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TRAVEL COACHES

Silvia Johnson - Club Director & 18 Travel Head Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Club Director & 18 Travel Head Coach - 2024

"I have had the pleasure leading Metro as a Club Director for the past 8 seasons. I feel extremely fortunate to surround myself with some of the best club volleyball coaches and staff in the country. It has been rewarding to watch our sport grow and become Nationally competitive in our area. In the short 8 years, we have qualified 23 teams at the Open level (many of the teams earning multiple bids) and 50 teams earned bids to GJNC.  Our teams in the East, South, Central and North are expanding and have won numerous medals including Regionals and CHC. We look forward to pushing forward and making strides both at the National level as well as growing the sport of volleyball in our area"

Silvia Johnson is in the 9th season as the Club Director of Metro Volleyball Club, in that short time Metro has been able to achieve 23 Open Teams and put themselves on the National Stage.  In 2022 Metro's National Club ranking was 16th, Metro is the only club in the CHRVA region to be ranked in the top 100!  When Silvia Johnson took over in 2015 Metro was ranked 89th in the Nation, under Johnson's helm Metro has also been able to grow from 18 to 31 teams, including expanding to new regions.  

  • Since 2003, all of the athletes Johnson has coached on the 18 Travel Team have gone on to play at the collegiate level.
  • In 2022, all 15 athletes on the 18 Travel team went to play at the Collegiate Level.  With 13 of the athletes going on to play Division 1.  18 Travel was able to Triple Qualify and finished the season ranked #17 in the Nation.
     
  • In 2021, all 13 athletes went on to play at the Division 1 level.  The 18 Travel Team ended the season with a record of  58-10 and ranked #11 in the Nation. The team was able to Triple Qualify for an Open Bid including Gold at Ohio Valley Qualifier, Silver at Mid-East Qualifier and Bronze at Northeast Qualifier.
     
  • In 2020, even though the season was cut short the 18 Travel team was able to earn an Open Bid to GJNC. All Athletes went on to play at the next level.
     
  • In 2019,  18 Travel ended the season with a record of 56-13 & had 32 matches against Open Qualified teams with a record of 22-10 (all but one of those losses were in 3). They triple qualified for 18 Open at Ohio Valley, NEQ and MEQ. Metro 18 Travel has all 15 players committed to Division 1 programs.
     
  • In 2018  Metro Volleyball Club had two teams earn a medal at Nationals and 16 Travel had the highest finish in CHRVA history at the Open Level GJNC.
     
  • In 2018 her 18 Travel team medaled at GJNC at the National level. They also won a silver medal at the Northeast Qualifier in the Open level.  
     
  • In 2017 Metro Volleyball Club was 1 of only 7 teams in the Nation to qualify 5 of more teams in the Open Division of the Girl’s Junior National Championships. All 6 travel teams earned a bid to the Girl’s Junior National Championships.  
     
  • In 2017 her team made history by being the only team in the CHRVA Region to double qualify for the Open Division for the Girl’s Junior National Championships. 
     
  • In 2016 Silvia Johnson’s team was the only team in the CHRVA Region to qualify for the Open Division for the Girl’s Junior National Championships.  
     
  • In 2015 her team made history and became the first National Champion in the CHRVA Region by Winning the Girls Junior 18 National Division! 

Every athlete that played for Silvia Johnson’s 18 Travel team ( Metro Volleyball Club as well as Metro American VBC ) went on to play collegiate volleyball.

Prior to taking over Metro, Silvia (Panak) Johnson has spent 9 seasons being the head coach of the Metro American VBC 18 Travel team and was in charge of the coaching staff and training. 

In her first year as head coach of the 18 Travel team (2007), her team racked up some amazing credentials: undefeated in the Region in all tournaments, Regional champions, 3rd Place at the Villanova Tournament, 2nd place at the Capitol Hill Classic, 5th Place at the Colorado Crossroads tournament, 11th place in the Open division in the Atlanta Big South tournament, 3rd place at the KIVA tournament, qualified for the Junior Olympics at the National level, and finished 54th in the nation out of thousands of teams in the 18U division. In 2008, her team once again went undefeated in the Region in all tournaments, Regional Champions, 2nd place at the Capitol Hill Classic, 3rd place at the North East Qualifier, 9th place at Colorado Crossroads, and qualified for the Junior Olympics at the National level. Silvia followed up 2009 with another successful year. The 2010 season ended with a National Bid where along the way in the tournament, they defeated both the tournament’s eventual champion and runner-up to make a strong case for being considered among the nation’s best. The crowning success, however, came in 2011 when Silvia took her team to Nationals as the first ever 18‘s Open Bid in the Chesapeake Region and then followed that up with three more consecutive years of National qualifying teams in 2013, 2014 ( Open Bid) and 2015.  

