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Coaches

2023-2024 Coaches

TEAM Head Coach Assistant Coach
12 BLUE Becky Barvick Greta Barvick
12 ORANGE Jennifer Justice Jeremy Hoelker
13 BLUE Chris Palmer Kelly Braun-Duin
13 ORANGE Sam Junkin Stephanie Frazier
14 BLUE David White Kate Poppo
14 ORANGE Kyla & Josalyn Junkin Jeremy Hoelker
15 BLUE Christie Johnson Joey Young
15 ORANGE Kristen Larson Mike Doherty
16 BLUE Joy White Brandy Corbin
17 BLUE David White Jeff Konrady
17 ORANGE Hai Nguyen Josh Judd
18 BLUE Brandy Corbin Dave Lyons

Kelsey Ambrose, 2nd season, Developmental League

Kelsey found her love of volleyball about six years ago when she started playing recreational pick-up games for adults. During these last few years, she started peppering with her daughter, who likewise fell in love with the sport. It is now a part of everyday life in her home!  One of her favorite things is being able to see the progression of a skill over time. That moment when something finally “clicks” is so exciting to see! Kelsey coached this past season of volleyball with Legacy Christian Academy. She lives in Winchester with her husband, Brandon, and their four children.

Certifications: USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Becky Barvick, 2nd season, 12 Blue Head Coach

Becky started playing volleyball as a freshman in high school and has been involved with the sport ever since. She played recreationally in college and afterward and has coached every level including club teams and summer camps for all ages. For the past six years, she has been the varsity volleyball coach at Chelsea Academy. In addition to coaching volleyball, she has coached MS and varsity basketball for five years.  When she’s not coaching volleyball, she enjoys gardening and spending time with her husband and 7 children.  

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

 

Kelly Braun-Duin, 8th season, 13 Blue Assistant Coach

Kelly has had a lifetime of volleyball experience. First, as a local high school player, Kelly earned many honors including Conference Player of the Year as a senior. She followed that up by playing four years of collegiate volleyball at Bryan College in Dayton, TN. Currently, Kelly teaches fourth grade at John Kerr Elementary. She resides in Stephens City with her husband, Aaron, and their three children, Alaina, Will, and Teagan. 

Over the past 20 years, she has begun to transfer her knowledge and experience gained in her playing days into coaching. She was the Varsity coach at Legacy Christian Academy for many years until becoming the Junior Varsity coach at Handley High School this past season. She enjoys working with young players and helping them learn the fundamentals of volleyball. She believes that if each girl has a teachable attitude and a strong work ethic they will grow as a player. Kelly also enjoys coaching beach volleyball with BRVA. 

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

 

Brandy Corbin, 6th season, 18 Blue Head Coach, 16 Blue Assistant Coach

Brandy began playing volleyball in seventh grade. She played basketball, volleyball, and softball all four years of high school. After graduating in 1998, she played collegiate volleyball at West Virginia University and Shenandoah University. Brandy graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. Over the years, she has taught and coached (both volleyball and basketball) at a number of schools including James Wood Middle School, Frederick County Middle School, and local private schools. Brandy currently resides in Gore with her wonderful husband, Charlie, and two kids, Blake and Brenna. 

She enjoys teaching and coaching students of all ages. She is currently the James Wood JV coach/Assistant Varsity coach. Along with the JW head coach and the Varisty girls, Brandy's hard work and dedication led the Colonels to their first-ever state title in 2022, with a repeat title in 2023! (Among the many BRVA players on the JW team is Brandy's daughter, Brenna!)

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Mike Doherty, 1st season, 15 Orange Assistant Coach

Mike grew up playing soccer as a child and then through high school. Mike lives in Frederick County with his wife Tessa. He has a son Elijah (US Army) and a daughter Kaylee (currently attending William & Mary). His love of volleyball wasn’t realized until his daughter started playing. She started with rec league and then made the leap to travel volleyball. He connected immediately with the atmosphere, the people, and the level of competition. 

When his daughter finished playing in 2022 Mike made the decision to begin his coaching journey. He reached out to Dave & Joy White, who could not have been more supportive of his decision. Mike began shadowing the coaches of the 13B team (the amazing coaches Kelly Braun-Duin & Jennifer Justice) and attended two Gold Medal Squared clinics. He is ready to begin his coaching journey and share his love of the game with the next group of athletes!

