COACHING STAFF
Set Apart Coaching Staff
We provide a very experienced coaching staff. The great majority of our coaches have played and/or coached at the college level. Our coaches are passionate about coaching and care for their players on and off the court. We strive for our players and other programs to see Jesus in our staff. At Anthem we prayerfully select the right coaches to lead our teams. Because we want the perfect fits for our organization, we will not fill more teams than we can provide quality coaching for.
STAY ON THE LOOKOUT ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES as we will be announcing all of our NEW 2024-25 Coaches leading up to Tryouts!! We have added a lot of new faces to the team and are excited for the year ahead!
18 NAVY
ALICEN
ALICEN PEARSON
With over 15 years of coaching experience, Coach Alicen Pearson has empowered athletes with competitive confidence and match winning success. Pearson was voted Region Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022 while serving as the Cartersville High Head Coach. She has coached at several high schools in Georgia as Head Coach, including Cartersville, Gordon Central, and Cass. Her volleyball journey began at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia where she was senior captain and led her school in career attacks and service aces. She went on to play volleyball at Berry College as a middle blocker and right-side hitter. Pearson’s love for volleyball led her to coaching club volleyball while in college and then high school as soon as she became an educator. Pearson is involved with community volleyball events ranging from after school programs, church camps, and individual coaching sessions. She looks forward to working with athletes at Anthem United Club to train athletes to overcome obstacles and maintain disciplined teamwork.
17 NAVY
MATT & TORI MALONE
MATT MALONE
Matt is one of our Club Directors, founded Anthem United in 2016 in an effort to combine his passion for the Lord with his passion for sports and growing the game of volleyball in our area. Matt was a tri-sport athlete at Gordon Lee High School, graduating class of 2011. After High School, Matt played college soccer at TN Temple University and began playing volleyball recreationally where he found a love for the game. Prior to Anthem, Matt served as an volleyball assistant coach for two seasons at a previous club and also spent a few years coaching High School basketball and soccer. Since 2016, Matt has co-coached the 18-1's for 6 straight seasons, seeing tons of success on the court. Matt has also assisted his wife, Tori with the Christian Heritage School Varsity program for 4 seasons. Matt was a huge part of helping the team qualify for the GHSA State Tournament for the 1st time in School History and seeing a back to back appearance the following year. Matt's favorite areas of the game to coach are helping players develop mental toughness, confidence, increasing their volleyball IQ, teaching hitting mechanics, and developing setters.
TORI MALONE
Coach Tori is the club director of Anthem United Volleyball Club. Tori founded Anthem in an effort to combine her passion for the Lord with her passion for volleyball. Her goal when coaching AU Volleyball always been for players to see Christ in the way Tori interacts with her players and Anthem families. Tori has been playing volleyball competitively since 2006 and has played almost every position on the floor, only excluding middle hitter. Tori played for East Hamilton High School where she helped her team finish 3rd and 5th in the Tennessee State Finals her junior and senior seasons. Tori played up in age groups many years while playing club volleyball and finished her club career playing on the 18-1 power team for Ocoee Heat in Cleveland, TN. Tori was offered several division 2 scholarships to continue her volleyball career but ultimately chose to stay local and play as a libero for Dalton State College in their inaugural season where she knew she could make an immediate impact as their starting libero. Tori recorded the first dig in Dalton State history and was her teams’ captain as a sophomore. Tori continued her playing career playing some sand volleyball, winning 3 tournaments locally and placing second in a tournament in Brazil. Tori began coaching in 2013 for Set for Life for two seasons, Force Elite, and then founded Anthem United in 2016. Tori served 2 years as the JV Coach and Varsity Assistant Coach for Boyd Buchanan High School. In 2019, Tori became the Head High School Coach for Christian Heritage School where in her 1st season she led the Lady Lions to beat their school record of most wins in a season, exceeding it by 10 wins. Her second season she helped bring her team to the GHSA State Tournament for the 1st time in School History and has continued to take them to State every year since. Tori continues to play volleyball competitively in adult leagues locally.Tori works as an Educational Therapist. Tori has been married 7 years and has one daughter, Katelyn. She is eager to get this year started with her 18s and help them find the best colleges for them if they choose to extend their volleyball careers.
17 RED
JOSH & ASHLYN
JOSH QUINN
Josh is from Birmingham, Alabama, and played 4 years of club volleyball for the University of North Alabama as an Outside Hitter and Middle Blocker from 2016-2020. In 2020, he graduated from UNA with a Bachelor's degree in Geographic Information Systems. After graduation, Josh moved to Chattanooga to work and be close to family. Josh started his coaching career as an Assistant Coach at Grace Baptist in 2022. He is currently heading into year 2 as an assistant coach at East Hamilton High School and beginning his third year with Anthem United. He has coached the 15-Red team for two previous years. Josh is excited to teach the athletes how to play their best volleyball and to live for Christ on and off the court.
ASHLYN BOYD
Ashlyn Boyd played volleyball all through middle and high school, lettering all four years as a Varsity member of Gordon Lee High. Ashlyn played club ball throughout school for C4, Force Elite, & ChooChoo City Volleyball Clubs before finishing her final two seasons with Anthem United on the 18-1s for Club Director, Tori Malone.
Ashlyn Boyd played one season of college ball at Chattanooga State as a DS/Libero. In High School she was given the Sidney Pierce award for desire & determination after helping lead her high school team to their first-ever state championship game.