As a testimony to Silvia's drive and knowledge as a head coach, all of her players have gone on to play volleyball in college and beyond.  Silvia has coached players that has gone on to represent the USA National Teams as well as players who have gone on to play professionally overseas. 

Silvia served as the assistant coach for American University alongside head coach, Barry Goldberg. During her time with the Eagles, AU won 5 conference championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament 5 times.

Johnson played her junior and senior years for American University, winning the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship both years. She was named team MVP in 1999 and American University Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2000. A two-time All-CAA selection, Johnson was ranked among the NCAA leaders in aces in both of her seasons at American. Before transferring to American, Johnson played for Long Beach State and was a part of the undefeated 1998 NCAA Championship team. Johnson still holds the school record for most assists in a match at 75, which she accomplished twice in her career. She is the career leader at AU for assists per game and is eighth all-time in aces per game.

Silvia currently resides in Frederick, Md. with her husband, Winfred and their two daughters, Tatiana and Natalia. Daughter, Tatiana is a freshman setter at the University of South Florida. 

Patrice Arrington - 18 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Patrice Arrington - 18 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

“Coaching brings so much joy to my life.  Watching these young ladies grow and develop in the sport I love is the best feeling.  Being a coach with Metro VBC for my 6th season allows me to help foster these young ladies to reach their full potential both on and off the court”.  

 Patrice Arrington is the Athletic Director at Jackson-Reed High School (Formerly Wilson High School) in NW Washington, DC.  

 Prior to her new position as the Athletic Director at the largest high school in Washington, DC, Coach Patrice was the Assistant Athletic Director and Head Varsity Volleyball Coach at Flint Hill School in Oakton, VA where she coached the team from a #58 spot in the country to #10. Under Coach Patrice’s tutelage, the team won two more ISL (Independent School League) Championships and two more Virginia State titles bringing Flint Hills current total to numerous ISL Championships and 13 (VISAA) Virginia State Championships.  Coach Patrice was voted All-Met Co-Coach of the year along with her sister Perette Arrington, the current Varsity Volleyball coach at Jackson-Reed High School.  Arrington was also given the first ever Flint Hill Coach of the Year award after an undefeated 22-23 season. Coach Patrice had many players voted ISL All-league first team, VISAA All-state first and second team, and the VISAA Player of the Year.  Coach Patrice also had players selected as All-MET First Team and second Team during her time at Flint Hill.   

Before working at Flint Hill, she was the Director of College and Career services at Wilson High School (Jackson-Reed).  Arrington also played professional volleyball for 12 years and was a 5-year member of the USA Women’s National Volleyball Team and helped them qualify for the Olympics in 2000 and 2008. During her career, Arrington played for several professional teams in countries such as Holland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Puerto Rico, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. She received several awards included MVP of the Russian Super League.   

  

Arrington coached Volleyball at the collegiate level for George Washington University and Fordham University, where she was responsible for recruiting and other team preparations. Arrington is a certified personal trainer specializing in performance enhancement training, weight management, and Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT).  Coach Patrice and her sister Perette own Arrington Elite Volleyball and provide clinics and camps for volleyball players throughout the year.  

From 2007-2020, Coach Patrice along with her sister Perette coached the Wilson High School Volleyball team to over 19 DCIAA (District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association) Championship titles, two third place State finishes, and two runners-up in the DC State Championships. The Jackson-Reed Volleyball team won the DC State title in 2021. Also, the Wilson High School volleyball team was ranked 10th in the Washington Post All-Met Sports for the first time in history. 

