staff

2025-26 STAFF

Joe Ripp (Club Director)
Joe founded Vision Volleyball Club in 1997, developing it into one of the top clubs in the country. Over the past 27 years he has coached teams ranging from the 13's through 18's age groups. In addition to winning multiple NCVA regional championships, Joe’s teams have qualified for USAV Junior Nationals every season; those trips include a silver medal in the 17 Open Division (2005) and taking his 18 Blue team to a Bronze Medal in the 18 Club Division (2007). Joe also coached Los Gatos High School to four CCS championships, three Nor-Cal championships and one California State Championship during a 20-year career. Joe is a graduate of San Jose State University, where he studied Photography. When they are not coaching volleyball, Joe and his wife Katy spend time watching their two boys compete: Jake plays football at Boise State and Gavin plays basketball at the University of San Diego.

Shawn Palmer (Club Director)
Shawn is in his sixth season with Vision Volleyball Club and his third leading the 15 Gold team. His 15 Gold teams have won the region and double qualified at the Open level in each of the past two seasons. Shawn has 20 years of coaching experience across California, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. Shawn has consistently led his club teams to success - his teams have qualified for Nationals every year, earned multiple qualifier and regional championships, and a top-10 finish at the GJNC. As a high school coach, Shawn has a strong history of revitalizing programs. At his most recent stop he took over a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in a decade. In just his second season, the team finished third in the state. During his five-year tenure, they qualified for the WPIAL playoffs every season, twice advancing to the final four. Shawn studied English with a minor in Athletic Coaching at the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University. He relocated to San Jose with his family in January 2019.

Oscar Crespo (College Recruiting Coordinator)
Oscar provides a wealth of knowledge in recruiting, with over 25 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level. Prior to joining Vision, Oscar was most recently the Head Coach of the Women Volleyball Team at San Jose State University where he spent seven seasons. Prior to accepting the Spartan position, Crespo spent seven years as a member of the University of Nevada volleyball coaching staff, as an Assistant Coach and Associate Head Coach. He is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, USA Volleyball, and the Northern California Volleyball Association. Crespo is an accomplished coach with international experience. He coached the BIP/USA Selection team in 2001 in Seblini, Italy. He spent the spring of 2002 coaching a USA College All-Star team in France, Holland and Belgium, and in 2007 was on the USA/BIP staff coaching the USA selection which competed on a six city tour in Argentina vs the Argentinian National Team. Crespo's coaching experience also includes stints at the University of California, Berkeley (1995-98), Saint Mary's College (1993-94) and De Anza College. Crespo and his wife, Lisa Ice-Crespo, a three-time All-American at San José State, reside in Los Gatos with their three children: Ryan, Rachel and Karly.

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Tyler Taylor (Head Coach)

Tyler is entering his 9th year with Vision and his 7th straight coaching 18 Gold. The last two seasons his teams have had very successful seasons, including both teams qualifying for the Open Division at Nationals. In 2018 Tyler’s Vision 18 Gold team double qualified for the Open division and medaled in 3 National Qualifiers; the Ohio Valley, the Golden State and Colorado Crossroads. Tyler has also served as an Assistant Coach at both Santa Clara and Stanford Universities. Tyler’s last season at Stanford, he helped lead the team to the NCAA Division I National Championship. Tyler has a solid coaching background including as the Men’s Assistant at Golden West, and stints at the University of Nevada and Central Arizona College. After graduating from the University of Arizona, he coached club for Zona Volleyball Club, Arizona Premier, and Huntington Beach. He graduated in history with a minor in psychology, and earned a master’s in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia in Irvine.

Nick Monroe (Assistant Coach)

Nick is entering his 4th year at Vision having coached various teams from the 15s-18s age group. Most recently he was the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Academy of Art University in San Francisco from 2022-2025. In 2021 he led Burlingame High School girls’ volleyball program to a Central Coast Section Division III Championship, marking his seventh consecutive time a team he coached made the postseason. Prior to coaching at BHS, Nick coached at Notre Dame Belmont High School, Miramonte High School, Alameda High School, and Monte Vista High School. Before coaching at Vision, Nick spent 7 years at Rage and Rage Westside volleyball clubs. Nick was a middle blocker/opposite for Holy Names University in Oakland, CA from 2010-14.