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

 

Stephanie Frazier, 2nd year, 13 Orange Assistant Coach

Stephanie played four years of high school volleyball at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, VA. From there she attended Radford University to play softball and graduated with a degree in Leisure Services (Park and Recreation now). She has stayed active in the volleyball community by playing rec and sand volleyball as well as coaching youth volleyball through Winchester Parks and Rec and Frederick County Parks and Rec. Stephanie has also been at Winchester Parks and Rec as the Childcare Coordinator for 18 years. When not playing or coaching volleyball, Stephanie can be found outside, running, or baking. She and her husband, Brad, live in Stephens City with their son, a baseball player at Sherando, and their daughter, a gymnast and volleyball player at Aylor.  

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Saige Garver

Saige is a 2022 graduate of Sherando High School, where she was a standout outside hitter. She received the "Coach's Choice" award and Second Team All-District honors as an outside hitter her Senior year. With three older brothers, she was raised in a competitive and athletic house and enjoys being active. Saige is currently studying Communication and Spanish at JMU. Saige was a BRVA player for two years, but assisted the 16 Orange team last year and is hopeful to keep her feet wet by attending some tournaments and possibly helping in the Developmental League. She enjoyed the opportunity to work with young athletes and experienced coaches and learn to become a coach of a sport she loves. 

Certifications: USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Wendy Gruber, 5th season, Setting Coach

Wendy started playing volleyball in middle school. Her 20 years of experience includes high school, college, and eight years at the adult club level. She is a veteran of the Air Force and played as a defensive specialist and outside hitter for the All-Air Force team for two years. Wendy lives in WV with her husband and their children, Kaleila and Noah.

Wendy has coached for many years - four at the rec level and eight at the club level. She has coached all age groups from 13U to 18U! She enjoys sharing her love and knowledge of the game. 

 

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Russ Gruber, 5th season, Setting Coach

Stephanie Himmler

Stephanie started playing in seventh grade at Aylor Middle School and then played at Sherando in 2006 when they went to the state finals. She played club volleyball with EPAN and played for Elite Sports International at a tournament in Hawaii.  She attended the University of South Florida and majored in history.

Stephanie is currently on "maternity leave", as she is due with her second son. She looks forward to being able to return in a year or two once her children are older. She hopes to possibly attend scrimmages and local tourneys to support our players and possibly coach a few sessions of the Developmental League. She resides in WV with her partner, Chad, her stepson, Mason, son, Leo, and two dogs, Midge and Murphy, while awaiting the arrival of her next little boy.

Certifications: USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Jeremy Hoelker, 1st season, 12 & 14 Orange Assistant Coach

Jeremy grew up playing high school track, basketball, and football. He was an all-conference running back/wide receiver for his football team thus landing him a scholarship to play wide receiver for D2 Wayne State College in Nebraska. He was captain of the Wayne State football team for three years and made all-conference 1st wide receiver for the NSIC. He was an Academic All-American and made his way to a semi-pro arena football league with his team. He graduated with a BS in kinesiology and sports medicine and has athletic medical training. He now lives in beautiful Waterford, Virginia with his amazing wife, three lovely daughters, and his very handsome dog Gibson.

Jeremy fell head over heels for volleyball over 25 years ago when he was introduced to sand doubles on his college breaks at home at the family lake house. He was reunited with his passion for the sport the second his first daughter, Ryan, a former BRVA middle, hit the court almost 10 years ago. He has since raised his two daughters, Charlie and Carter (both BRVA family members), on the volleyball court, both sand and indoor. He brings a warm and welcoming, yet competitive and hardworking, presence to his first year coaching at BRVA and is grateful for his upbringing on a farm in Iowa which instilled strong family values and work ethic that translates through his coaching.

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Christie Johnson, 4th season, 15 Blue Head Coach, Recruiting Coordinator

Christie brings 20+ years of playing/coaching experience to Blue Ridge. She was a three-sport athlete (volleyball, softball, and soccer) at Bartow High School in Florida. She was an All-State softball player and was introduced to volleyball in 10th grade and fell in love with the sport. During her Senior season of volleyball, she was named All-Area Player of the Year, District Player of the Year, 1st Team All-County, and All-State. Christie had a successful career as a player at Florida Southern College where she played under AVCA Hall of Fame Coach, Lois Webb. Christie earned recognition including 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-Region, All-Conference Player of the Week, and All-Tournament Team. She completed her college career with four NCAA tournament appearances, four 20+ win seasons, multiple top 25 rankings, and she currently ranks in the top 10 in multiple blocking categories at Florida Southern.

