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NC Elite Executive Board
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Gary DeJames |
Program Director |
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Sandy Merkel -DeJames |
Administrative Director |
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John Dillinger |
Registrar |
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Scott Crisco |
Secretary |
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Dana Craig |
Treasurer/ Bookkeeper |
2009-10 Coaches and Team Assignments
(Tentative assignments. May
be subject to change)
Sandra
Merkel-DeJames -Administrative
Director/ Training Coach
smmerkel@earthlink.net
Sandy has been
involved with club volleyball in the Raleigh area for the past 6
seasons and has successfully lead all of her teams to qualify
for the Junior Olympic National Championships (2003, 2004, 2005,
2006 & 2007). Prior to moving to Raleigh, Sandy co-founded and
coached for Charlotte Elite Volleyball Club from 2000-2002. In
addition to her club volleyball coaching experience, Sandy has
coached numerous camps throughout Florida, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee and coached junior high school volleyball
in her hometown, Cincinnati OH.
Sandy was a 3 sport
varsity standout at UNC Charlotte. She was a two time
all-conference setter and MVP with the Women's Varsity
Volleyball Team, MVP of the Women’s Varsity Track Team (heptathalon,
4x1 and 4x4 relays), and helped the UNC Charlotte Women's
Varsity Soccer Team win the Conference USA Championship in
1995. Sandy holds a BA in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Biology
from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is
currently a Strategic Account Manager at Novozymes.
Gary DeJames
-Program Director
/
18-1 Head Coach
gndnc@earthlink.net
Gary was the head
coach of last year's NC Elite 18-1 JO National Bid Qualifying
team that finished T-11th (American Div.) at USA JO
Nationals in Miami, FL. Gary has coached club volleyball in the
Carolina Region for the past 11 years. In those eleven years he
coached his teams to 8 Carolina Region Championship victories,
competed in 9 Junior Olympic National Championships and once in
the USAV National Invitational. Gary was the head coach at Saint
Mary's School in Raleigh (3 seasons) and before that was the
head coach at Sanderson High School in Raleigh (3 seasons).
While at Sanderson, Gary coached his teams to one regular season
Championship, three Cap-6 Conference Tournament Championships,
finished tied for 5th in the 4A North Carolina State tournament
twice and was also named the Cap-6 Conference Coach of the Year
in 2003 (Sanderson). Before moving to the Carolinas, Gary
coached boys’ high school and JO volleyball in Buffalo New York.
Gary is a graduate of SUNY Buffalo where he finished with a B.S.
in Health and Wellness and a minor in Coaching. He also has
completed strength training certifications for NASM (National
Academy of Sports Medicine) and FIT (Fitness Institute of
Training). Currently Gary is a Territory Manager for Coram
Specialty Infusion Services.
Jamie Hall
18-1 Assistant Coach
jamie@damianhall.net
Jamie is a second year
coach with NC Elite. She brings 15 years of playing and coaching
experience. Most recently Jamie was the NC Elite 15-1 coach last
season and assistant coach at The Franciscan School in Raleigh.
Jamie graduated from Loyola College in Maryland, where she
completed both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education.
During her 4 years on the Division-I varsity team, she was a
Libero and selected as team captain for both her junior and
senior years. Her junior year she was named the team's MVP, and
that same year she was invited to, and attended, the U.S.A.
National Team try-out in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In high
school, Jamie was a 3 year varsity starter and played for both
the Fort Wayne Volleyball Club and the Connecticut Juniors.
During both her junior and senior years of high school she was
named Connecticut 1st Team All-State and 1st Team All-Conference
as an OH. She currently lives with her husband in Raleigh and is
the learning specialist at The Franciscan School in Raleigh.