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David Stanton (Head Coach)

We are excited to welcome Dave to the Vision coaching staff. He is currently in his first season as Head Coach at San Jose City College after coaching at his alma mater, San Jose State, as a volunteer assistant with the Women’s Beach and Indoor Program (2020-2023). He also coached the San Jose State Women’s Club team in the spring of 2022. Dave also spent two seasons coaching at Hollister High School and formerly coached for Rush Volleyball Club. On the beach side, Dave coaches for Mandala Beach Volleyball Club. His playing experience began at Hollister high school where he played 4 years varsity and won 2 league titles. He continued his playing career at San Jose State for their men’s club team. Currently, he competes in CBVA beach tournaments. In addition to coaching volleyball, he is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and has worked both at CSUMB and San Jose State as an assistant strength coach.

Breann Robinson (Assistant Coach)
We are excited to welcome Breann Robinson to the Vision staff! Bre began as Academy of Art volleyball head coach in February 2022 after serving as the program's assistant coach in August 2021.Robinson's first year at the program's helm was led by a pair of All-PacWest Second Team honorees , an Art U career leader (hitting percentage) who was also a CSC Academic All-District recipient, and four Urban Knights on the Academic All-PacWest Team . In her debut season as an assistant coach with the program, Robinson helped Art U garner numerous postseason honors which included a Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Year and two All-PacWest Second Team honorees. After graduating from San Jose State in 2018, Breann joined the SJSU staff as a Graduate Assistant while her pursuing her masters degree in Sport Management. She also began coaching at Rage Westside Volleyball Club and has been there for the past 5 years. Robinson played indoor and beach volleyball at San Jose State; She closed her career ranked fifth (career assists) in program history, secured First Team All-Mountain West honors, a silver medal as a member of the Mountain West All-Star Team at the Global Challenge Tournament in Croatia, and was recognized as a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete in addition to being selected as Academic All-Conference.

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Kevin Hambly – Head Coach

Vision is excited to welcome Kevin Hambly to our staff! Kevin is entering his ninth season at Stanford and his 17th overall as a head coach in 2025. Hambly boasts a career record of 377-128 and a pair of national titles. In eight seasons on The Farm, Hambly is 199-42 and is 127-23 in conference play. He has won five conference titles, advanced to three consecutive national semifinals (2017-19) and produced 14 AVCA All-Americans, who have collected 28 total awards. Hambly came to Stanford after spending eight seasons as the head coach at Illinois, where he led the Illini to six NCAA regional appearances and the 2011 national title match. Hambly compiled a 178-86 overall record while in Champaign. Hambly also worked as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team from 2001-04 and at UNLV from 1996-01. In addition, Hambly served as president of the American Volleyball Coaches Association from Jan 2013 - Dec 2015. A native of Simi Valley, CA, Hambly played collegiately at BYU from 1992-95. While playing for the Cougars, he was named to the Volleyball Monthly All-Freshman Team in 1992, selected as a third-team All-American in 1994 and earned AVCA First Team All-America honors in 1995 after leading the nation in blocks. He went on to play professionally in France from 1995-96. He and his wife, Mary, have two children, Joseph and Maura.

Oscar Crespo (Coach)

Oscar has over 30 years of coaching experience at the club, high school and collegiate levels. Prior to joining Vision, Oscar was most recently the Head Coach of the Women Volleyball Team at San Jose State University where he spent seven seasons. Prior to accepting the Spartan position, Crespo spent seven years as a member of the University of Nevada volleyball coaching staff, as an Assistant Coach and Associate Head Coach. Crespo also has international experience, having coached the BIP/USA Selection team in 2001 in Seblini, Italy. He spent the spring of 2002 coaching a USA College All-Star team in France, Holland and Belgium, and in 2007 was on the USA/BIP staff coaching the USA selection which competed on a six city tour in Argentina vs the Argentinian National Team. Crespo's coaching experience also includes stints at the University of California, Berkeley (1995-98), Saint Mary's College (1993-94) and De Anza College. Crespo and his wife, Lisa Ice-Crespo, a three-time All-American at San José State, reside in Los Gatos with their three children: Ryan, Rachel and Karly.

