for the Wake County Volleyball Club (Carolina Region) during the 1990’s. He earned medals in Men’s and Coed divisions at the NC State Games and Played in the City of Raleigh or Town of Cary Men’s and/or Coed leagues from 1988 through 2011.
Coach Tom’s coaching experiences include Coaching women’s club teams at Wake County Volleyball Club 1993 -1994 Fuquay Varina Athletic Association Coach 4 seasons Assistant Coach for Academy 12 Diamond, 13 Diamond and 13 Pearl teams in 2011; Head Coach 14 Pearl (Carolina Region Brass 2nd Place); 2012 Assistant Coach 14 Diamond and 13 Diamond. 2013 Assistant Coach 14 Crystal. 2014 Assistant and tournament coach 15 Diamond B, 2015 Head coach 15 Crystal. 2016 Head Coach 14 Ruby and 14 AAU, 2017 Assistant Coach 15 Pearl. Coach Tom is USAV Impact, CAP I, Beach Impact and Beach Cap 1 certified.

Level III

Coach Paul played as a setter for a college club team throughout the 1990's when he was in China. After he moved to the United States, he began playing again in 2004 as a setter for different adult teams in Raleigh and Cary leagues (men's and co-ed) as well as in various volleyball tournaments. He helped his team to win multiple championships for the 2005 to 2010 Seasons. He switched to beach volleyball in 2010 and had won numerous regional tournaments (Men’s Doubles AA Division) between 2010 and 2020. He started his coaching career in 2016 and served as a head coach for NCYVL Club for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He joined the Academy in 2021. He has been the assistant coach for 13 Crystal for the 2021-2022, and 2022-2023 seasons, and the head coach for 12 Pearl for the 2022-2023 season. He is very passionate about teaching the fundamentals of volleyball and enjoys developing young athletes into better players. Coach Paul’s love of playing volleyball never stops. When he is not coaching, he keeps playing volleyball, mostly sand, some indoor and grass all year round.

Level IV

Coach Milla grew up in Jacksonville, Florida where she hold multiple high school volleyball records and participated in USA Volleyball High Performance for 5 years. She was recruited as a middle blocker to the University of Virginia, where she led the team in blocks and hitting percentage. Coach Milla is a high energy coach who works with her players on having a growth mindset so that they can take their skills to the next level!

Coach Chris is a lifelong Tarheel who graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1996 after having played middle blocker on the UNC men's club volleyball team for two years. He has coached at East Chapel Hill High School (five years Varsity assistant), Durham Academy (two years JV coach), NCSU Women's Club team for a year, St. Mary's High School (three years Varsity head coach), and most recently two years as the assistant at Panther Creek High School. He also has seven years of high school basketball coaching experience. Coach Chris has 30 years of playing experience at various indoor and outdoor leagues in the area. As a now retired school administrator and school counselor, he is looking forward to continuing his coaching and support for club volleyball at Academy. 

Coach Sequoyah grew up in Charlottesville, VA where she played for Western Albemarle High School all 4 years. She also played club for CAVC for 3 years and at Club V for a year as a Setter/Right-Side. Sequoyah then went on to play at Randolph College for a year while studying Elementary Education and Psychology. She recently moved to NC and is currently taking online classes. This is her first year coaching club with Academy and is excited for the upcoming season.

Coach Sumner is from Seaford Virginia where she played soccer, basketball and volleyball in highschool. Holds the 7th spot in VHSL history for most kills in a match (38). Played club volleyball for coastal VB in Virginia and won gold at Capitol Hill Classic in NC and was awarded MVP in 2014. Played Division 1 volleyball at NCCU 2015-16 and transferred to Hampton University (D1)  to finish her college career. Was a 6 rotation OH hitter. In 2019 was awarded State farms player of the game and was the captain from 2017-2020. Has been an assistant and head coach at Coastal Hampton roads VB club from 2018-2024. After college, Coach Sumner became the Assistant coach for the mens and womens volleyball program at Virginia Wesleyan University from 2022-24.