Clinic/Floater Coaches
VA Elite Floater/Clinic Coaches
Bob Bell
Bob Bell is a passionate volleyball fan, player, instructor, coach and father. He founded and has served as Commissioner of Vienna Youth Volleyball (VYV), since 2008. VYV currently has 300 girl and boy participants (emphasis on 4th through 8th grade-levels) in introductory and intermediate volleyball programs that are run in the spirit of USA Volleyball's grassroots initiatives. Bob is entering his fourth year of coaching, third year for a USA Volleyball club, and is IMPACT certified and CAP1 trained. He brings (too) many years of volleyball experience playing competitively and socially at Inter-Collegiate Club, USAV Mens A, Co-Ed and sand/grass doubles. His passion for the sport is fulfilled when he works with the younger players in teaching proper techniques and spreading the love of the game. His goal is to never be the last volleyball coach for any player - and his hope is that all his players progress to their next level of play (with an even better coach on an even better team).
Paul Bernett
Coach Bernett is entering his fourth year of coaching for Virginia Elite all at the 14’s level. He brings five years of volleyball experience playing at Mens A, Co-Ed and doubles. He has a passion for the sport and enjoys working with the younger girls focusing on proper technique and knowing the game. Preparing the girls for their high school careers is one of his goals and over the last three years all of the Virginia Elite 14’s girls have made their high school teams with the majority of them making varsity as a freshman.
As a parent of four children including a daughter who plays club volleyball, Paul brings that experience to his coaching. It enables him to better understand the concerns of the girls and parents involved in club volleyball.
Sara Brenner
Sara Brenner joined the VA Elite coaching staff in 2009 as an assistant 13s coach, having coached the previous year for an NVVA 12s team. She is CAP I-certified, and she brings her players more than 30 years of experience at the Division I, USAV open, and pro beach doubles level.
In college, Sara played Division I for Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Since then, she has played on USAV teams for more than 20 years, competing in 14 national indoor tournaments. Her top finishes include 4th place in the Women’s Open Division at the 1994 USAV Nationals, and 2nd place in the Women’s 40s Division at the 2000 USAV Nationals, where she was a First Team All-Tourney Selection. More recently, Sara played for and served as Vice President of the Washington DC Pro Women’s Volleyball Tour (2004).
Outdoors, Sara has played both sand and grass doubles tournaments for more than 20 years throughout the US and Canada. She has won national championships in both sand and grass, including the 1989 National Sand Open Championship in California, the FOVA National Sand Open Championship (1990), the FOVA National Grass Open Championship (1992), the Bud Light National Sand Championship (1993), and – most recently – the USAV Sand Open National Championship (2000).
Sara is married with two children, and lives in McLean, Virginia. She enjoys tennis, competing in the U.S. Tennis Association on a number of 4.5 women’s and 9.0 mixed teams.
Bill Bush
Bill began playing volleyball as a junior in high school intramurals, back in Gainesville, Florida. His playing days included Open level play for Washington Volleyball club (indoor) and the EVA (and other) outdoor tour events and other tournaments (at just about every beach that ever hosted a tournament) up and down the east coast. He counts his greatest “win” as meeting his wife of 18 years, Nancy (who played for Penn State).
Bill’s passion for volleyball led him to co-founding the first competitive youth volleyball program in Northern Virginia over 22 years ago. Some of our own Virginia Elite coaches were players in that program and one coach went on to become a three-time assistant coach for the USA Men’s National team.
Since getting married and having three boys, Bill decided to partner with his school’s PTA to start an innovative volleyball program for younger kids. He was told it wouldn’t work. But, it does work… the program is free and boasts weekly attendance of almost 60 young athletes. Over 300 kids have participated in this program since it began. Bill hopes to provide the younger kids a fun way to learn and love the game. So far, so good.
Bill joined Virginia Elite in 2010 as a clinic coach and he is CAP II certified. He has coached 18s, 16s and 14s teams in his past but mostly works as a clinician and float coach. His favorite part of teaching is that moment when someone finally starts to “get it” while learning a new skill.
John Farrell
Coach Farrell is entering his second season coaching for VA Elite, has nearly 30 years of volleyball experience as a player and a coach and has coached Juniors from 8 on up to 18's. Previous experience includes 7 years coaching club volleyball in Northern Virginia, two years with Trinity Christian School’s program in Fairfax and for the past three seasons John has been coaching at South Lakes High School in Reston. John is USAV IMPACT, CAP I and Gold Medal Squared certified.
John was introduced to volleyball after graduating from Virginia Tech in 1981 and maintains his playing skills in several local adult leagues as a setter and outside hitter and has been the director of a Washington DC outdoor adult summer league since 1986. When not playing or coaching, John works as an engineer in the construction industry and lives with his wife and three daughters in Oak Hill, VA.