Katy Ripp (Coach)
Katy Ripp is a full time instructor at Foothill College since 2004 and former Head Women’s Volleyball Coach. Her Foothill teams have won 11 league titles, and in the 2015 season, finished 4th in the state. Prior to her arrival at Foothill, Katy served as an assistant women's volleyball coach at Stanford University (2002 – 2004); at Santa Clara University (2001 -2002); and at CSU Sonoma (1999 - 2001.) Before her coaching career, she played professionally on the Bud Light Professional Beach Volleyball Tour from 1993 to 1997; played in professional indoor leagues in Italy from 1996 to 1997; as well as for the National Volleyball Association's Orange County Diggers in 1996. She played in the Associated Volleyball Professional Beach Volleyball Doubles League from 1998 to 2002 with partner Stephanie Cox. Coach Ripp played collegiate volleyball at the University of the Pacific from 1989 to 1993. Katy and her husband Joe live in Los Gatos, California and have two boys.

Joe Ripp (Coach)
Joe founded Vision Volleyball Club in 1997, developing it into one of the top clubs in the country. Over the past 26 years he has coached teams ranging from the 13's through 18's age groups. In addition to winning multiple NCVA regional championships, Joe’s teams have qualified for USAV Junior Nationals every season; those trips include a silver medal in the 17 Open Division (2005) and taking his 18 Blue team to a Bronze Medal in the 18 Club Division (2007). Joe also coached Los Gatos High School to four CCS championships, three Nor-Cal championships and one California State Championship during a 20-year career. Joe is a graduate of San Jose State University, where he studied Photography. When they are not coaching volleyball, Joe and his wife Katy spend time watching their two boys compete: Jake plays football at Boise State and Gavin plays basketball at the University of San Diego.

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Julian Abreu (Head Coach)

Julian is in his second season as an assistant coach for the San Jose State indoor and beach programs. Julian enters his fourth season with Vision, and his seventh club season overall. He has coached 14U-17U teams during that time, winning four national qualifier tournaments. Previous coaching experience includes time as an assistant coach with the Archbishop Mitty girls' program, head coach for the Bay to Bay boys volleyball club, and trainer for the Optimist high school all-star match. Julian is a graduate of San Jose State University where he majored in exercise science and clinical exercise physiology.

Katie Souza (Assistant Coach)

Katie enters her second season on staff! Originally from the east bay, she was a 3 year varsity setter for Castro Valley High and selected as the Female Athlete of the Year her senior year. Former Ohlone College player, and holds the single season school record in assists; 2019 . Katie coached high school at Amador Valley High School, winning 3 NCS Championships for both the girls and boys programs. Current head coach at Bay to Bay Volleyball Club, as well as assisted the 12s and 17s last season, taking home 3 gold medals! Former coach at Encore Volleyball Club and led the 13s into their first gold appearance in power league since 2020 and 5th place finish at Nationals in 2024.

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Ron Whitmill (Head Coach)
Ron returns to the 16's team this season after winning the region and double qualifying for the open division with 17 Gold in 2018. His teams have now won the region 4 years in a row and qualified for the JNC's in each of the past 12 seasons. In 2013, his 15 Gold team won two qualifiers and finished fifth at the JNC's. In 2012, he helped lead the 16 Gold team to a 5th place finish at the JNC's in Ohio. In 2011, he coached both the 16 Gold and 15 Gold teams to JNC Bids. Previously he coached the 18 Blue team for three seasons. All three seasons his teams earned bids to the JO's, with the 2009 squad earning an Open bid, giving Vision two teams in the division. This was the first time in the 28-team format that a club has sent two teams to 18 Open. He has a lengthy coaching and playing resume. He spent seven years with City Beach as a Head Coach, and was the Head Coach for the San Jose State Men's program. He previously was the head coach at Menlo-Atherton High School (2012-2014) where he won 2 CCS D1 championships and was a Mercury News Coach of the Year. He is currently the Head Varsity Coach at Valley Christian High School (2015-present) where his teams have won 2 CCS titles as well as 2 NorCal championships and a CIF State championship.

