EXECUTIVE STAFF
Jim Ross
Shannon Kussman
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JIM ROSS - CLUB PARTNER / COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Jim enters his 9th year with Xceleration and his 2nd as a Club Partner, along with 18Blue coaches Andy Schroeder and Jeremy Swann. He began his involvement with Xceleration as a volleyball parent during his daughters’ participation in club volleyball. His initial role was the establishment of the club’s College Development Program that helps athletes navigate through the often-daunting world of college athletic recruiting. That program currently has over 400 coaches and programs in its database and is nationally recognized for its role. He picked up the additional role of Xceleration’s Club Director in 2009 to handle the day-to-day operations of the club that included planning, administration, and managing the teams and coaching staff. During that time Xceleration doubled in size from 6 to 12 teams. He handed off that role last season to current director, Shannon Kussman. SHANNON KUSSMAN - CLUB DIRECTOR Shannon returns to Xceleration as the Club Director responsible for all operational activities and needs, including management of the support and coaching staff, finance, and detailed tournament, practice, and travel planning. Prior to this, Shannon coached for Xceleration for three years, and coached at her alma mater Miramonte HS in Orinda for four years. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2006 with a degree in Communications. Shannon is extremely excited to be back with Xceleration! |
COACHING STAFF
Much of what makes up our club is the result of our tremendous coaching staff. Our coaches are skilled volleyball players and coaches who are trained by the Xceleration staff in the methods that we want them to develop in our players. In addition, we make sure to only employ coaches that are being good role models on and off the court. We have very high standards for our staff that ensures that your daughters are being taught good life lessons both in and out of competition.
There is more to being a good coach than just an extensive knowledge of the game – you also have to be able to teach the girls how to effectively identify and work towards goals. We make sure to have coaches that not only preach it, they live their own lives by it.
There is more to being a good coach than just an extensive knowledge of the game – you also have to be able to teach the girls how to effectively identify and work towards goals. We make sure to have coaches that not only preach it, they live their own lives by it.
Andy Schroeder
Jeremy Swann
Paul Harrison
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ANDY SCHROEDER - CLUB PARTNER / COACHING DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR / CO-HEAD COACH 18BLUE
Andy is entering his 11th year with Xceleration and 14th year as a club volleyball Head Coach. Prior to joining Xceleration, Andy spent four seasons coaching at Odyssey VBC and NorCal. As a player, Andy played D-1 volleyball for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He was an AA-ranked beach volleyball player and, in 2007 was voted into the Seaside Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. In 2015, Andy was named a finalist for the PrepVolleyball.com National Club Coach of the Year. JEREMY SWANN - CLUB PARTNER / CO-HEAD COACH 18BLUE Jeremy returns for his 10th season at Xceleration and is entering his 14th season of coaching junior girls’ volleyball. Jeremy will also serve as head coach of the 12Blue team this season with Gayle Swann. Pror to joining Xceleration, Jeremy spent two seasons at Odyssey VBC. Jeremy was the Head Coach at Monte Vista HS in Danville for two seasons and led his teams to North Coast Section (NCS) appearances each season. Jeremy played volleyball at St. Mary's College in Moraga and soccer at Cal State East Bay in Hayward. Andy and Jeremy have been coaching together for more than 10 years. In the last eight years, they have been coaching Xceleration’s 18Blue teams and their teams have consistently qualified for the USA Volleyball (USAV) Junior National Championships, with three teams finishing in the Top 5 in 2010, 2012, and 2013. Over the same time period, more than 110 of their former players have gone on to play collegiately, including 42 former Xceleration athletes who are currently on college volleyball rosters. PAUL HARRISON – CO-COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR / PRACTICE COACH Paul returns to the coaching corps with the 18Blue after his involvement with Xceleration’s CD Program since 2009, where he prides in the joy of seeing Xceleration players reach their potential and achieve tremendous success throughout the years. His current duties with Xceleration are ways for Paul to give back to the club that has helped shape the lives of many young volleyball athletes, including his own. |
