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Beach Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff

NW Juniors Beach Program & AVP Academy has several AVP Academy Certified coaches on staff to train our beach club members and instruct private lessons. We will also bring in additional guest coaches for our summer camps.

All beach club coaches will be AVP certified and USAV Beach IMPACT certified coaches. Confirmed staff members include:


Beach Club Director: Joe Tassia


Joe Tassia: Director of Instruction, Staff Director, Lead Coach

JOE TASSIA

Joe has coached for our indoor club for 9 seasons and has been around volleyball all his life. His true love is for the beach game.  He's been one of the top rated beach players in the Northwest for almost two decades. Whether he is coaching indoors or on the beach, he consistently works to improve as a coach and to improve his athlete's overall volleyball IQ and technique. As an experienced player and coach, Joe will lead our beach staff and help to continuously strive to improve as well.  He's an AVP certified coach and has his USAV Beach CAP certification. His roots may be on the beach, but his overall knowledge of the game, his experience, and his passion for teaching give him the tools to be a successful coach on any surface. 

"Players will do what they’re told by a coach but they will only truly follow someone whom they believe in and who believes in them. Coaching is all about relationships. It doesn’t happen on chalkboards, with titles, or in newspaper articles. Transformational coaching occurs only when people believe in you and choose to follow  because they know that you believe in them, too."


Carlee Rowell: Coach

Carlee Rowell has been playing volleyball for 9 years.  She was a stand-out at Bellevue College, contributing as a middle blocker in 2018 and 2019, helping her team to place second overall in their league.  As a freshman, she was selected as first team all-region and second team all-conference in the NWAC. Carlee is the head coach of a U14 team for NW Juniors' indoor program currently.

Carlee has competed in the annual Seaside Beach Volleyball tournament and attended High Performance beach tryouts for many years. Carlee earned her AVP beach coaching certification in 2018. Carlee is very excited to share her volleyball knowledge with youth around the region. 

"The fun is in the process."

V Chup - Coach

This will be Coach V's 11th year coaching indoor at Northwest Juniors and his 2nd coaching beach. He was formerly the Graduate Assistant Coach at Edmonds Community College in 2008 & 2009, and served as a coach at Everett High School for the 2010 & 2011 seasons and at Kentridge High school for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Anything volleyball related is his passion, and he still actively plays both indoors and outdoors at a high level.

Coach V is a player-favorite on the NW Juniors coaching staff. His teams consistently finish in the top flights and he's as proficient and technical on the beach as he is indoors, as both player and coach. 

Northwest Juniors is proud to have Coach V on its staff again for the 2021 outdoor season. 

Lucas Pirolli - Coach

Coach Lucas originally hails from Brazil, and has quickly proven himself to be one of the top beach players in the Northwest.

 Lucas started playing indoor volleyball as a teenager. As he grew as a player he was recruited to play for 3 different Brazilian cities, ultimately winning state championships for athletes under 18 years old. He was later integrated into the adult volleyball program where he went on to place 2nd in the state. Lucas then played for his University's volleyball team, gaining experience and championships along the way. It was at this time that he began integrating beach volleyball into his life, which is currently his biggest passion. Along with more than a decade of playing beach, Lucas also coached beach volleyball in Brazil before moving to the States. Volleyball has been such an important and life-changing part of his life, that now he wants to help other people grow their passion and further explore how the sport can positively impact their lives. 

Northwest Volleyball welcomes Coach Lucas to his first year coaching for Northwest Volleyball. 
 

Jevan Coronado - Coach

Jevan Coronado grew up playing beach volleyball in Manhattan Beach, California with anyone and everyone who would let him on the court. Starting age nine, he competed in CBVA tournaments every Summer and went on to play two years with the USA Beach Volleyball U-19 High Performance team before going to play indoor volleyball at Long Beach State, winning two NCAA national championships. Currently, Jevan has returned to the sand to share the lessons from his ongoing journey with the next generation of athletes eager to take their game to new heights and access the increasing number of scholarships being made available for beach volleyball athletes.

While Jevan's journey is just getting started, his volleyball potential is unlimited. With a 5yr beach plan that includes international playing experience, Jevan is currently finishing up his last year of college. 

Northwest Volleyball proudly welcomes Coach Jevan to the family.

Meng Bak: Coach

Coach Meng returns to Northwest Volleyball for his third season on staff. With a strong background in Health and Fitness and over 9 years experience in the sand.