Keilani Mayo (Assistant Coach)

Keilani is entering her second season coaching at Vision. Before coaching at Vision, she helped assist and lead the strength and conditioning program for the Menlo-Atherton High School Varsity team where they won a CCS Championship. Prior to coaching, Keilani played at Westmont College as a defensive specialist during the 2019-2020 season where they won a (GSAC) conference championship and went all the way to the NAIA National Championship finishing 2nd in the nation. She played at Valley Christian High School where the team won a CCS Championship, a NorCal Championship, and made a State appearance in 2016. She is now returning back to her high school and coaching at Valley Christian.

Greg Soliz - (Assistant Coach)

We are excited to welcome Greg to the Vision coaching staff! Greg comes to us after spending the previous 14 years as a head coach for Rage Volleyball Club. Greg believes in training with a strong technical focus on defensive skills with high repetitions. Greg's team have consistently qualified for USAV nationals, including qualifying two teams each season for the past six years. In 2024 Greg's Ripon High School team won the Divison 4 Sac Joaquin Section Championship. Greg's teams have earned two bronze medals at USAV nationals. In 2020 and 2015 18s teams earned an Open bid at Nationals finishing 27th in the Nation. In 2016, Greg coached his high school team to an undefeated conference season, earning the league's Coach of the Year award. In 2014 Greg coached the Rage 17s team to the Junior National Championships in the USA division, the team won the first Rage bid of the 2014 season by placing 2nd at the tough SCVA Qualifier. Greg lives in Los Banos, CA with his family.

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Tony Holland (Head Coach)Tony is in his 15th season coaching club volleyball in the Bay Area. Since joining Vision, Tony has head coached or assisted our 16’s, 17’s and 18’s teams. His teams have won the Pacific Northwest Qualifier (‘16, ’21), a bronze medal at Colorado Crossroads (‘17) and qualified for JNC’s in 4 of his 6 seasons with the club. Prior to joining Vision, Tony served as both a head coach and an assistant coach for Power Teams from ages 12 through 18. He has helped lead his teams to Top 3 Finishes at Far Westerns, the Pacific Northwest Qualifier and qualify for the Junior National Championships in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021. Tony is currently in his 9th season with the Menlo School Girls Volleyball program and will begin his 3rd season as the Girls Varsity Head Coach and Program Director this Fall. Tony has helped lead Menlo to 6 WBAL Championships, 4 straight CCS Open Division appearances, a CCS Championship, 2 Nor Cal Championships and the CIF Division IV State runner-up in 2013. In 2016, Tony was the First Assistant on Menlo’s Division IV State Championship team, the first in school history. When not coaching, Tony works in finance and resides in San Mateo.

Riley Holland (Assistant Coach)

Riley is entering her third season coaching club volleyball, and this is her first season coaching with Vision. Whilst playing club, she joined Vision at 13s with accolades of medaling at multiple national qualifiers as well as qualifying for Junior Nationals six times over her seven years of playing club. She was a four-year varsity DS/Libero at Menlo School and was a member of the only team to win the championship in Menlo School history in 2016. She also earned first all-team award her senior year. She has since returned to assist the varsity team at Menlo in which she is starting her second year. While attending Tulane University, majoring in neuroscience and biochemistry, she played club volleyball, traveling to various states to compete against other schools every year. Her coaching is not limited to high school, as she also coaches the Menlo Lower School as well as boys club volleyball. When not coaching, Riley enjoys her time by watching sports and traveling.

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Shawn Palmer (Head Coach)
Shawn is in his sixth season with Vision Volleyball Club and his third leading the 15 Gold team. His 15 Gold teams have won the region and double qualified at the Open level in each of the past two seasons. Shawn has 20 years of coaching experience across California, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. Shawn has consistently led his club teams to success - his teams have qualified for Nationals every year, earned multiple qualifier and regional championships, and a top-10 finish at the GJNC. As a high school coach, Shawn has a strong history of revitalizing programs. At his most recent stop he took over a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in a decade. In just his second season, the team finished third in the state. During his five-year tenure, they qualified for the WPIAL playoffs every season, twice advancing to the final four. Shawn studied English with a minor in Athletic Coaching at the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University. He relocated to San Jose with his family in January 2019.