Leslie Ray
Lindsey Ray
Jade Sanford
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LESLIE RAY – HEAD COACH 17BLUE
Leslie returns to Xceleration for her 5th season with the Club. Leslie is also in her 5th season as an assistant coach at Cal State East Bay (CSUEB). Leslie was a starting libero at CSUEB for two seasons before graduating with a degree in Child Development. Prior to CSUEB, she attended Golden West JC and prepped at Long Beach Poly HS, where she was a high school All-American. Leslie played six seasons of club volleyball with the prestigious Mizuno Long Beach VBC. A fierce competitor on the court, Leslie brings a love of the game to her coaching. She is an excellent student of the game and is able to convey both the skill and passion to her players. LINDSEY RAY – ASSOCIATE COACH 17BLUE Lindsey is back for her 5th season. Lindsey is currently playing for the CSUEB volleyball team after completing a celebrated high school career in Southern California at powerhouse Long Beach Poly. She capped her prep career in 2012 by being named “Long Beach Century Club Player of the Year” and “Long Beach Press Telegram All-Area Player of the Year” for leading Poly into the 3rd Round of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships. An exceptional talent, she is looking forward to teaching volleyball and working with Xceleration’s players in a sport she loves and is passionate about. JADE SANFORD – ASSOCIATE COACH 17BLUE Jade joins Xceleration for her 4th season with the club – all four seasons coaching with Leslie and Lindsey. Jade prepped at Skyline HS in Dallas, TX, where she was recruited by and attended South Carolina State University (SCSU). She earned Radford Conference All-Tournament honors in her first season at SCSU. Jade transferred to Cal State East Bay for her sophomore season, where she finished her career. She was a team captain and starting middle blocker her senior season. Jade is currently finishing her Masters degree in Sports Management from Texas A&M-College Station’s distance program. |
Daniel Pak
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DANIEL PAK – CO-HEAD COACH 16BLUE
Daniel joins Xceleration for his 4th season. As a volleyball standout for De Anza HS in El Sobrante, Daniel was an All-League performer for four years, leading the Dons to their first NCS appearance along the way. Daniel returned to De Anza as the Head Volleyball Coach in 2010 and his arrival signaled an immediate turnaround for the program. Daniel also previously coached as an assistant for the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team at Las Lomas HS in Walnut Creek. Still an avid NCVA Men’s Gold Division player, Daniel is excited continue with Xceleration’s program and impart his love and knowledge of the game to his players. TBD – CO-HEAD COACH 16WHITE Coming soon! |
Stephany Vanhorn
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STEPHANY VANHORN – HEAD COACH 16WHITE
Stephany is in her 2nd year of coaching at Xceleration. Stephany has been around the volleyball community for over 15 years, both as a player and as a coach. She was a four-year varsity letterman in high school at St. Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda where she earned 1st Team All-League honors. Stephany also played club volleyball for eight years at Club Kalani before attending Cal State East Bay (CSUEB). There she played for the Pioneers during her freshmen year as an Outside Hitter, a position that she has played in her entire volleyball career. Stephany is continuing to pursue an Accounting degree at CSUEB, while also serving as an assistant coach for an 8th grade AAU team. Stephany is still actively playing volleyball for adult leagues and she looks forward to keeping busy this season, teaching and coaching at Xceleration. TBD – ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH 16WHITE Coming soon! |
Lucas Abbott
Jade Santos
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LUCAS ABBOTT – HEAD COACH 15BLUE