 Arrington graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. degree in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. While attending the University of Oklahoma, she played volleyball as an outside hitter and ran track. Arrington received numerous All-Conference and All-Tournament Team honors in volleyball and the Most Outstanding Student Athlete two years in a row. She also received the first Prentice Ghatt award for Best Academic Student Athlete of the Year. Arrington earned AVCA All-American honors and still holds records for Oklahoma and the NCAA. Arrington graduated with her master’s Degree in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and earned her certificate from NYU’s Tisch Institute of Global Sport in the Fundamentals of Global Sports Management.  


Ahen Kim- 17 Travel Head Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Ahen Kim - 17 Travel Head Coach - 2024

“I’m glad to be back home to be part of the Metro VBC community again. I’m always excited to be around young people that are hungry to learn volleyball and train hard.”

Metro is excited to have Ahen return as the 16 Travel Head coach this season.  From 2013-2017, Ahen served as a head coach for 14 Travel, and 17 Travel before taking the Head coach position at Brown University.  Ahen is also the current head coach at American University.

In his five seasons in Providence, he lead the team  turned around a struggling program. In 2021, Kim was named the Ivy League’s Coach of the Year after leading the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament and first 20-win season in 23 years. Following the 2022 season, he left Brown to coach a professional team in South Korea.

Kim became the fifth head coach in the 41-year history of the Brown volleyball program in 2017, taking over for Diane Short who retired from coaching after leading the Bears for 25 years. In his first year, Kim guided Brown to an 11-13 overall record, marking its most wins since the 2014 season. In just his second season, Kim had Brown up to 13 wins, its most since 2001, and a fourth-place finish in the Ivy League standings.
 
Following the team’s return from COVID, Kim completed the turnaround with a 20-6 overall record, an 11-1 Ivy League record and the Ivy League Player of the Year in Cierra Jenkins, who also earned honorable mention All-America honors. Under Kim's leadership, Brown became just the second team in Ivy League history to sweep the four yearly awards and the first team in league history to have five players named First Team All-Ivy. 
 
In Kim’s final season at Brown in 2022, the Bears once again advanced to the Ivy League championship match, but fell to Yale and concluded the season at 15-10 overall.

From 2012-2017, Kim served as an assistant coach at American, and helped lead the Eagles to five straight Patriot League titles, a NCAA Sweet Sixteen run in 2013 as well as the NCAA First Round victory in 2015. In 2013, American defeated Georgia and No. 14 Duke to reach the regional semifinals, and in 2015 the team beat No. 22 Kentucky to advance to the NCAA Second Round.
 
Over Kim’s six seasons, the Eagles posted a 162-42 overall record and an 83-8 mark in Patriot League contests. The program achieved a ranking of No. 19 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll of 2013 and finished the 2015 season with a perfect 18-0 record in Patriot League play.
 
While at American, Kim coached and recruited three AVCA Honorable Mention All-Americans, six AVCA All-Region performers, and three Patriot League Players of the Year. He has guided five Patriot League Tournament MVPs, 15 First Team All-Patriot League selections, and 17 Patriot League All-Tournament honorees. Off the court, he mentored three Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year, three CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, and one CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Prior to his time American, Kim served as an assistant coach at Houston Baptist University during the 2011 season, as an assistant coach at George Washington University in 2010, and as an assistant coach at the Catholic University of America in 2009. He also coached with Metro Volleyball Club in Washington, D.C., from 2013-17, as the head coach of the U17 team.
 
A 2007 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, he earned bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and American Government.
 
Ahen lives in DC with his wife, Amy Pauly .

Jenna McGann - 17 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Jenna McGann - 17 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

"After a successful season, I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to work once more with some of the nation's best players!"

Jenna is entering her third season with Metro. Last season with 16 Travel, the team finished 1st at CHRVA Bid Regionals and finished 5th in the National Division at USAV Nationals!

Jenna is also an assistant varsity coach at the Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia. In the 2022 season, team finished 36-0, won the conference and state championship, and finished ranked in the Top 25 in the country.

She graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Marketing and News Media. While at Alabama, she played on the club volleyball team for four years. During her time on the team, they went to the NCVF tournament twice and placed in the top five both times. Jenna grew up in Monument, Colorado where she played club for Colorado Classix and Rocky Select. While she played 17’s at Rocky Select, her team secured a USA bid to USAV Junior Nationals and had multiple top five finishes at qualifiers. Her senior year of high school, Jenna finished top-10 in the state in both kills and aces, earning her a place on the all-state team. During Jenna’s senior year at the University of Alabama, she was the head coach of a 16’s team at NetForce Volleyball Academy. 

