I am originally from Connecticut and moved out to California in January 2011 when I completed college. Volleyball has been a part of my life since 2004, my sophomore year at Shelton High School in Shelton, CT. While at Shelton, I played varsity for 2 seasons, playing defensive specialist my junior year before moving to outside hitter my senior season and winning the Most Improved Player award from my head coach. I played for 2 travel club programs in Connecticut, CT Juniors Volleyball my junior year and Husky Volleyball Club my senior year. When my senior season ended, I got the chance to travel to Atlanta, GA to play at the USA Junior Olympic National Championships as captain for Husky Volleyball Club. It was an experience that I will never forget and any player that has the opportunity to play at this event should try to do so.

When my competitive playing days ended, I kept close to my head coach at Shelton High School and volunteered my time to help Shelton High win the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship in 2008. I was asked by Husky Volleyball Club director and former USA Volleyball Select team setter Pat Ryan to coach a 17U Boys Team for 2 seasons, winning the silver bracket in 2008-2009 at the New England Regional Volleyball Association Championship. I moved up to the 18U division in 2009-2010 season and helped continue players develop their skills to get ready for the high school boys’ volleyball season. In June 2010, I was asked to be the assistant coach for Mizuno East Volleyball Club, formerly CT Juniors, for the 18U team that traveled to Austin, TX to compete at the USA Junior National Championships and finished in 29^th place. Having the opportunity to play and coach volleyball at this event was an experience of a lifetime.

While winning is of course a goal of mine, it is not the main priority; the growth and development of the players I am coaching is the goal I have each season. I want my players to become a better player each time they step onto the court. My senior year graduation quote was, “Nothing worth gaining was ever gained without effort.” To tie this into my philosophy of volleyball, I believe that if you want something bad enough you have to work hard enough to achieve it. Whether it is becoming a better player and teammate, winning games, or both, dedication and commitment are needed by everyone on the team. Hard work and success come hand in hand, and hard work will have the results you want as a team and individually.