Kelley Kaplan
Kelley has been with Virginia Elite since the summer of 2009. Originally from Northridge, California, she started playing for Santa Monica Beach Club (SMBC) in 2001 and graduated from Granada Hills Charter High School in 2004 - where she finished her career as City Player of the Year and All-CIF - before moving cross country to play for The College of William & Mary.
Upon graduating in 2008, Kelley moved to the DC area where she works for a litigation consulting firm. When not in the office or coaching, Kelley enjoys playing floor hockey and volunteering with a local animal rescue organization.
Mike Laker
Mike has had an extensive career playing volleyball throughout the US. He started by playing club ball at Purdue University as a Junior and Senior. He moved to Southern California and his love for the game continued to grow. He learned to play in virtually every format available, doubles, thirty toes, 6’s, co-ed 6’s, reverse co-ed doubles, etc. He played at the A and AA level in most disciplines. When his two daughters decided to pursue volleyball as their sport of choice, his desire to be a part of the game here in VA grew. He joined the VA Elite staff in mid-2010 to pursue coaching experience and to develop under some of the area’s best coaches. Mike is Impact and CAP I certified and is attending the Gold Medal Squared Level 1 training in mid-December. Primarily a clinic and skills development coach at this time, Mike hopes to have the opportunity in the near future to be a team coach.
Pete Mathis
Pete Mathis started playing volleyball in upstate NY. He played all though out high school and for Pace Bootlegger a Rochester based club travel team. He continued to play volleyball in college. The first two years he played for Kent State University in Ohio. Then he studied in Bedford, England for a year and played at DeMontfort University. Upon graduating from college he started teaching and coaching a JV team in Fairfax County Public Schools. Since then he has become CAP 1 certified, working on his CAP 2 certification and is also Gold Medal Square certified. He has been coaching for 3 years now and has previously coached a 16’s and 18’s club travel team. When he is not coaching or attending graduate school Pete enjoys running, biking and hiking. He is looking forward to spreading his knowledge to VA Elite players and coaches.
Cindy McBride
Cindy McBride joined the VA Elite coaching staff in 2009 and has served as an assistant coach for the 13’s Blue Team and clinic coach for the past two seasons. She brings a lifelong passion for the sport with over 20 years of playing and coaching experience spanning the NCAA Division 1, USA Jr. National Team, USAV open and semi-pro levels. Cindy is USAV IMPACT and CAP 1 certified.
Cindy ‘s college experience was with the University of Pittsburgh. As a scholarship athlete she was co-captain for three or her four years and led the Pitt women to two Eastern Regional Championships and three National Championship appearances. She trained with the USA East team in New York, competed in the Olympic Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, and trained with the USA Junior National Team at the Olympic Development Center. Cindy competed on multiple USAV teams based out of Pittsburgh, New York City, Philadelphia, Arizona and Chicago, all of whom competed in national championships.
Cindy first started coaching while at Pitt graduate school as an assistant coach. She also spent a year at New Mexico State University as assistant coach & recruiting coordinator. She has coached at various camps and clinics around the country. Cindy started coaching again when her daughter became interested in the game and enjoys being a part of the VA Elite program!
Cindy lives in Reston, VA with her husband and two children.
Joe Murach
Joe started playing volleyball at age 10. He was a member of the 1979 Empire State Games New York City region Boy's Division representing hte Borough of Brooklyn. he was Captain of his High School Volleyball team which won the New York City Boy's Volleyball Championship and selected in 1987 to Xaveran high School's Hall of Fame. Joe was commissioned an officer in the Navy and has played on numerous military base/regional championship teams as well as many club teams in Massachusettes, Rhode Island, Virginia, South Carolina, and California. he was Assistant Coach for Providence High School Girl's Varsity team in Rhode Island, Assistant Coach for Virginia Elite 14's during its inaugural year, Head Coach for Robinson High School Boy's Volleyball club, and currently is a Floater Coach for various VA Elite teams. Joe starts his 7th year with VA Elite and is IMPACT and CAP I certified.
Steve O'Leary
Steve has been active in volleyball now for over 30 years as an avid player, coach, mentor, and proponent of our lifetime sport. One of the early organizers of volleyball in Northern Virginia, he was integral in supporting the set up of the Reston and Fairfax County amateur leagues along with forging alliances to push for the creation of many of the areas outdoor public courts. He’s coached women’s USAV teams and has continued to play competitively in local and regional leagues, a dedicated sand player, he plays outdoors year round.
IMPACT and CAP I certified, Steve joined VA Elite’s coaching cadre as a clinic/floater coach in 2010. His patient teaching style has been very valuable in helping us get the athletes’ skills in our Middle School & High School programs to the next level. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in Physical Education with a minor in Business Management from George Mason University. His daughter is a graduate student working on her thesis in the Non-Fiction Creative Writing Fine Arts program at GMU.