In August, she graduated with her Masters in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University. She now does marketing for the Military Bowl.

Nicole Desrochers -17 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Nicole Desrochers - 17 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

"I am so excited to get back in the gym and work with some of the best young athletes in the DMV area! My goal as a coach is to help young players grow their skills and passion for the game, just as my coaches did for me. I love the Metro family and am grateful to be returning for my third year!"

Nicole is entering her third year as a Metro coach. She started playing volleyball when she was 9 years old and quickly fell in love with the sport. Her volleyball career started at Impact Volleyball Club where she primarily played as a setter and outside hitter. Her sophomore year in high school, she moved to Rage Volleyball Club where she grew her skills as a setter. With Rage, her 15’s team earned an Open bid to USAV Junior National Championships in 2013. The following year, her 16’s team secured an American bid to Junior Nationals and finished with a perfect record and the gold medal. During High School, Nicole also gained experience playing internationally. In 2013, she was selected to the USAV A1 High Performance Team that practiced and played out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The following two summers, she traveled to Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia to play in the Global Challenge with Team Golden State. Her senior year in high school, she committed as a setter to California State University, Chico. During her time at Chico State, Nicole and her team saw three playoff appearances, including an appearance at the NCAA Tournament in 2016.

Nicole graduated from Chico State in May of 2020 with Bachelor of Art degrees in History and Political Science. She currently works as a Policy Analyst at NASA Headquarters.

 


Corey Hobson - 16 Travel Head Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Corey Hobson - 16 Travel Head Coach - 2024

“I am full of excitement to get back in the gym and working with a different age group. This year, our aim is not just to compete but to triumph, not merely to improve but to excel. I’m ready for an extraordinary journey ahead!”

Corey Hobson joined Metro in 2015 as the Assistant Coach for 18 Travel. In 2019, he was promoted to the role of Associate Head Coach for the 17 Travel team alongside University of Maryland Head Coach, Adam Hughes. The following 2020 season he made his debut as the Head Coach for the 17 Travel team. Corey’s tenure at Metro has been marked by significant achievements. He was part of the first team from the Chesapeake Region to secure a National Championship. His teams have placed 5th in the Nation at the Open Level Division, won Bronze at Nationals in the National Division, and qualified for Nationals in the Open Division for six consecutive years.

Corey started his volleyball journey as a setter at Cambridge Springs High School in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. He elevated his team, propelling them to the state playoffs and securing a top ranking in the state during his senior year. After high school, Corey attended Penn State University and was the technical coordinator for the Penn State Men’s Volleyball team from 2010 to 2013. During his tenure, Penn State consistently reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament and clinched the EIVA Championship for all four years. Corey's responsibilities included operating advanced technical software, planning practices, scouting opponents, and actively participating in team practices. He also was a setter for the Men’s Club Volleyball team for three of his four years at Penn State. He graduated in December of 2013 with a degree in Civil Engineering. 

Corey presently resides in Stafford, VA, with his wife, Kirsten, and their two daughters Lucy and Logan. Alongside his coaching role, he works as a full-time Sr. Project Manager for Baker Concrete Construction. In his free time Corey likes to spend time with his family, golf and play pick-up volleyball.

Sam Danai - 16 Travel Head Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Sam Danai - 16 Travel Head Coach - 2024

"I am looking forward to the upcoming season and building off of the tremendous success of the past.  This club has been like a family to me, and I cherish being apart of such a wonderful organization."

Sam Danai has been involved in club volleyball in the Chesapeake region since the 2001-2002 season.  This year will be the 20th season that Sam will be the head coach of the 16 Travel team.  

In the 2023 season, the 16 Travel team won the Chesapeake regional championships and finished tied for fifth place at nationals in the National Division.  

In 2022 season,  with a record of  83-7 the team won 8 tournaments, including the NEQ qualifier, JVA Rock and Rumble, JVA Summerfest, JVA Charm City, the Capitol Hill Classic, the CHRVA Regional Championship, both Mid-Atlantic Power Leagues (16-18 Black division) and a regional tournament.

In 2021 season, 16 travel team enjoyed a wonderful season which culminated in a second place finish at nationals in the National Division.