Brian Allen 18-2 Head Coach
bvallen4@yahoo.com
Brian Allen has been involved in volleyball for the past 15+
years as both a player and a coach and is new to the Raleigh
area. He began his volleyball career at Manchester High
School located in Midlothian, VA where he was a two
time All-County and All-State performer. Brian attended
Long Island University (Southampton College) where he lead
his team to a Men's NCAA Division II National Championship
and an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Final
Four appearance where they eventually lost to Penn State
(1996-97). The following season Brian was recruited on
scholarship and transferred to George Mason University
(Men's Varsity Div I) where he primarily played as an
outside hitter. Brian finished his collegiate
volleyball career at George Mason in 2000 and
has since coached a few seasons with Richmond Volleyball
Club (RVC) at the Boy's 18 and Under level and most recently
was the varsity head coach at his old high school Manchester
(Midlothian, VA).
Angela
Coticchio
18-2 Asst. Coach
angelamarie41@hotmail.com
Angela has
coached club volleyball in the Raleigh area for the past 7
seasons and successfully qualified 3 of her teams to attend USA
JO Nationals. Angela has been the head coach for Athens Drive
High School since the 2003 and was named Coach of the Year in
2003 (TAAC), 2004 (TAAC) and 2005 (TRI-7). Prior to coaching at
Athens Drive, she was the Head Coach of the Northern Vance
Junior Varsity Volleyball Team. Angela has coached Club
Volleyball in the Carolina Region in both Vance County (Vance
County 15s) and the Raleigh area (Gladiators 16s). Angela's
playing experience includes High School Volleyball in Buffalo,
New York as well as Club Volleyball with the Cheetah Volleyball
Club. Angela is a graduate of SUNY Fredonia and holds a B.S. in
Mathematics and Secondary Education as well as a B.A. in
Psychology. She currently teaches A.P. Statistics at Athens
Drive High School in Cary.
Oguz
Degirmenci 17-1
Head Coach
degirmenci.oguz@gmail.com
Oguz is a CAP I certified coach
and has been coaching in the Raleigh area for the past 3
seasons. He brings over 20 years of volleyball experience
(eight years as a player in professional indoor leagues in
Turkey as a setter / right side hitter).
Oguz is still an active outdoor volleyball player who
has won many local sand and grass
tournaments. He also travels and competes
on professional tours like the
AVP, Toyota Pro Beach, EVP, EastEnd and Wide Open.
Stephanie (Barnes) Keller
17-1 Assistant Coach
slbarnes4@gmail.com
Stephanie
has been involved with club volleyball in the Raleigh area for
the past 3 seasons. She has worked with a variety of age groups
and has successfully aided as an assistant coach to qualify her
13's team to attend the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic National
Championships.
Stephanie
was a Second Team All Conference selection in high school and
has played competitively in the HIS Junior Olympic Volleyball
Club in Hickory, NC. She continues to play competitive outdoor
volleyball in the Raleigh area. Stephanie holds a BS in Computer
Engineering and Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State
University and is currently a exercising her degree in Systems
Test Engineering at a contract engineering firm in Raleigh, NC.
Scott Crisco
Club Secretary/
16-1 Co-Head Coach
scrisco@cisco.com
Scott Crisco has close to 20 years of volleyball experience both
coaching and playing and is entering into his third season
coaching with NC Elite . As a college coach Scott was the top
assistant at the University of South Alabama (Div-I, Sun Belt
Conference) from '96 - '00. During that time he also acted as
the recruiting coordinator. He has coached club volleyball in
Alabama and California with success both regionally and
nationally. As a player, Scott progressed from high school/club
volleyball in Southern California to junior college (Palomar
Junior College) and finally to San Diego State University. He
continues to compete in both USAV indoor and outdoor
competitions.