Andrew Le (Assistant Coach)

Andrew enters his second year with Vision Volleyball Club after moving back from San Diego where he spent 11 years coaching at Coast Volleyball Club under the direction of Ozhan Bahrambeygui. Andrew was the head coach and assistant on many of the top teams (15 - 18 age groups) and helped guide many of them to medal finishes at Junior Nationals. He also spent a few years coaching the boys’ program at La Jolla High School. Prior to coaching, Andrew was a libero and graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Human Biology. He is a local product coming out of Homestead High School and is happy to be back in his hometown of Sunnyvale. Andrew currently works in the biotech industry, and in his free time, enjoys snowboarding or playing a round of golf.

Sam Crosson (Assistant Coach)

Sam Crosson joins Vision after coaching eight seasons at NorCal. Sam has found success in coaching all ages from 12s to 18s. Most recently Sam coached NorCal 17 black, earning an open bid to Nationals in 2023. He truly enjoys the practice environment and seeing athletes’ improvement in skill and mastery of the game develop and progress throughout the life cycle of the club year. Sam has been coaching college volleyball for over 20 years. He has earned multiple conference titles while competing in three different conferences: WCC in 2009, PAC-12 2010, and Big West in 2017 & 2018. Sam was recognized as Pacific North Region Coach of the Year in 2017 and back-to-back Big West Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018. Sam graduated from Pacific in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in sports sciences. He then earned his master’s in sports sciences from Pacific in 2005. One of the top attackers in program history during his playing career at Pacific (1994-97). Sam was voted team Most Valuable Player for the 1997 season. As a professional, Sam played one season for Herentals Volleyball Club in Belgium. A native of Santa Cruz, Sam and his wife, Courtney, have two daughters, Makenna and Logan.

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Joe Ripp (Coach) Joe founded Vision Volleyball Club in 1997, developing it into one of the top clubs in the country. Over the past 26 years he has coached teams ranging from the 13's through 18's age groups. In addition to winning multiple NCVA regional championships, Joe’s teams have qualified for USAV Junior Nationals every season; those trips include a silver medal in the 17 Open Division (2005) and taking his 18 Blue team to a Bronze Medal in the 18 Club Division (2007). Joe also coached Los Gatos High School to four CCS championships, three Nor-Cal championships and one California State Championship during a 20-year career. Joe is a graduate of San Jose State University, where he studied Photography. When they are not coaching volleyball, Joe and his wife Katy spend time watching their two boys compete: Jake plays football at Boise State and Gavin plays basketball at the University of San Diego.

Nick Monroe (Coach)

Risa Sena (Assistant Coach)

Originally from Long Beach, California, where she developed her passion for volleyball playing for Long Beach Volleyball Club and later for Long Beach Mizuno. She was a four-year varsity athlete at Wilson High School, earning First Team All-Moore League honors twice and being named to the All-CIF team her junior year. Risa went on to play Division I volleyball at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. As a freshman, she was named to the All-Conference Tournament Team and competed throughout her collegiate career with a strong commitment to excellence both on and off the court. She recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree and is now pursuing a master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at San Jose State University. Risa continues to stay active in the sport by playing beach volleyball and enjoys being involved in the volleyball community. She is excited to bring her collegiate experience, love for the game, and enthusiasm for mentoring young athletes to Vision Volleyball Club.

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Winder Montano (Head Coach)

Vision is excited to welcome Winder Montano to our coaching staff. Originally from El Tigrito, Venezuela, Winder was a member of the Venezuelan National Team from 1992 to 1998. During that time he traveled the world playing volleyball at the highest level, competing in the South American Cup, Pan-American Games, World Cup Championships, and Olympic Qualifiers. After retiring from the Venezuelan National Team, Winder pursued a college degree, attending Columbia College in Missouri with a full tuition scholarship. In 2000, his team won the NAIA National Championship, and he received the MVP award of the tournament. “Since 2004, I have been blessed to coach and to play with good friends and highly professional individuals. I enjoy the work, the challenge, and the dedication that is required for developing young athletes. My goal is to ensure athletes have the best possible experience with the sport by instilling in them a solid technical foundation and by pursuing continual development.” Currently Winder continues to play beach volleyball and maintain an active membership with the California Beach Volleyball Association.