Lucas returns for his 7th season with Xceleration and has coached or played volleyball for over 20 years. Lucas was a middle blocker and All-League performer at Las Lomas HS in Walnut Creek before heading off to play at Humboldt State University. While at Humboldt, he was the team’s starting middle blocker for four seasons and team captain his last two seasons, while leading the squad to Nationals twice. His playing career continued until 2013, culminating with a season playing professionally with the PVL/NCVA’s NorCal Premier. Lucas is currently Girls’ Varsity Head Coach at Berean Christian HS in Walnut Creek. Prior to Berean Christian HS, Lucas was the JV Head Coach at Acalanes HS in Lafayette and at Miramonte HS in Orinda. He has also served as the assistant coach for the PVL/NCVA Men’s NorCal Premier in previous seasons. Away from volleyball, Lucas has dedicated his career to youth development, which he incorporates into his coaching. He is the program director for a youth outreach program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, called Boost@BerkeleyHaas. JADE SANTOS – ASSOCIATE COACH 15BLUE Jade returns to Xceleration for her 3rd season. Jade played for the club’s 18Blue team in 2012, when the team qualified for the USAV Junior Nationals and placed 5th in the country. Prior to joining Xceleration, Jade played five years of competitive volleyball for Endline VBC. She excelled at the Opposite and Defensive Specialist (DS) positions at Moreau HS in Hayward, earning 1st Team All-League honors from the Mission Valley Athletic Conference in her junior and senior seasons. Jade was named Moreau’s MVP and team captain in her senior year and was consistently on the Honor Roll. Jade was recruited from Xceleration to play DS at Dominican University of California in San Rafael before transferring to Orange, CA to set for Chapman University in 2014. Jade is a versatile athlete as she completed her collegiate career as the starting libero for the Panthers, leading the team in digs. Jade received a degree in Psychology from Chapman University in 2015. |
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TBD – HEAD COACH 15WHITE
Coming soon! TBD – ASSOCIATE COACH 15WHITE Coming soon! |
Mariah Christensen
Kayla Coleman
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MARIAH CHRISTENSEN – CO-HEAD COACH 14BLUE
Christensen returns for her 7th season as a coach in the program and her 2nd as the head coach for the 14Blue. She previously assisted with the 14White, 15Blue, 16White, and 16Blue programs before becoming the Head Coach at 17Blue two seasons ago. After being the setter on the 2009 Xceleration 18Blue team that qualified for Junior Nationals in Miami, Mariah was recruited to play at Holy Names University. She was their starting setter for all four seasons and was an All-League selection in the PacWest conference her junior and senior seasons. Mariah is the all-time career leader in assists at Holy Names. Mariah attended Rodriquez HS in Fairfield, CA where she was an All-League selection and led her team to the San Joaquin Section playoffs in each season at the Varsity level. Mariah’s favorite inspirational quote is, “Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.” KAYLA COLEMAN – ASSOCIATE COACH 14BLUE Kayla returns for her 8th season with Xceleration, having assisted with the 15Blue, 17White, and 13White teams during the past seven seasons. Kayla graduated from HNU where she was the starting libero for the volleyball team for three seasons. During her career at HNU, Kayla made the All-Conference team twice and was selected Libero of the Year in her senior season. The Turlock native was her league MVP for two years in high school. Kayla received her professional doctorate degree in pharmacy and is a registered pharmacist for Coram Healthcare. |
Natasha Gayle
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NATASHA GAYLE – HEAD COACH 14WHITE
Natasha returns for her 9th year with Xceleration after having previously coached at the 14s, 15s, and 18s levels. This will be her 4th straight season leading the 14White team. As a player, Natasha prepped at Holy Names HS in Oakland, where she was an all-league performer her last two seasons. She played club volleyball for Golden Bear, East Bay Connections, and City Beach. Her City Beach team won the Volleyball Festival in two of her years with the club. She went on to attend the University of Oregon, where she was a member of their nationally ranked club volleyball team. In her free time, Natasha spends time with family, reads, and is a HUGE Oregon Ducks fan. Her volleyball philosophy is to teach and work her players hard in skill development in a fun and healthy environment. TBD – ASSOCIATE COACH 14WHITE Coming soon! |
Jade Sanford
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JADE SANFORD – HEAD COACH 13BLUE