Megan Murphy- Pippit
16-1 Assistant Coach
mkmurphy1two@yahoo.com
Megan is in her fourth season as a club coach and most recently was
the assistant coach of NC Elite’s 17-1 team last season. Megan
graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville
where she played varsity volleyball as a defensive specialist/libero
and earned her degree in health care management. In her senior
year, Megan was selected as the Bulldog's team captain. Prior
to UNCA, Megan played volleyball at Watauga High School in
Boone, NC. She was a three year varsity starter and letter
winner. She also played for three seasons for the Appalachian
Avalanche Club team based out of Boone, NC. Currently Megan is
living in Durham, NC with her husband Chas Pippitt, and is
working at UNC Hospital (Chapel Hill, NC) in the marketing
department.
Jessica Chew
16-2 Co-Head Coach
jnchew@ncsu.edu
Jessica is entering her 4th season coaching juniors’ volleyball in
the Raleigh area and is currently the Junior Varsity coach at
Broughton High School. Jessica is originally from Orlando, Florida
where she attended Olympia High School. While at Olympia,
Jessica lettered on the varsity volleyball team all four
seasons, was team captain for 3 seasons, was team MVP twice, was
selected to the Orlando, FL All-Metro team her senior year and
even received National H.S. All-American honors. Jessica was
apart of Orlando Volleyball Academy (OVA) for 6 seasons and went on to play varsity volleyball her freshman
season at NC State University. Jessica is currently a
Senior at NCSU majoring in business management.
Michelle Vidrine
16-2 Co-Head Coach
vidrinejm@gmail.com
Michelle Virdine is a recent graduate of NC State University and
has coached club volleyball in the area for the past 3 seasons.
Michelle currently is the head coach of the NC State Women's
Club
Volleyball
Team and is also the varsity assistant coach at
Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, NC .
John Dillinger
Club Registrar/ 14-1
Head Coach
cet_ral1@bellsouth.net
John has over 25 years of volleyball experience both as a player
and as a coach. John is a graduate of the United States Military
Academy at West Point where he played varsity volleyball for
legendary coach Bob Bertucci. After West Point, John continued
playing Adult USVBA (Now USAV) and became involved with coaching
various junior camps/ clinics/ teams with former coach Bob
Bertucci. John is currently the Owner/ CEO of Keystone
Transport.
Emily Bolch
14-1 Assistant Coach
Eabolch2@ncsu.edu
Emily Bolch is currently a junior at NC State University
majoring in textile and fashion management. Emily has been
involved with volleyball for the past 7 years and a player and
most recently as a youth training coach. Emily played high
school volleyball at Sanderson in Raleigh, NC
where she earned Cap 6 All-Conference honors both her junior and
senior seasons.
Morgan White 14-2 Co-Head
Coach
whitemor@meredith.edu
Morgan White is
currently a senior Outside Hitter for the varsity volleyball
program at Meredith College and is also serving as team
captain. In her time at Meredith, Morgan was named offensive
player of the year in 2007 and 2008. She was also named
All-Conference honorable-mention in 2007 and named
All-Conference in 2008. Morgan plans on graduating this spring
with her degree in Exercise and Sport Science.
Emily Anderson
14-2 Co-Head
Coach
andersonemi@meredith.edu
Emily Anderson is
currently a sophomore Defensive Specialist for the varsity
volleyball program at Meredith College Majoring in political
science. Emily was a high school standout at Hoggard in
Wilmington , NC and has been involved coaching youth volleyball
for the past 2 seasons.
Cori Spade
14-2 Assistant Coach
spadecor@meredith.edu
Cori Spade
is
currently a freshman Middle Blocker for the varsity volleyball
program at Meredith College majoring in fashion Design. She is
a graduate of Athens Drive and while there earned Tri-7 All
Conference Honors 3 of her 4 seasons and was named her team's
MVP both her junior and senior seasons. Cori is also a charter
member and recent NC Elite Alumnae who received Carolina Region
Championships All Tournament Honors in both her sophomore and
senior seasons.