Eyriana Eatmon (Assistant Coach)

Eyriana enters her first year as a coach at Vision, she previously coached at Rage Volleyball Club for five seasons. She had played at College of San Mateo for one season and received First Team All-Conference and All-Region accolades. Eyriana graduated from Stanislaus State in 2023, with her BA in Psychology and a Minor is Kinesiology, after playing there for 4 years. While being there, she participated in the CCAA Post-Season tournament in the 2019 and 2022 seasons, where she played setter and defensive specialist. Once she finished playing, she became the Volunteer Assistant for the Warriors. Eyriana is currently pursuing her Masters at San Jose State University for the Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity.

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Emerson Salonga (Head Coach)
Emerson is entering his 30th year of coaching which spans varsity boy's and girl's high school, club, USA National Teams, and women's collegiate volleyball. His teams have won multiple league and conference championships, and state tournament appearances at the high school level. His club teams won numerous NCVA and WCVBA league championships, National Qualifiers, and have won medals at the 18-Open division. He coached collegiately at the University of California, Berkeley, and Utah State University. Emerson was also the Training Coach for the USA Junior ('06) and Youth ('07) National Teams, in addition to, assisting in the USA Volleyball High-Performance pipeline program for over a decade. Emerson is a physical education teacher at Fallon Middle School and earned his BA at the University of Illinois while playing on the U of I men's club team. He is married to Shelby Salonga and has two children Katie and Josh.

Shelby Salonga (Assistant Coach)

Born and raised in Pleasanton, Shelby Salonga has been coaching club volleyball for over 20 years. She played volleyball and basketball at Amador Valley High School before attending Wichita State University on a volleyball scholarship where she competed as an outside hitter. After graduating summa cum laude from WSU, Shelby interned at the University of California, Berkeley in the athletic department before moving on to work for the Oakland Athletics for six years and has spent the last 22 years working at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley. Shelby began her coaching career at Golden Bear Volleyball Club where she coached for 13 years making 12 appearances at USA Volleyball Junior National tournament including 7 in the Open division. Her Golden Bear teams earned a 15 Open division bronze medal, two 18 Open 5th place finishes, won the gold medal in 16 Club, and took home two 18 Club silver medals. Shelby has spent the last six seasons at NorCal Volleyball Club where her teams have qualified for the Girls Junior National Championship each year including the past two seasons in the Open division. Shelby and Emerson live in Pleasanton with their two children, Katie and Josh.

Lex Fernandez (Assistant Coach)

Lex is entering his third season with Vision. He helped qualify two Open Division teams in 2024 and 2025, finishing 11th in 14 Open during the 2025 season. Lex began his coaching career at his alma mater Tennyson High School, where the program made its first-ever NCS appearances during his first two years. He later coached at Bishop O’Dowd High School for four years, winning league championships and NCS Division I titles each season. In 2018, his team won the Open Division NorCal title and made a State Championship appearance. In 2020, Lex was honored with the AVCA Under 30 Coach Award. He has led many successful teams at Encore Volleyball Club and has coached boys’ club volleyball for three seasons. He has also played competitively since 2012.

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Lindsey Daniel (Head Coach)

We are excited to welcome Lindsey back for her 4th season coaching at Vision. She played at Rice University, taking the program to their first ever NCAA appearance her senior year. She earned a BA in Art History and English then went to NYU for a MA in Museum Studies. At Bishop Moore Catholic High School she won 2 state championships and Lindsey was named Central Florida Player of the Year her junior and senior years. She played club for OVA (now OTVA) qualifying for JNCs every year. Lindsey lives in Redwood City with her husband Rob and their three children.

Assistant Coach

TBA

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Grace Smirnoff – Head Coach

Grace brings over 30 years of volleyball experience, both as a player and coach, with a strong focus on athlete development, mental training, and injury prevention. Originally from Argentina, she played club and represented her state team. She also holds a degree in Physical Education from UNLP, with a specialization in athlete recovery and volleyball performance. In 2016, Grace moved to the United States with her family and pursued a Master’s in Global Sports Management from NYU. She is currently completing a Diploma in "Science applied to volleyball". Since relocating, she has coached Bay Area clubs, including Monsoon, Encore, Rage Westside, and Bay to Bay, which have qualified for USAV Nationals and competed at AAU. She led Carlmont High School’s varsity team to a top-4 CCS finish and assisted at Notre Dame Belmont. At the college level, she has coached at NDNU (DII) and Menlo College (GSAC), with a focus on setter development, scouting reports, and recruiting. Grace is also part of the NCVA High Performance coaching staff, working with both girls’ and boys’ teams at national and international events, such as All-Stars - around the USA, the Rebisco Cup in the Philippines, and the Global Challenge in Europe. Grace is married to Sergio, who met playing ball, and together they have three sons who share their athletic spirit through soccer and volleyball. When not coaching, Grace enjoys spending time with her family and supporting her children’s sports journeys.