Jade joins Xceleration for her 4th season with the club and first as the head coach of the 13Blue. Jade prepped at Skyline HS in Dallas, TX, where she was recruited by and attended South Carolina State University (SCSU). She earned Radford Conference All-Tournament honors in her first season at SCSU. Jade transferred to Cal State East Bay for her sophomore season, where she finished her career. She was a team captain and starting middle blocker her senior season. Jade is currently finishing her Masters degree in Sports Management from Texas A&M-College Station’s distance program. TBD – ASSOCIATE COACH 13BLUE Coming soon! |
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LAUREN JONES – HEAD COACH 13WHITE
Lauren enters her 2nd season with Xceleration to lead the 13White, after coaching the 16Blue last season and after coaching the Vilseck HS in Bavaria, Germany, for two years. Prior to that she had over five years of experience coaching 14s-18s-level club teams for Joplin Extreme Juniors, South Central Spikers, and Ozark Juniors in Missouri. Travel volleyball also took Lauren overseas where she found herself coaching many elite volleyball camps the past seven years in Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and the U.S. The Salem, MO native was a three-time 1st Team All-State, four-time 1st Team All-Region, and four-time 1st Team All-Conference recipient while in high school. Lauren continued her career playing club for Springfield Juniors and training under 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Lori Endicott. Lauren was recruited as a setter for Missouri Southern State University, and she later finished her collegiate career as an outside hitter for the Lions where her team finished 17th in the NCAA Tournament in her senior year. Lauren graduated Summa Cum Laude from Missouri Southern and was named as the Outstanding Graduate. Lauren continued her volleyball career playing five years internationally for Grafenwöhr Regionalliga Süd. She finished her last international career with a 32-6 record and was honored with the Bestern Spieler Regionalliga Award for the 2015/2016 season. Lauren also played in the AAA European Armed Forces Europe Women’s Tournament in 2010, 2011, and 2015, earning several tournament MVP awards. Lauren says, “Volleyball has been a true friend of mine. The sport has given much more back to me than I ever expected or probably deserve. I coach because I was lucky enough to cross paths with influential coaches who made me the successful player I am today and I want to return the knowledge back to this next generation of athletes.” LINDSEY PARROTT– ASSOCIATE COACH 13WHITE Lindsey enters her 2nd season with Xceleration after completing a year of coaching the Xcel 16Blue, the 16-1 team at Club Kalani, two years of leading the JV volleyball team at Realm Charter HS in Berkeley, and coaching many volleyball camps the past four summers. The Oakland, CA native also played for Golden Bear Volleyball Club and was a teammate of former Xceleration athletes at Bishop O’Dowd HS – Lacey Maas, Megan Kehoe, Molly Kennedy, and Mary Orbeta. The Dragons completed an undefeated league record in each of Lindsey’s four-year varsity career at O’Dowd. Lindsey was recruited to play for Cal as a setter, and she later finished her collegiate career as an outside hitter for the Bears. Lindsey went on to earn a BA in History at UC Berkeley, and is currently attending Mills College in Oakland to earn a teaching credential and an MA in Education to become a teacher in the East Bay. Lindsey said, “I love teaching, coaching, and being part of a team so I am very excited to work with Xceleration." |
Jeremy Swann
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JEREMY SWANN – CO-HEAD COACH 12BLUE
Jeremy returns for his 10th season at Xceleration and is entering his 14th season of coaching junior girls’ volleyball. For the last nine seasons, Jeremy served as co-head coach of Xceleration’s 18Blue teams that have consistently earned bids to the annual USAV Junior National Championships. He will continue to lead the 18Blue with co-head coach Andy Schroeder in 2017-2018. Prior to Xceleration, Jeremy was the Head Coach at Monte Vista High School for two seasons and led his teams to North Coast Section (NCS) appearances each season. Jeremy played volleyball at St. Mary’s College in Moraga and soccer at Cal State Hayward. GAYLE SWANN – CO-HEAD COACH 12BLUE Gayle is a Bay Area native that played basketball and ran track at then Cal State Hayward. She worked as an athletic trainer and a teacher in sports medicine at Cal High in San Ramon for 10+ years. Gayle also served two years as Assistant Coach of Cal High’s varsity boys’ volleyball program and two years as Assistant Coach for Monte Vista High School’s varsity girls’ volleyball program in Danville. Last year, Gayle ran Xceleration’s first-ever Winter Workout and she has assisted with the program’s Beginner’s Club for girls 12-and-under. |