Sam's volleyball career began in Pittsburgh, PA at Taylor Allderdice High School where he earned all-city honors and led his team to their first City Championship in a decade.

Sam attended American University (1998-2002) and graduated from American University Law School in 2005.  During his time at American University, Sam also served as a team manager, student assistant and graduate assistant for the American University Women's Volleyball team.  The American University volleyball team won the conference championship 6 of the years that Sam was with the team and qualified for the NCAA tournament 5 times.

Sam has two children, Noah and Ellie.

 

Harrison Griffin - 16 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Harrison Griffin - 16 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

"Looking forward to another season with this amazing club and working with this talented team!"

 

Harrison is returning for his third season with Metro and first season with 16 Travel. Harrison joined Metro in 2021 as the 14 Central Head Coach and moved to 14 Travel assistant coach in 2022. Last year, Harrison was also a volunteer assistant coach with the American University women’s volleyball team.

In 2022, Harrison helped lead the 14 Travel team as they placed 1st Capitol Hill Classic, 1st JVA Rock n’ Rumble and 2nd place JVA Charm City Challenge .  During the 2021 season the team placed 1st at Capitol Hill Classic,  1st Place at the CHRVA Regional Championships earning a National Bid to GJNC.

Harrison began playing volleyball in Southern California. He led his 14s team to win a bronze medal at the 2015 Boys USAV Junior Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, while also earning All-Tournament team. He then went on to compete at 949 Volleyball Club as an opposite/setter. Harrison’s 15s year he earned a bronze medal at the 2016 SCVA Boys Holiday Classic Qualifier and a silver medal at the 2016 SCVA Boys Invitational, securing a bid to the Open Division of the Junior Nationals in Dallas, Texas. Harrison set his 15s and 16s teams to a top 5 finish in the USAV Junior Nationals open division each year. In his junior year of high school, he was among the top 80 players in the country to be invited to train with the top college and USAV coaches at the 2017 USAV Boys High-Performance Holiday Training program in Poway, California. Following that year, Harrison competed on Southern California Youth National Team (SCVA) competing at the 2018 USAV High-Performance Championships, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, earning a silver medal.

Harrison has also been a lead coach at the 2022 & 2023 American Volleyball Camps and the 2023 Navy Volleyball Elite Camp.

Harrison graduated from American University in 2023 and currently lives in Washington D.C. and works as a Marketing Coordinator for a government technology company.


Aubrey Mohler - 15 Travel Head Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Aubrey Mohler - 15 Travel Head Coach - 2024

"The continued success of our teams, athletes and coaches prove Metro to be a respected club in the nation and top in the DMV area. Each year brings new talents and competition. I can’t wait to get to work with the next 15 Travel team!"

Aubrey Mohler enters her thirteenth year of coaching with Metro Volleyball Club; her 10th season with 15 Travel.  For the past 9 seasons (2014-2022), Metro 15 Travel has secured a bid to Nationals; with 4 seasons having secured an Open Bid to Nationals.  The 2020-2021 season was a historic run for 15 Travel representing Metro & the CHRVA region by finishing 13th in the Nation- the highest finish by any Metro 15s & CHRVA 15s team at Nationals.  We were also the first 15s team to medal at a MAPL in the Black Division (16s-18s) finishing 2nd – losing to our 17 Travel team in the finals.  15 Travel has also been the reigning CHRVA 15 Open Regional Champions for five seasons (2017-2021) – and have finished the seasons ranked 26th(2017), 34th(2018), 30th(2019) and 13th (2021) out of thousands of 15s teams across the nation. 

Aubrey first began her volleyball career in 7th grade while living in Texas. She continued her volleyball career into high school at Middletown (1998-2002) where she helped guide her team to the school's first Frederick County Volleyball Championship. She played club volleyball for FAVOR (2000-2002) - now known as FVBC.

Aubrey went on to play Division II volleyball for Shepherd University as a middle hitter (2002-2005).  At Shepherd, she earned a Bachelors of Science in Recreation & Leisure, with a double concentration in Sports & Event Management and Commercial, Recreation & Tourism.  