Prior to moving to Winchester, where she now resides with her husband, Mike, and five children, Torin, Kirah, Breeze, Raynah, and Skylar, Christie spent three seasons coaching at VA Juniors and as the Varsity Head Volleyball Coach at Westfield High School. At VA Juniors, her teams won multiple major Qualifiers during her tenure and competed in USAV Nationals. At Westfield, in just her second season, she led her team to the 6A State Tournament for only the second time in school history. In the 2019 season, she was named the Concorde District Coach of the Year after guiding her team to the District Championship and a #1 seed in the Regional Tournament. Christie's coaching experience spans all levels (2nd grade through college) and includes two seasons as the Assistant Volleyball Coach at Polk State College in Lakeland, FL. Christie also was a volleyball camp court coach at Florida Southern College, the University of Florida, and Florida State University volleyball camps during her college years.

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Josh Judd, 1st season, 17 Orange Assistant Coach

Josh has been around volleyball his whole life. From being the little kid on the volleyball court messing around with a ball while his parents played competitively to playing for his middle school and high school club teams. When he is not coaching you can find him teaching middle school Health & Physical Education in Loudoun County. He enjoys spending time with his family, especially his newborn son, Oliver.

Josh has coached club and high school volleyball since 2012 with various age levels along with coaching freshman, JV, and Varsity at the high school level. Judd hopes to bring his competitive spirit and passion for all aspects that volleyball teaches to BRVA this season!

Certifications: USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Joslyn Junkin, 2nd season, 14 Orange Head Coach

Josalyn currently attends West Virginia University, taking classes online, and majoring in General Business. She played club volleyball for 12 years and played for her high school team at Spring Mills. In 2021 she was an assistant coach for a 16U team in Morgantown, WV. Josalyn was the assistant coach for the 13 Orange Team with BRVA last year and is looking forward to coaching some of the same kids again this year!

Certifications: USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Kyla Junkin, 1st season, 14 Orange Head Coach

Kyla has been playing the sport of volleyball since she was 10 years old. She fell in love with the sport at an early age and played school and club volleyball for six years. She graduated from Spring Mills High School in 2019 where she played three years of varsity volleyball as a setter. After playing she knew she wanted to start coaching. She attended West Virginia University and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. While in college, Kyla coached for a travel team in Morgantown, WV. Kyla decided to follow in her dad and sister’s footsteps and coach at BRVA!

Certifications: USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Sam Junkin, 2nd season, 13 Orange Head Coach

Sam Junkin considers volleyball to be a lifelong sport and has played volleyball for over 35 years. He started off playing travel tournaments with his father’s men's team at the age of 13 and went on to play for various teams in the US Navy, USVBA, Columbia doubles, and now local adult sand and indoor REC leagues. Volleyball has been a passion for him from a very early age and continues to burn brightly even today. Sam resides in WV with his wife and daughters, two of whom are following in his footsteps and coaching at BRVA as well.

He has successfully coached at multiple levels of play including college, club, and recreational youth levels. He is currently the head coach at Spring Mills High School in Martinsburg, WV. His core coaching beliefs revolve around making small continuous improvements in fundamental skills and believing in the process over immediate direct results.

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT, CAP 1, Double-Goal Coaching

Jennifer Justice, 6th season, 12 Orange Head Coach

Jennifer began playing volleyball in seventh grade at Aylor Middle School. She played volleyball, basketball, and track & field all four years at Sherando High School. After graduating in 2000, she played Club Rugby at Radford University. She graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise, Sports & Health Education with a concentration in Sports Administration. Jennifer resides in Frederick County with her husband, Brock, and two children, Reese and Logan. 

Jennifer is the Recreation Services Manager at Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks and Recreation where she is a Certified Youth Sports Administrator through the National Alliance for Youth Sports.  Additionally, she was the head middle school volleyball coach at Legacy Christian Academy and head JV volleyball coach at John Handley High School. She also enjoys competing in adult indoor and sand volleyball leagues and tournaments.