Michelle Boydstun
Melinda Lau
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MICHELLE BOYDSTUN – BEACH VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH/BEACH DIRECTOR
Michelle Boydstun leads Xceleration’s Beach Volleyball program as Beach Director and Head Coach. She was a setter at UC Davis and was ranked in the Top 10 CA Beach Volleyball players from 2009-2012. She earned her first AAA playing her first ever event in Santa Cruz. Beach volleyball has allowed her to travel around the world, including last year when she played in Columbia, South America. Michelle is a Certified Elite Personal Trainer, NASM Pilates Reformer and Mat Certified. She earned a B.S. in Exercise Physiology (with a Minor in Nutrition) at UC Davis. MELINDA LAU – BEACH VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH Melinda joins Xceleration as an associate coach to the club’s beach program. She brings with her many years of indoor and outdoor experience. She has competed on the indoor college level at Cal State-Hayward (now CSU-East Bay), as well as in outdoor (grass and sand) doubles volleyball tournaments. Melinda has assisted in coaching other club volleyball programs. She has played on NCVA teams as well as assisted in tournaments for club teams. Melinda hopes to bring a love of playing sand volleyball to Xceleration's beach program. |
ADVISORY STAFF
Paul Harrison
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RUTH LAWANSON – CLUB COACHING TECHNICAL ADVISOR/LESSSONS COACH
As the Club Coaching Technical Advisor, as well as a lessons and clinics coach during the season, Ruth's meets with club management on skill technique and implementation procedures, assists with the design and implementation of club wide practice plans, and assists with the running a series of “Coaches Training Clinics” for all Xceleration coaches prior to the start of the season. Ruth will also attend practices for ALL teams to assure practice plans and techniques are being followed. Ruth Lawanson has been involved with volleyball for over 35 years as a player, coach and clinician. She has coached at University of Nevada, US Air Force Academy, Fresno State, Angelo State and Purdue University. In her career, she has helped coached 25 all-conference players, one all-region selection and an American Volleyball Coaches Association honorable-mention All-American. She has also helped mentor 90 academic all-conference student-athletes. A setter and hitter during her career she was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team that won the bronze medal in Barcelona. She spent four seasons with the U.S. National Team, playing on the 1991 World Cup squad that earned a bronze medal in Japan and the 1990 World Championships team that won a bronze medal in China. She was also honored with the national team's 1991 Judy Bellomo Players Award and won a gold medal with the 1992 U.S. Olympic Festival West Region team. Read more. KYLE MASTERSON – PRACTICE COACH
Kyle serves as a floating team coach for Xceleration, where he assists with multiple teams and provide lessons and clinics throughout the season. He also leads position-specific work with players, as needed. Prior to joining Xceleration and the St. Mary’s coaching staffs, Masterson was Club Director and 18s Boys and 16s Girls Head Coach at Adversity VBC in Chicago – both teams qualified for OPEN for Junior Nationals. He played club at Adversity until 2003 when he graduated from Barrington High School in the northwest suburb of Chicago, where he ended his senior season with over 500 kills. He was named to Volleyball Magazine’s “Fab 50 List” in 2003 and received a scholarship to play for Penn State University where he helped the Nittany Lions win the NCAA championship in 2008. Read more. PAUL HARRISON – PRACTICE COACH / COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Paul is an Xceleration Volleyball Club veteran; first, as a parent of two daughters that had gone through the Xceleration program, followed by his stint as an assistant coach to Andy Schroeder and the 18 Blue for two years (making Junior Nationals appearances in Atlanta, GA in 2011 and Columbus, OH in 2012 where the team placed 5th), and finally in his current role as Practice Coach and one of the club’s two College Development (CD) Program directors. Paul has been involved with Xceleration’s CD Program since 2009, where he prides in the joy of seeing Xceleration players reach their potential and achieve tremendous success throughout the years. His current duties with Xceleration are ways for Paul to give back to the club that has helped shape the lives of many young volleyball athletes, including his own. |