Fiona Barkley
Recruiting Coordinator
/ Training Coach
barkleyf@meredith.edu
Fiona Barkley is currently the head coach of the Meredith College
volleyball team and was the assistant coach for the NC Elite
18-1 team last season . Prior to her position at Meredith
College, Fiona was an assistant coach at N.C. State University
from 2004-2005. While at NC State Barkley trained defensive
systems and serving strategy. She also coordinated team travel,
support staff, special events, video scouting systems and
summer camps. Barkley’s coaching career also includes time as
assistant coach at Lynn University and recruiting coordinator at
her alma mater, Elon University. During her time at Elon, she
signed recruits who went on to earn team and conference honors.
She finished up her time at Elon in 2003 as interim head coach.
As a four-year collegiate letter winner at Elon University, Barkley
was named team captain and MVP. For her performance as an
outside hitter, she was named to Elon’s 1,000 Digs and 1,000
Kills Club. Barkley earned a Bachelor of Science in
leisure/sport management from Elon in 1999. Fiona currently is
a recruiter for The Greer Group, Inc., an employment recruiting
firm in Raleigh.
Catron (Blankinship) Horton
Floating Coach
catron.horton@salix.com
Catron (Blankinship)
Horton has played volleyball in the Raleigh area for the last
fifteen years and has coached for the last five years.. Catron,
a two-time H.S. MVP, was the starting setter for Cardinal
Gibbons’ 1999 team, which ranked #9 in the national Top 25 poll
by Volleyball Magazine. At Gibbons (99-00), she not only helped
the team achieve two undefeated seasons (winning conference and
state championships), but also broke several school records in
the process. Her #1 jersey has since been retired by
Cardinal Gibbons. After
high school Catron played club ball at
NC State University, twice
leading her club team to NIRSA Volleyball National
Championships. Catron still
continues to compete
in adult USAV and currently works for Salix Pharmaceuticals.
Micholene Schumacher
Administrative
Assistant / Floating Coach
micholene@charter.net
Micholene is an IMPACT and CAP
certified coach who began her volleyball career four years ago
by leading the Northern Middle School Volleyball Team to
back-to-back conference championships having only one loss
during her two year tenure. The past two seasons, Micholene has
spent time as head coach for the Person Rockets JV volleyball
team and assistant to the Varsity squad (2006 & 2007 4A
State Champions). She was also the assistant coach for the
Carolina Region's 18 Platinum Runner-Up team that earned a bid
to compete in the USAV JO National Championships. Micholene
volunteers as a head coach for the Person County Recreation Arts
and Parks youth volleyball league and has instructed their
summer volleyball programming for the past three years. She
also has worked as a program instructor for a local club’s Youth
Volleyball Program. In addition to coaching volleyball,
Micholene has coached basketball from recreation level through
middle school . Currently, Micholene is working for a restaurant
group based in Tampa, Florida
Jason Daniels
Floating Coach
jdstr8up4@aol.com
Jason is originally
from
Clearwater, FL and has over 10 years of volleyball experience as
a player and coach. Jason is CAP 1 certified and has coached in
the Carolina Region the past 4 seasons with Piedmont Triad
Volleyball Club and most recently with Set Point Volleyball
Club. Jason is an avid
outdoor volleyball player who
competes at the Open level in
many of the local sand and grass tournaments.
Owen Lin
Floating Coach
owenlin@hotmail.com
Owen is returning to NC Elite for his second season. He was the
head coach of NC Elite’s 17-1 team last season which competed in
the AAU National Championships. Owen has been involved with
volleyball as a player, coach and clinical volunteer for the
past 15+ years. He started playing volleyball in high school,
and helped his team win the Suffolk County Championship and also
brought home a silver medal participating in the Empire State
Games (NY '90). Owen played club ball at NYU while studying for
his bachelors degree in business marketing and later moved to
Austin, TX and attended University of Texas where he furthered
his education by earning an additional degree in computer
science. While in TX he played volleyball on the club team, and
was a volunteer assistant for the longhorns women's varsity
program (Div 1). Owen has a passion for the game both as a
player and coach and hopes to inject that same passion into
those around him.
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