Sergio Smirnoff - Assistant Coach

Sergio brings over 30 years of volleyball experience as a player and coach in both Argentina and the Bay Area. He has coached with several Bay Area clubs, including Monsoon, Encore, Rage Westside, and is currently at Bay to Bay. His coaching highlights include leading Carlmont High School’s JV Girls team to a 13-1 league record and 1st place in the Pal Bay Division in 2022. He also served as the Varsity Girls Assistant Coach during their run to the CCS Quarterfinals. In club volleyball, his 14U Rage Westside team placed 2nd at the Red Rock Rave, earning a USAVB bid to the Girls Junior National Championship in Indianapolis. Earlier, as the 2019 JV Girls Head Coach at Sacred Heart Prep, his team claimed a 1st-place league finish and earned top placements in multiple tournaments. Sergio currently leads the Carlmont Girls Volleyball program, continuing the legacy he and his wife Grace began years ago. He also contributes to high-level development as Head Coach of the Boys U20 NCVA High Performance Europe 2025 Tour Team, and previously served as a coach and evaluator for USA Volleyball Boys’ High-Performance Tryouts. Off the court, Sergio works as Head of Design at a tech company. He and Grace—who met playing volleyball in college—often co-coach and share core values of discipline, commitment, and respect. Together, they’re raising three young athletes: two volleyball players at Bay to Bay VBC and one soccer player pursuing a professional path in Europe.

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Jake Spain - Head Coach

Vision is excited to announce Jake Spain is joining our coaching staff! Jake is the new head varsity coach at Archbishop Mitty High School and will be joining Vision Volleyball Club for the 2025–26 season. With over 16 years of coaching experience, Jake is known for developing top-performing teams and helping athletes succeed at both the high school and club levels. Previously a director and coach at Absolute Volleyball Club, Jake led 12 teams to Open Division qualification and guided squads to multiple NCS and MCAL Championships, including a NorCal Open Championship in 2019. His achievements have earned him recognition as a CIF Model Coach (2021–22) and the NCS Honor Coach (2024). A former standout setter at Aptos High School and a graduate of Sonoma State University with a B.A. in History, Jake’s coaching philosophy centers on preparation, communication, and player development. He believes that when athletes feel supported, they grow in confidence, leadership, and competitive drive. Jake is committed to helping players reach their full potential on and off the court, and he brings his passion for the game, strong work ethic, and athlete-first approach to every team he coaches. Please join us in welcoming Jake and his wife Brianna to our Vision family.

Kyra Pelayo (Assistant Coach)
Kyra returns to Vision Volleyball Club for her 6th season after competing for Vision as a junior player. She also competed at Saint Francis High School before attending Hawaii Pacific University. She was an outstanding Libero, earning PacWest Conference Libero-of-the-Year honors, as well as All-PacWest First-Team honors. She started her coaching career in Hawaii with HI-Intensity Volleyball Club, and with Chaminade University, where she was a Volunteer Assistant.

Oscar Crespo (Assistant Coach)
Oscar has over 30 years of coaching experience at the club, high school and collegiate levels. Prior to joining Vision, Oscar was most recently the Head Coach of the Women Volleyball Team at San Jose State University where he spent seven seasons. Prior to accepting the Spartan position, Crespo spent seven years as a member of the University of Nevada volleyball coaching staff, as an Assistant Coach and Associate Head Coach. Crespo also has international experience, having coached the BIP/USA Selection team in 2001 in Seblini, Italy. He spent the spring of 2002 coaching a USA College All-Star team in France, Holland and Belgium, and in 2007 was on the USA/BIP staff coaching the USA selection which competed on a six city tour in Argentina vs the Argentinian National Team. Crespo's coaching experience also includes stints at the University of California, Berkeley (1995-98), Saint Mary's College (1993-94) and De Anza College. Crespo and his wife, Lisa Ice-Crespo, a three-time All-American at San José State, reside in Los Gatos with their three children: Ryan, Rachel and Karly.