John Park
John Park (USA Volleyball CAP I & II and IMPACT Certified) first began playing competitive volleyball while in high school when he discovered the excitement of volleyball, a sport requiring the perfect combination of power, agility and finesse. He was particularly awed by the art of spiking, one of the most dynamic, athletic skill in all of sports. He continued to play at the collegiate level, and during college and graduate school, he was a volleyball fanatic and participated in numerous indoor and outdoor tournaments up and down the East Coast! Now as a devoted husband and father of two daughters, he continues to share his enthusiasm and love of volleyball by coaching. John is currently the head coach for the JV Volleyball team at The Madeira School in McLean, VA. Last year, he was also the head coach of the Vienna Elite 14s Club team. This year starting in November, he will be the head coach of the Vienna Elite 13s Club team for the 2011-2012 season. He also helps to support and coach for the Vienna Youth Volleyball elementary division. He enjoys working primarily with middle school age players who are driven, eager to learn and wish to advance their volleyball skills to higher levels. He believes it is critical to teach the new and young players the proper skills and establish a solid foundation for future growth.
Betsy Schroeder
Betsy is starting her second year with Virginia Elite. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, she played for numerous clubs including MidAmerica Volleyball Association (MAVA), Derby City, and Louisville Thunder. She graduated from Ballard High School in 2003 and went on to play for two more years as a right-side hitter at Fordham University in New York City.
Upon graduating, Betsy returned to Louisville to coach Ballard High School’s freshman and JV teams, as well as assist on varsity.. She also served some coaching time with MidAmerica’s clinics and camps. Betsy looks forward to learning the volleyball world of northern Virginia and the Chesapeake region.
Betsy Scudder
Betsy caught the coaching bug in 2001 when she started volunteering with her oldest daughter’s 6th grade Loudoun Youth Volleyball team. After having fallen in love with the sport as a middle schooler herself, and continuing to play in high school, Div. III college, and USVBA/USAV as an adult, she jumped at the opportunity to share her love with her own daughters. She has continued coaching in various capacities ever since, racking up 6 seasons as an LYV coach including the Select level, 6 seasons assistant coaching for area club juniors teams, three seasons as Broad Run High School’s Junior Varsity Head Coach (2005-2007), and one as the Varsity Head Coach at Broad Run (2010). She joined Virginia Elite in the 2006-07 season as an assistant for the 14’s team, and has assisted at the 13s and 12s levels as well. Betsy is USAV CAP-I and IMPACT certified.
Betsy is a physical therapist with Loudoun County Public Schools, working with special needs children. Prior to this she worked in outpatient orthopedic and sports physical therapy clinics, with advanced certification in spinal pain rehabilitation and special interest in volleyball injury prevention. She is an August 2010 graduate of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the Medical College of Virginia at VCU. As "Dr. Scudder", she has served as the Movement and Conditioning Coordinator for the club.
Betsy lives in Ashburn with her husband and three daughters, one of whom is a VA Elite alumnus and is now playing NCAA Div. I Ivy League volleyball at Dartmouth College in NH. When she's not coaching or watching her daughters play volleyball, she enjoys running, yoga, Pilates...oh, and kicking back and relaxing whenever she has the opportunity.
Kacy Sellers
Kacy is entering her fourth year with Virginia Elite. She has previously worked as an assistant with the 14s and 15s age groups. This year Kacy will mainly be working the fall clinics and Middle School Program. Kacy finished her playing career at Villanova University in Philadelphia in 2008 where she left behind many single season and career records. In her senior year Kacy helped her team to an overall 3rd place finish in the Big East Conference and earned First Team All-Big East Conference honors.
Kacy's coaching experience outside of VA Elite includes being Head Coach for the 15s Team with the Philadelphia Volleyball Academy, coaching numerous camps in the Philadelphia area, and helping with her former High School team. When she is not coaching Kacy continues to play competitive volleyball in women's and co-ed leagues.
Julie Young-Sturans
julie.youngsturans@vaelite.com
Julie is joining the coaching staff of VA Elite this year with over 25 years experience with youth and women’s volleyball, as both a player and coach. Julie began her volleyball career in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she became an early (14-year old) recruit for the Canadian Junior National Team. Upon graduating from high school, following 6 years of middle, high school, club, and Canadian Junior team volleyball, Julie joined the Canadian Olympic Team where she competed internationally for 4 years. Following her stint with the Canadian team, Julie returned to college full time at Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo, MI, to play under Rob Buck, where she served as the team captain for 2 of her 3 years. At Western Michigan University Julie earned Mid-America Conference (MAC) honors each of her 3 years, earned Academic All American honors in her final 2 years, as well as Woman of the Year Honors for Western Michigan University in her senior year as a Bronco.
