Everything Volleyball & More with AC

Giedre (AKA "G") is the Head Volleyball Coach at Fort Lewis College is Colorado. She has also been an assistant coach for Seattle University, University of Montana, Pacific University (Oregon) and University of Portland. G has also done some work assisting with the USA Volleyball High Performance teams as well as coaching club. G grew up in Lithuania and came to the U.S. to play volleyball and go to college. She attended and played for Jefferson College (a junior college in Missouri) and then transferred to Arkansas State University.  In this episode AC and G talk about growing up playing volleyball in Lithuania and then moving to the U.S. to go to college with nothing but two suitcases. They also discuss her journey through the college rankings to then find her true calling, coaching volleyball.

Matt Ulmer is the Head Women's Volleyball Coach at the University of Oregon. He was the Assistant Indoor Coach and Head Beach Volleyball Coach at Long Beach State prior to showing up at Oregon. Before his time at Long Beach he played for the Men's team at Carthage College where he was also the Assistant Women's Indoor Coach. AC and Matt discuss what it was like growing up in a volleyball family as well as growing up in the sport. They also talk about aspects of the coaching job and how to look at the job from a different perspective. Lastly, they discuss some of Matt's philosophies on being a good volleyball coach while sharing stories along the way. 

This is second in a series of episodes where AC and Davis talk volleyball. Davis is a long-time volleyball player and coach. He was a sand and indoor college player, as well as a coach for over 25 years. Davis has coached some of the top junior athletes in San Diego, California in club and high school. He brings a unique and fresh perspective to the volleyball discussion. On today's episode AC and Davis discuss the performance and culture on a team. Davis asks "what if your top player does not fit with the team's culture? What do you do as a coach?" We also discuss how to build culture and deal with situations when the team's culture can be compromised.  

Kara is the founder and director of My Recruiting Solution. My Recruiting Solutions is a recruiting service for junior volleyball players. Kara’s mission is to help college-bound volleyball players find their "perfect fit" school, but with a personal touch. My Recruiting Solutions has been helping junior players achieve their dreams of playing volleyball in college since 2010. You can learn more about what Kara does for athletes and their families at https://myrecruitingsolutions.com Also check out her App: https://scoutscholar.com/ AC and Kara discuss her journey through volleyball and how she ended up in the college recruiting business. Kara shares her knowledge of what she has learned after a decade of helping athletes get recruited as well. They also talk about the state of college volleyball and the recruiting process during COVID-19. 

Ryan Ford is a Leadership and Team Based Behavioral Consultant with a background in Industrial Organizational Psychology. Ryan’s mission is to help coaches and athletes take control of the mental side of the game in order to build trust in communication, confidence and high performing teams. AC and Ryan discuss behavior style awareness and coaching with the DISC model. They also talk about building team/program culture as well as recruiting to the personality and behaviors of the head coach and the team's emotional needs. Ryan shares about experience working with Iowa State Volleyball and what he has learned in the last five years.  Ryan Ford; 2018 AVCA Convention "Behavior Style Awareness" - https://s3.amazonaws.com/avca-audio/2018_Convention/53.+DISC+-+Creating+High+Performing+Team+Dynamics+-+Ford%2C+Johnson-Lynch.MP3

This episode is our first in a series of episodes. Every other weekend or so I will be meeting with Coach Davis Ransom to discuss all kinds of subjects but knowing us… it will more than likely be volleyball topics. We will also discuss, debate and answer listener’s questions. Davis is a well known club and high school coach in San Diego, California. He has been coaching and playing volleyball for over 30 years and brings a thoughtful perspective to the game.   In this episode AC and Davis talk about coaching during the COVID-19 quarantine. They also discuss workouts online and an emulation project where your athletes can find a player to look up to.  The three listener questions they answer are.... How do you make the best of being on the road during season as a player and a coach? What are historically the hardest serve receive rotations to get out of? What creative strategies do you use to address them. If any part of the ball hits the line it is “in” and the antenna is an extension of the line, then why is the ball that touches the antenna, “out?”

Samantha Moore played colligate volleyball for the University of Portland, then she transferred and played for Western Oregon University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and Human Biology. She then got her Masters Degree in Exercise Science and now is working on a PHD in Health and Human Performance. She was a sports scientist or the University of Utah, where she was also an Intern for the Sport Science Department. Most recently, Sam is the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach and an Applied Sports Scientist at North Carolina State. AC and Samantha discuss growing up in a volleyball household in a small town. They also talk about Samantha's work and experiences after college volleyball. They then discuss her work with the University of Utah Volleyball Program and the studies she did there. Finally, they go over what Sam is currently doing at North Carolina State by creating training and recovery performance strategies for female athletes based on their menstrual cycle.

Mike Griffin has been a major influencer in the sport of volleyball for almost two decades with most of his work being in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently a Tournament Director for The Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament, Lead Coach and Architect of Ajax Boys Volleyball Club and Creator/Director of Bad Boys Volleyball Tournaments. AC and Mike discuss what it was like to learn how to play volleyball in the Pacific Northwest and then to later play in college. They also talk about what it is like to run the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament in Oregon, coach a boys club team in the Pacific Northwest and his work as a philanthropist through volleyball.