Aubrey in addition to coaching for Metro coached 7 years at Middletown High School (MD, 2009-2015) where she has ushered many of her players into positions on various college volleyball teams. From 2016-2017 she served as the Director of Volleyball Operations for the University of Maryland’s Volleyball Program (Big Ten Conference). Currently Aubrey resides in Frederick, MD with her husband and daughter and works for a pediatric therapy center.

Brandon Wiest - 15 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Brandon Wiest - 15 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024
"I am extremely excited to continue working with some of the most passionate, hard-working, and talented coaches and athletes on the East coast!"
 
 

Brandon is in his 3rd season of coaching with Metro. During this time, 15 Travel has won the Capitol Hill Classic in consecutive seasons and has regularly appeared in the gold bracket and championship matches of several JVA, MAPL, and National Qualifiers around the country. In the 2022 season, 15 Travel earned an Open Bid by placing 2nd in the Open Division of the Northeast Qualifier and finished 33rd in the country at USA Open Nationals in Chicago, IL. Brandon has coached club volleyball in the CHRVA region for eight years, repeatedly qualifying teams for USAV Nationals and sending former players to play at the Division I, II, and III level and with the USA Youth A1 National Team.

Brandon is the head coach of the women's varsity volleyball team at Georgetown Day School, where the Mighty Grasshoppers won their first state championship in school history in 2022 after achieving a #1 state ranking, a #8 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the US by USA Today and the AVCA, and having reached the final four of the DC State Tournament in each year since 2016. Following the 2022 season, Brandon was selected as the 2022 Washington Post All-Met Coach of the Year and the 2022 DCSAA Coach of the Year, with the Post writing: "In six years as head coach, Wiest has taken the Grasshoppers from the lower division of the Independent School League to the ISL AA Final two years in a row. Wiest capped off this season by guiding Georgetown Day to its first DCSAA title, putting GDS (22-3) on the map as a volleyball powerhouse." Following the 2021 season, Brandon was also named High School Coach of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region by the AVCA.

In August 2019, Brandon shadowed UNC head coach Joe Sagula and his staff as the Tar Heels kicked off their 2019 season, being fully immersed in the planning and execution of practices and film review sessions throughout the preseason. He was fortunate to repeat this experience with the University of Maryland coaching staff and team during their 2022 preseason. Brandon has coached for several years at the UNC Chapel Hill, University of Tennessee, and American University volleyball camps. He has annually attended Gold Medal Squared and Art of Coaching Volleyball clinics, as well as the AVCA Convention and NCAA Final Four every year since 2017.

Brandon began his volleyball career as a pin hitter at Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, PA and continued playing for the men's club team at the University of Delaware as an opposite and setter, reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCVF National Championship in 2011 and 2012. He remains very active in the volleyball community in Washington, DC, regularly playing in both indoor and outdoor USAV A Division leagues and tournaments.

Brandon works as a civil engineer/project manager for Parsons Corporation in Washington, DC on high-speed rail and zero-emission transit projects and enjoys spending weekends working on his family's organic farm in Southeastern PA.

 

Rhamat Alhassan - 15 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Rhamat Alhassan - 15 Travel Assistant Coach 2024

"I started my volleyball career at Metro as a 15 year old. I grew a lot as a player and a leader under Coach Silvia. Now I have the ability to come back on the other side as a coach. I'm excited to give back to the Metro family and help develop players for the next level."

Rhamat is entering her first year as a Metro coach and is a Metro Alumni!  She began her journey as a volleyball player when she as a sophomore in high school. She played on Metro 18s Travel for her 3 years of high school.  As a Junior, she committed to University of Florida and was the starting middle at UF.  

While at UF she helped her team to 3 SEC Championships. In her senior year she helped lead her team to the National Championship match against Nebraska. This season was a monumental on for her and her teammates. Throughout her career at the University of Florida, Rhamat picked up many honors. Some of those include, SEC and AVCA Southeast Region Freshman of the Year, she led the country in hitting efficiency (.458), led the nation with 1.70 blocks per set,  named as a 4 time All-American, had 1,278 career kills ranking her 10th in UF history, became the school record holder in career total blocks (674) and block assists (584),  was the second player in Division I history to tally at least 1,250 kills, 605 blocks and a .420 clip, named 2017-18 Honda Sport Award winner - Volleyball (making her the first Gator to earn the award), named 2017 SEC Player of the Year.   While at UF, Rhamat was also invited out to train with the national team. She made the Junior National Team in 2014 and 2015. Then played on the Women’s National Team in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022.

