Feb. 26, 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is pleased to announce its inaugural Thirty Under 30 Awards. This award was created to honor thirty of the up-and-coming volleyball coaches under 30 years old in the sport at all levels of the game. Although anyone could make a nomination, the nominee had to be an AVCA member, and had to be younger than 30 years old in 2009. The list of winners was announced in the February/March edition of Coaching Volleyball.

"Reading the biographies, accomplishments and philosophies of this group of award winners gives me confidence about the future of our game," said Kathy DeBoer, AVCA Executive Director. "Our rising stars are diverse, hard-working and passionate about teaching - good news for volleyball."

Of the thirty recipients, head coach and assistant coach numbers were split 15-15. Ten are NCAA Division I women's coaches, five are NCAA Division II women's coaches, five are High School girls' coaches, four are women's coaches in NCAA Division III, three are from Two-Year Colleges, two coach Division I-II men, and there was one NAIA women's coach. Two of the recipients double-up as club coaches.

Inaugural Thirty Under 30 Award Recipients

Stephanie Moreno, Assistant Coach
University of San Diego, San Diego, CA (NCAA Division I)
 
Lindi Bankowski, Assistant Coach
Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN (NCAA Division I)
Brittany Baume, Assistant Coach
Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH (NCAA Division III)
Ben Boldt, Assistant Coach
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (NCAA Division I)
Ryan Campbell, Assistant Coach
Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI (NAIA)
Caitlin Faulk, Head Coach
Broward College, Fort Lauderdale, FL (NJCAA Division I)
Becky Fletcher, Head Coach
SUNYIT (Men & Women), Utica, NY (NCAA Division III)
Kyle Gamble, Assistant Coach
Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs, IA (NJCAA Division I)
Todd Garvey, Head Coach
Mercy Academy, Louisville, KY (High School)
Chris Gaskill, Assistant Coach
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (NCAA Division I)
Kelly Greapentrog, Head Coach
St. John Fisher College, Rochester, NY (NCAA Division III)
Emily Hawthorne, Head Coach
Zionsville High School, Zionsville, IN (High School)
Kristina Hernandez, Head Coach
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY (NCAA Division I)
Michael Johnson, Associate Head Coach
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA (NCAA Division I)
Gretchen Killebrew, Assistant Coach
Seattle University, Seattle, WA (NCAA Division I)
Matt Martin, Assistant Coach
Loyola University Chicago (Men), Chicago, IL (NCAA Division I-II)
Giovana Melo, Head Coach
Western Nebraska Community College, Scottsbluff, NE (NJCAA Division I)
Kelly Morrisroe, Assistant Coach
Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL (NCAA Division II)
George Mulry, Head Coach
Longmeadow High School, Longmeadow, MA (High School)
Vince Muscat, Head Coach
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist, Alan Park, MI (High School)
Coley Pawlikowski, Head Coach
North Park University, Chicago, IL (NCAA Division III)
Jessy Roy, Assistant Coach
Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL (NCAA Division II)
Lauren Sauer, Assistant Coach
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (NCAA Division I)
Jamie Skadeland, Head Coach
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (NCAA Division II)
Eric Snyder, Head Coach
Stonehill College, Easton, MA (NCAA Division II)
Holly Strauss-O'Brien, Head Coach
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (NCAA Division I)
John Titus, Head Coach
Parsippany H.S./Atlantic Valley VB Club, Parsippany/Westfield, NJ (High School/Club)
Christy Utnage, Assistant Coach
Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH (NCAA Division I)
J.T. Wenger, Assistant Coach
UCLA (Men) / Palisades Volleyball Club, Los Angeles, CA (NCAA Division I-II/Club)
Lettie Wilkes, Head Coach
          Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, NC (NCAA Division II)