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Jeff Konrady, 7th season, 17 Blue Assistant Coach

Jeff is the self-appointed #1 assistant coach for the Blue Ridge Volleyball Association. He has coached under the infamous Kelly B, Kristen L, and Dave W. Jeff started playing volleyball as a youth in Florida and has continued to play and coach throughout the years.  A former Marine, he now works for Realty ONE Group Old Towne. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and four daughters.

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Kristen Larson, 10th season, 15 Orange Head Coach

Kristen grew up in Pennsylvania where she played volleyball and was on the track and field team. She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Elementary Education where she played volleyball recreationally. She has been a teacher, coach, and mom for the past 25 years. Kristen lives in Frederick County with her husband, James, an orthopedic surgeon, and their three boys - James, Kevin, and Jack. 

After graduating from PSU, Kristen was the Junior Varsity coach at her high school for two seasons. She left that position to get married, move, and raise a family. She returned to coaching youth volleyball in 2011 here in Winchester. She joined Blue Ridge in 2014 in its inaugural season and has been both an assistant and head coach over the past ten seasons. Kristen has also coached at Handley High School since 2019 and has been the Varsity coach since 2022. In May 2020, Kristen graduated from Lock Haven University with a Master's Degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology. The coursework she covered while completing her degree included studies of the psychology of sport performance, use of mental skills, the psychology of injury and recovery, athletics across the lifespan, and leadership within teams and sporting organizations. Thirty years after playing high school volleyball, the love of the sport has not escaped her.

M.S. Sport and Exercise Psychology, Lock Haven University

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT, NFHS Coach Level 1 Credential

Dave Lyons, 1st season, 18 Blue Assistant Coach

Dave started playing volleyball as a sophomore at Magruder High School in Rockville, MD in 1999. He was a multi-sport athlete, also playing football. He went onto Salisbury University where he was the captain and setter for all 4 years for the men’s club team. He then moved to Hermosa Beach, CA in 2005 where he found his passion for playing beach volleyball. He traveled all up and down the Southern California coast playing in CBVA tournaments, earning an AA rating. He returned to the DC area in 2012 and currently resides in Purcellville, VA with his wife Corinne, and sons Ethan and Colton.

Upon his return to DC, Dave began coaching for Metro Volleyball Club. He was the assistant coach for the 16 travel team for five years. Dave loves the thrill of competition and seeing players learn and get better each day. He has a lot of knowledge and expertise in both the indoor and beach games that he is excited to bring to BRVA.

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Abigail McCoy

Abigail began playing volleyball when she was eight years old. She is a 2021 graduate of Musselman High School and is currently a student at Shepherd University. Abigail was a member of the Musselman volleyball team when they were state runners-up in 2019 and state champs in 2020. She was an All-EPAC Academic team member in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Additionally, she was on EPAN's 16U, 17U, and 18U Open Division National Qualifier teams. Abigail was coached under the Gold Medal Squared philosophy her entire career as a setter/opposite and is excited to share her knowledge of volleyball with the next generation of players. She is looking forward to this new chapter in her volleyball career.

Certifications: SAFESPORT

Phil McCoy

Phil graduated from Shepherd University where he was a four-year starter and all-conference selection for the football team. He also served as an assistant football coach for two seasons after his playing career ended. He resides in Bunker Hill WV with his wife, Beth, and his daughters Abigail and Ada. Phil is a Certified Financial Planner ™ for the Myrias Group and in his spare time enjoys exercising, biking, and is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Phil has coached youth volleyball as a head coach and assistant for the past 10 years. Teams include 12U, 13U, 14U, and 16U, as well as Recreation League Volleyball in Berkeley County WV. His teams have won multiple national bids while competing in the open division and among the top-rated teams in the Chesapeake Region. During his tenure, he was an assistant coach for nine-time state champion Shawn Martz of Musselman High School and is Safesport and Gold Medal Squared certified. 

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Hai Nguyen, 2nd season, 17 Orange Head Coach

Hai works as an Electrical Engineer. He lives with his wife, Lisa, and their two daughters, Faith and Becka (both volleyball standouts), in Purcellville. They are all rabid volleyball fans and all enjoy playing at various levels - whether it is collegiate club ball or pick-up volleyball in someone's backyard.