Rhamat went on to continue her career after college as a professional volleyball player overseas. She played her inaugural season as a professional athlete in Japan for the NEC Rockets. Following that she played in Italy, where she competed in A1 for the remainder of her professional career. 2019 - Volato Caserta 2.0, 2020-2022- Chieri ’76, and lastly 2022-2023- Il Bisonte.

Rhamat currently works at Flint Hill School at the Director of Sports Information as well as the Flint Hill JV volleyball team.


Jerry Burge - 14 Travel Head Coach - 2023

Metro VBC Jerry Burge - 14 Travel Head Coach - 2023

“I am really excited to begin a new club season with Metro. With every year I coach I am more and more humbled by the privilege I have to impact the lives of so many athletes. Again this year we have a great coaching staff with a few new faces. We have a few new offerings this year that will make our program that much more competitive. I am eager to start the club season and continue to grow the game of volleyball and develop young athletes.”

Jerry Burge will be the Head Coach for our 18 North and 14 Travel teams. Additionally is our Metro North Director. This will be his 11th season coaching with Metro. Jerry comes with many years of coaching experience including former head coach and assistant coach at the junior college, and high school levels. He is also the head coach at Urbana high school. He competed with the Western Maryland College Club Volleyball team as a setter and team captain. He also competed for several years through USAV Chesapeake Region Men’s Volleyball teams as a setter and libero. Jerry is the father of six beautiful young ladies. He graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s University with an MBA in Business Administration and is currently a Clinical Project Manager at Syneos Health Inc.

Amber Matalus - 14 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Amber Matalus- 14 Travel Assistant Coach - 2024

"I hope through coaching to foster an environment that offers player growth both on and off the court and to inspire the next generation of volleyball players to love and cherish the game."

The 2023-24 season will be Amber’s 7th season of coaching volleyball and 3rd with Metro.

Amber started coaching at her hometown club Colorado Summit VBC in Colorado Springs, CO before moving to Virginia Beach, VA where she coached at Outbreak VBC in 2017-18 as an assistant coach for one season and at Beach Elite VBC in 2018-20 as a head coach for two seasons. After moving to the DMV area in 2020, Amber started coaching at Metro. Amber was the head coach for Metro 15 East in 2020-21 and head coach for Metro 16 East in 2022-23. Amber is excited to be joining the Metro Travel family for the 2023-24 season. Amber is also an assistant varsity coach at Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC.

Amber grew up in Colorado Springs, CO where she played five years of club volleyball and won two 4A state championships at Lewis-Palmer High School. After high school, Amber attended Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach, VA where she started as a middle hitter for all four years of her collegiate career and earned two All-American honors. Amber and her senior class led Virginia Wesleyan’s volleyball program to their first-ever ODAC conference championship in 2019 and appeared at the NCAA Tournament that same year. She studied International Affairs during her undergraduate studies which led her to pursue a master’s degree in global security at American University’s School of International Service, which she completed in 2022.

Amber now works as a Senior Analyst of supply chain risks at Exiger, LLC.​​​​​​​


Candace Novoselnik- 13 Travel Head Coach 2024

Candace Novoselnik- 13 Travel Head Coach 2024

"Incredibly happy to start another season and to build a program that continues to develop the young, talented, and eager Metro athletes!"

Candace Novoselnik returns this season as the 13 Travel Head Coach for her 4th year with Metro VBC. The 2022 squad was ranked #1 in the Chesapeake region and was the first 13 Travel team to win the Capital Hill Classic in the Gold Division.  The team placed first in 5 tournaments and earned a National bid to Minneapolis.

During the 2021 season, the team finished with a record of 48-17 after winning the Silver bracket of the 13 National Division at the 2021 GJNC. Their 9th place finish at Nationals was the highest season finish of any 13 Travel team in club history. The team had 4 tournament wins, including the CHRVA 13 Open Championship, a 2nd, and two 3rd place finishes against 13 and 14s teams.

Coach Novoselnik coached at Sidwell Friends School for eight years as a Volleyball, Track and field Coach, and PE Teacher. She led the program to a 2014 AA ISL Division Championship for the first time in more than 15 years.  Sidwell was runner-up in the DC State Championships the same year she was awarded DCSAA Coach of the Year in 2018.