Meng’s coaching extends to both disciplines of volleyball, both indoor and beach.  His career started at Sammamish High School, coaching for three seasons as varsity assistant and JV/C-Team coach.  He completed two years at Washington Volleyball Academy as head coach in the 15’s division, one season with 16’s Dakine Bellevue team and is going on his 5th year as Varsity/JV assistant for Bellevue High School coaching alongside Coach Joe.

​Coach Meng - and his many aliases such as "Mango" and "Mengzilla"  - is a club favorite among parents, athletes and his fellow coaches. NW Juniors is excited to have Meng back on staff for the 2021 beach season. 

STUART CORNUTT: COACH


Coach Stu grew up near Alki beach and fell in love with the game of beach volleyball in high school. He has competed in many beach tournaments in Washington and California and has coached at Sammamish High School as well as the Falcon Volleyball Club. Stu just finished a season as assistant volleyball coach to the Boys high school team at Wildwood High school in Santa Monica, CA. He utilizes his experience teaching and competing along with his training in counseling psychology to provide a fun environment that encourages learning good skills as well as good sportsmanship. He is looking forward to getting athletes fired up about beach volleyball now that he is back in Pacific NW. Northwest Volleyball is excited to add Stuart to its coaching staff!
 

Wesley VanDevanter: Coach

This will be Coach Wes' second summer out on the beach. He has coached NWJRs 15s and 16s during the indoor season as well as participated in Fall Academy. Outside of Club Wes has coached at Interlake High School for the past 3 seasons where he also teaches Math. Wes fell in love with volleyball during high school and got to be a part of the UW Huskies' women's team while pursuing his undergrad degree. During which he got to learn under Jim Mclaughlin and Keegan cook, while also making a trip with the team to the final 4! He loves the spring and summertime where he enters as many Beach and Grass volleyball leagues and tournaments as physically possible. His coaching philosophy revolves around positive relationship building and falling in love with the sport. He is excited for another beautiful fun filled summer on the beach!

Coach Wes is a welcome addition to the NWJRS volleyball family. 

Haley Costa Abbott: Coach

Haley has been playing volleyball for 15 years. She started with indoor and played through college at Northwest Nazarene University. She has been playing beach volleyball since graduating college in 2012 and continues to play in Adult tournaments and leagues around the region. She earned her AVP coaching certification in 2018. She coached one season of club volleyball and was an assistant coach for the varsity team at Cedar Park Christian High School for five seasons.  One of her passions in coaching is helping youth gain confidence both on and off the court. Haley recently married another long-time Seattle area volleyball player, Christopher Costa.  In her inaugural season with Northwest's Beach program Haley made a significant impact, and was adored by the athletes she worked with.  One of the highlights of the 2018 season was when Haley and her husband Chris would team up to take on the juniors in queens-style competition. We welcome Haley (and Chris!) back to the Northwest Volleyball Beach Program and are excited to have her on staff for another season. 

Sub/Part-Time Coaches:

Thomas Hoistad: Coach

Biography:

Thomas enters his fifth year assisting Ashley Snedeker, currently coaching a U17 National Team for NW Juniors. He was introduced to volleyball 7 years ago, and as a bystander, took great pride in the sport. While supporting Ashley, he picked up a lot in a short amount of time. He constantly wants to learn more to help grow the structure and confidence in the team. Thomas loves to be involved in the game and the intricacies of what makes a team successful, he does whatever it takes to support his head coach, which makes him a perfect assistant.
 
Philosophy:
Thomas isn't new to coaching, he used to coach a speed skating team out of Marysville and Seattle. While doing this, he learned how to handle, guide, build, and maintain a hardworking, motivated, and competitive team. He has great insight in areas others may oversee and will help push individuals and the team to greatness.
 

Tony Little: Coach

Tony has been playing, coaching, and thoroughly enjoying the sport of volleyball since the early 90's.  He is a proficient player and coach on both hard-court and sand, with coaching experience from complex collegiate systems to the wee ones just learning to serve.  Tony's coaching philosophy is that volleyball should be taught in a way that leads to a love for the game, healthy introspection, personal growth, and a focus on sportsmanship.  Tony has a doctorate in naturopathic medicine, works in the healthcare technology field, and he and his family live only a few miles from Bottega Beach in beautiful Snohomish, WA