Hai has coached 8 seasons at U12/13, U14, U15, U16, and U17/18 age groups and served as coach, Director, and Board Member for other volleyball clubs. Hai loves volleyball and loves to learn and teach; coaching is a perfect mix for him. Outside of Club Volleyball, Hai supports youth local volleyball programs and clinics for HS, MS, sand, and grass. 

Certifications: USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT, CAP 1

Chris Palmer, 3rd season, 13 Blue Head Coach

Chris is a graduate of Shepherd College (now Shepherd University) with a Bachelor's in Environmental Science. Chris lives in Martinsburg with his wife and two children, Ellie and Max. 

He found his passion for the game of volleyball during his college years in which he competed competitively in men’s 6’s and grass doubles tournaments. He has coached at various levels ranging from youth teams up to the high school varsity level. After a several-year hiatus from the game of volleyball, Chris is excited to be back coaching and teaching the game that he loves.

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Kate Poppo, 10th season, 17 Blue Assistant Coach

Kate has been with BRVA since its start in 2014, first as a four-year BRVA player and now as a sixth-year assistant coach! She is a 2019 graduate of James Wood High School where she was a three-year varsity player and a defensive specialist. She graduated from Shenandoah University in 2023, majoring in biology, and was their outside hitter. Kate's awards include ODAC Player of the Week and All ODAC Second Team. 

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Dave White, 9th season, 14 and 17 Blue Head Coach, Director

David is a graduate of both Shenandoah University and George Washington University. He has been working with Fannie Mae for over 10 years providing support to their technology department. He lives in Winchester with his wife Joy and their three children, Madelyn (Central Arkansas Beach Volleyball sophomore), Emma (North Alabama Beach Volleyball recruit), and Jackson (12 Orange). 

David has strong beliefs in fundamentals, constant learning, and continuous improvements both on and off the court. This mindset has allowed him to play competitively for over 20 years. His passion for both doubles and sixes volleyball is very apparent, as he has coached at every age group in the past nine seasons. David is also the founder and director of the BRVA Beach program, the first beach volleyball club in the area. The success of the beach program is evident as it has consistently turned out numerous collegiate beach volleyball players over the past six years. 

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Joy White, 9th season, 16 Blue Head Coach

Joy White comes to BRVA with 28 years of teaching experience and 30+ years of competitive volleyball play experience in both sixes and doubles. Joy played both high school and collegiate volleyball, women's USAV, and grass doubles. Joy is a teacher in Loudoun County and resides in Winchester with her husband Dave and their three children, Madelyn (Central Arkansas Beach Volleyball sophomore), Emma (North Alabama Beach Volleyball recruit), and Jackson (12 Orange). 

Joy has a passion for growing the game of volleyball in Winchester. She has coached almost every age division in her nine seasons at BRVA. Most recently, she and Coach Brandy coached the 16 Blue team that won several open-level tournaments, as well as placed 2nd at AAU Nationals in the Premier division in 2022. Together, she and Dave started the first beach volleyball program in the area (BRVA Beach) that quickly grew from eight players to 120+ players. BRVA Beach players have earned multiple bids to compete at National tournaments in Atlantic City, Florida, and California. Coach Joy believes the right combination of fundamentals, competition, and a passion for the game make for the best possible volleyball experience. She also has a strong belief that beach volleyball also improves the all-around game of indoor players!

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

Joey Young, 1st season, 15 Blue Assistant Coach

Joey's athletic background includes playing competitively in a variety of sports including football, basketball, baseball, golf, track & field, and bowling. His prestigious volleyball career includes two intramural all-campus championships at Western Carolina University, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Physical Education. He has been an educator for 13 years, with his first two years as a middle school English teacher in Rwanda as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He has been a physical education teacher for five years at the elementary level and six years at the middle school level. 

His coaching history includes basketball, cross country, and volleyball.  Currently, he is the head 7th grade coach at Daniel Morgan Middle School and an assistant coach on the JV staff at John Handley High School. His coaching philosophy is focused on foundational skill development, team chemistry, and having fun.  

Certifications: GMS, USAV IMPACT, SAFESPORT

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