LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is pleased to announce its Thirty Under 30 Awards. This award was created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport.  To qualify for the award nominees had to be 30 years old or younger in 2013. 

"If you love volleyball, it's hard not to smile when you look at this class of AVCA Thirty Under 30 award winners," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "Bright, dedicated, aspiring young coaches representing every facet of our sport – college, high school, club – coaching both male and female players. Each year selecting just 30 gets harder and harder and our excitement about our future grows stronger and stronger."    
    
Of the thirty recipients, 18 are head coaches and 12 are assistant coaches. 11 are NCAA Division I  coaches (one men's), four in Division II, three are NCAA Division III (two men's), four are in high school, three are in the NAIA and club and two are Two Year College coaches.

Thirty Under 30 Award Recipients

RJ Abella, Assistant Coach - Indoor + Sand
   University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (NCAA Division I)

Jenifer Bahner, Head Coach
   Cowley College, Arkansas City, KS (NJCAA Division II)

Amanda Berkley, Head Coach
   University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS (NCAA Division I)

Jenni Bolduc, Assistant Coach
   Miami University (OH), Oxford, OH (NCAA Division I)

Dani Busboom Kelly, Assistant Coach
   University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (NCAA Division I)

George Chapell, Head Coach - Men
   Endicott College, Beverly, MA (NCAA Division III)

Erika Chidester, Assistant Coach
   Long Beach State University, Long Beach, CA (NCAA Division I)

Jessica Cortese, Head Coach
   McDaniel College, Westminster, MD (NCAA Division III)

Julie Darty, Assistant Coach
   University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (NCAA Division I)

Jon Daze, Assistant Coach - Sand 
   Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA (NCAA Division I)

Brittany Dildine, Assistant Coach
   University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (NCAA Division I)

Meredith Fear, Head Coach
   Harding University, Searcy, AR (NCAA Division II)

Evin Giglio, Head Coach – Men + Women
   Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA (NCAA Division III)

Brett Gillen, Assistant Coach
   Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA (NAIA)

Julie Hopkins, Head Coach
   Marist High School, Chicago, IL (High School)

Anna Howle, Head Coach
   Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, OK (NAIA)

Mark Hulse, Assistant Coach - Men
   Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL (NCAA Division I)

Kaman Hung, Head Coach + Co-Director
   Radiant Suns Volleyball, Flemington, NJ (Club)

Elizabeth Manly, Head Coach
   Kings Park High School, Kings Park, NY (High School)  

Erin McClanahan, Head Coach
   Prosper High School, Prosper, TX (High School)

Stevie Mussie, Assistant Coach
   Penn State University, State College, PA (NCAA Division I)

Shellane Ogoshi, Head Coach
   Long Island University – CW Post College, Brookville, NY (NCAA Division II)

Jessica Peters, Head Coach
   Allen County Community College, Iola, KS (NJCAA Division II)

Patricia Plummer, Head Coach
    Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, CA (High School)

Ashlee Pritchard, Head Coach
   Marian University (IN), Indianapolis, IN (NAIA)

Lindsey Schlegel, Head Coach + Club Director
   VolleyFX Volleyball Club, Fairport, NY (Club)

Jonathan Scott, Assistant Coach
    Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA (NCAA Division II)    

Daniel Sempkowski, Head Coach
    Georgian Court University, Lakewood, NJ (NCAA Division II)

Kendra Wilson, Head Coach + Director of Operations
    NYC Juniors Club, New York, NY (Club)

Marie Zidek, Assistant Coach
    2013: University at Buffalo; 2014: University of San Diego (NCAA Division I)

                                                          

                                                                                        - AVCA –

About AVCA
The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to develop the sport of volleyball and its coaches. With a membership of over 6,000 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers. Further information is available atwww.avca.org.
 
David Portney
AVCA Manager of Media Relations & E-commerce
David.Portney@avca.org
859-219-3557