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Arin Dadiw - Head Coach

is in his 23rd season coaching competitive club volleyball in the Bay Area. He has led several high school programs and is currently Head Coaching at Bay to Bay Volleyball Club for a 6thseason. His experience includes high-level girls club volleyball in the East Bay and North Bay, founding middle school programs, and Beach CAP certification from USAV. He most recently coached at NorCal Volleyball Club in Livermore for the last few seasons at the 14’s age group. Coach Arin’s accolades include numerous Boys and Girls club nationals medals at AAU and USAV Nationals in the 13-17’s age groups, along with numerous NCVA, SCVA, JVA, AAU and other USAV tournament gold medals. He is also returning to the NorCal High Performance Program for his 5th season this year as a Head Coach of the U17 Team. When not coaching, Arin works in Global Contracts and resides in the East Bay. He is a Bay Area native who attended Long Beach State and SJSU where he earned his degrees in Business Administration.

Assistant - TBA

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Sergio Smirnoff - Head Coach

Off the court, Sergio works as Head of Design at a tech company. He and Grace—who met playing volleyball in college—often co-coach and share core values of discipline, commitment, and respect. Together, they’re raising three young athletes: two volleyball players at Bay to Bay VBC and one soccer player pursuing a professional path in Europe.

Grace Smirnoff – Assistant Coach

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Katie Souza (Head Coach)

Maggie Curtis - Coach

Maggie Curtis is entering her 5th year of coaching and 2nd season as a coach at Vision. Maggie is a rising senior at Santa Clara University where she was a member of the Varsity Indoor Women's Volleyball Program. A standout defensive specialist, Maggie played 11 years of club volleyball representing both Triangle Volleyball Club in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Encore Volleyball Club when her family moved to the Mountain View area. Maggie graduated from Saint Francis High School in 2020 and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Communication at Santa Clara. Maggie is an enthusiastic young coach with a clear passion for educating whole student-athletes and sharing her love of the game with all of our players. We are so excited to have her back for a second season!

12 Blue

Greg Soliz - (Head Coach)

11 Gold

Lara Montgomery Farwell (Head Coach)

Lara comes from a family of collegiate hall of fame coaches including her father who coached the women’s volleyball team at SJSU. Fundamentals and work ethic have been a constant focus through her volleyball career and she attributes so many valuable life lessons to volleyball including perseverance, determination, working as a team, and staying positive in the face of adversity. Lara is excited to pass on these valuable skills through coaching to help her players grow both on and off the court. Lara played high school volleyball at Los Gatos High School where she was coached by Vision Director Joe Ripp, winning a CCS, Northern California, and State Championship and continued to play at the Division 1 collegiate level at UCSB under international hall of fame coach, Kathy Gregory. She resides in her home town of Los Gatos with her husband and three children.

Diana “Di” Truong - Assistant Coach

As a San Jose local, Diana played both club volleyball and travel basketball in high school. She continued her passion for volleyball and has been playing for over 30 years. While attending San Jose State University, she coached club and the junior varsity team at her alma mater. After graduating, she took a break from coaching to focus on her IT career and raise her three wonderful daughters. In 2023, Diana returned to coaching to share her love for the sport with her players and daughters. She is currently the head boys coach at Willow Glen Middle School.

11 Blue

TBA

10 Gold

Katie Jennings (Head Coach)
Katie is a bay area native, returning for her 7th coaching season at Vision. She played seven years of club volleyball, finishing out her competitive play as a middle blocker in high school. With a bachelor's degree in Childhood Development, she has extensive experience teaching and coaching this age group. Katie focuses on developing the whole player with an emphasis on emotional intelligence. She is excited to continue to develop the younger players at Vision.

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Christa Cook - (Trainer)

With over four decades of volleyball experience, Christa Cook brings a deep passion for the sport both as a player and coach. Her volleyball journey began at Los Altos High School, where she was a three-year varsity starter and helped lead her team to the California State Championship semi-finals. During her collegiate career at SJSU, she was the Team Captain for the 1986 team that was ranked #1 team in the country. She won the Conference MVP Award when SJSU made it to the Final Four in 1984. Christa’s success extended to the USA national an

staff

2025-26 STAFF

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