Before her coaching career, Novoselnik played volleyball professionally for 11 seasons and was a member of the USA Women's National Team, including pipeline teams Youth, Junior, and A2 National Teams. She was a setter in the 2002 World Grand Prix team. Throughout her career, Novoselnik played in countries such as Spain, Slovenia, Germany, Turkey, Indonesia, France, and Italy. She was voted Best Setter in France in 2010 and as well as was one of the top servers in the league (Ligue AF). While in Germany, her team won the 2007 DVV Cup Final (Deutsche Bundesliga) and finished top 4 in Italy's league (Serie A1).

After finishing her professional career, Novoselnik began coaching in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with the UOK Vital volleyball club. She worked with 13-14-year-olds and guided them to an 11-1 record in her first season. 

Novoselnik (née McNamee) played NCAA volleyball as a setter and right-side hitter and graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in American Studies.  She earned Pac-10 All-Academic Team Honors and broke the Cal hitting percentage record with a .971 hitting percentage (11 kills, no errors, 12 attempts). 

Candace currently lives in Olney, MD, with her husband, and their three young children.

Zoe Huang- 13 Travel Assistant Coach 2024

I am super excited for my third year as a coach with the Metro family. The club has always been amazing to me and I am very excited to expand the family and share the love.

Zoe returns as for her third year coaching at Metro.  She has served as an assistant coach for both Metro 13 Travel and 14 East.

From Northern Virginia, Zoe started her club career with Metro at 14 travel until her 18’s year. Qualifying for open nationals every year except for her 17’s year due to COVID, her team finished as high as 13th in the open division.

In high school, Zoe went to Robinson Secondary School where she received various conference honors before transferring. At Flint Hill High School, the huskies won the 2019 Virginia State Championships. During that year, Zoe received various all-met and conference awards.

Zoe is now a part of the volleyball team at the University of Maryland playing in the Big 10. She is a junior setter and is studying Marketing.


Adam Hughes - Travel Technical Coach - 2024

Metro VBC Adam Hughes- Travel Technical Coach 2024
"I'm thrilled to be working with the Metro volleyball family again this season. I feel very fortunate to be able to work with such an incredible group of coaches and support staff in growing not only the club but the volleyball community in the Metro area. I'm proud of all that we've accomplished but also look forward to exciting new challenges and opportunities that are ahead of us!"

 
Adam Hughes is entering his 10th season with the Metro Volleyball club. He has been the head coach for the 15 Travel team since 2017, except during the 2018 season he was the head 17 Travel coach.  In that time, he has coached the girls to three Chesapeake Regional Championship titles and earned a bid each year to the USAV National Championships; three of those bids qualified them to compete in the Open division (2016,2017,2018).

Hughes was elevated to head coach of the Maryland volleyball program on Jan. 23, 2018. Previously, he served as both the associate head coach and assistant for the Terrapins over the last four years, where he was instrumental in raising the talent on the court and excitement around the program. In 2018 Hughes helped elevate the Terrapins to new heights, securing the most conference wins in program history (9). In 2015, Hughes was named a recipient of the prestigious 'Thirty Under 30' award by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, which honors the top-30 up-and-coming volleyball coaches under the age of 30.

Prior to moving to Maryland, Hughes spent four years as the Director of Volleyball Operations for the Penn State Women's volleyball team, specializing in team travel, day to day operations as well as being the primary technical operator of the Data Volley and Data Video software. He was also a volunteer assistant and manager for the Nittany Lion women from 2003-08. During that time, he assisted in team training, worked with Data Volleyball and DigVid, supported recruiting efforts and served as gym coordinator for four courts during the Penn State individual and team summer camps.

During his nine seasons at Penn State, Hughes helped the Nittany Lions capture three NCAA National Championships and eight Big Ten Conference championships.

Between volunteering at Penn State and becoming the Director of Operations he spent a year as the volunteer assistant coach for the women's volleyball team at UC Irvine in 2008-09. At UCI, Hughes handled video exchange, statistical analysis, helped build scouting reports and developed and implemented practice plans.

Hughes graduated in 2006 with a degree in Economics from the Penn State Smeal School of Business.