Ashlyn has given volleyball lessons, assisted with positional training days, and coached Anthem United's 15-Red team for one season, followed by the 14-Navy team for two seasons. She loves to teach and wants to help each player reach their full potential. Ashlyn believes building confidence & team camaraderie are key to helping build a successful team. Volleyball is Ashlyn’s passion & she will bring lots of energy and excitement to her team.
16 NAVY
RACHEL & KINSEY
RACHEL PRIORE
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Rachel Priore has played volleyball for over 15 years. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, she is a graduate of South Elgin High School where she played volleyball and basketball, earning All-Conference Honors, All-Area Honors, Team MVP, and Team Captain. She played club volleyball and beach volleyball at Club Fusion Volleyball as a middle and outside hitter. In her time in high school, Rachel coached many summer camps and assisted with the boy’s high school volleyball team.
Upon graduation, Rachel attended DII California University of Pennsylvania, where she played outside hitter. In her time as a Vulcan, Rachel earned All-PSAC Conference Honors twice, All-Region Honors, Cal U AD Honor Roll, PSAC Scholar-Athlete Honors, D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards, and Team Captain.
In college, Rachel was the President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Rachel coached many summer camps and coached clinics for high school teams including Knoch High School who went on to win the 2017 PIAA State Championship. In the 2019 season, Rachel had a career-ending knee injury, resulting in staying on the sidelines and taking on a coaching role for her college teammates. This is where she fell in love with coaching.
Rachel’s coaching career continued with one season of club ball before starting her coaching career at Anthem in 2021 as a 16s Head Coach, last year serving as 16-Navy's co-coach. Rachel served as the JV Head Coach and Varsity Assistant at Christian Heritage High and now is an Assistant Coach at Chattanooga State College. We are excited to have her for a 4th year!
KINSEY WILCOX
Kinsey Wilcox started playing volleyball in 6th grade and played competitively year-around until she graduated high school. Kinsey attended Heritage High School in Ringgold, GA where she played Varsity all 4 years. Although she began as a setter, Kinsey transitioned into an outside hitter and played defense in her later years of school. Kinsey was the captain of the Generals volleyball team her senior year and competed at the State level many times. While Kinsey played on several travel volleyball teams in the area, she played her 18s season on the first ever Anthem United team in 2016. Kinsey attended the University of Georgia for college, where she was selected and chose to play in their very competitive club program. Kinsey is very passionate about taking her years of knowledge and helping other young players develop their skills and love for the game! Coach Kinsey has coached 2 prior Anthem seasons as a 16-Navy and 16-Red coach.
16 RED
BRILEY & DESTINY
BRILEY CONSIDINE
Briley Considine played competitive volleyball for 7 years. Briley was a Varsity Middle Hitter and starter at East Hamilton all 4 years of High School. Briley was a key part of the Lady Hurricanes offense and helped them earn two back to back State appearances in 2011 and 2012. She helped her team finish 3rd and 5th in state her sophomore and junior seasons. Due to the large role she played, she was named All District and All Region several times in her high school career. Her Junior season she was named in the paper for being one of the Top 3 Chattanooga players to lead the area in Blocks. Briley has coached three prior seasons of club ball (including 2 seasons of AU at the 15 and 16s levels) and is excited to "be a positive mentor to players and help their spiritual growth. She knows that lessons learned through this sport will not only help them on the court but in everyday life." We are so excited to have Briley for a 3rd season!
DESTINY CAVIN
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Destiny Cavin has been playing volleyball for 8 years competitively. Destiny played as a middle and right side hitter her 4 High School seasons at Ringgold High School where she received multiple awards in her time at RHS for being a school leader in blocks and aces. Destiny was named to the 6-AAA All Region team her senior season. She played club with Anthem United for 3 years.Destiny is currently on a volleyball scholarship at Chattanooga State for her freshman season. Destiny is majoring in exercise science with the intent to continue coaching volleyball in schools or other capacities post college. She began her coaching journey in 2022 and has served both 15 and 16-Red teams for Anthem. Destiny was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Destiny is very excited to coach this season, she says, "I’ve learned a lot from my coaches and can’t wait to pour my knowledge into young players."
16 WHITE
DAISY & ALEX
DAISY FELIPE
Daisy has played volleyball for 8 years, starting in middle school and continuing her passion throughout her career. Daisy started off as a setter for Saddle Ridge, playing club for GAVC for 2 years. Following her high school career at Lafayette, she continued to be a setter for her freshman year and played for Ascencion in 2019. Then in her sophomore year, she changed positions became a DS/L, and played club for Anthem for 3 years. During this time, Daisy helped her team to make 3 state appearances, final four appearance in 2019, and elite eight appearances in 2020 and 2021. She also received multiple awards her senior year; setting a school record of digs per season, while earning 3A GVCA All-state team and All-region honors and ranked 20th in the state for digs at the end of her senior year. Graduating from Lafayette, she graduated with honors and earned a D2 scholarship to play and continue her studies at
Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, where she played for her freshman year of college. At the end of her freshman year, she received an academic Cum Laude for earning a GPA of 3.3.
Daisy is currently majoring in Biology, minoring in psychology in the hope of transferring to another school to complete her studies in exercise science and become an athletic trainer and later a physical therapist. Daisy has continued to love the sport since the day she fell in love with volleyball and hopes to share her passion with young players. Daisy served as the 17-Navy assistant coach for the 2023-24 Season.
ALEX WYSONG
Bio coming soon.
15 NAVY
ANNIE
ANNIE O'DELL
Annie O’Dell is formerly from Cincinnati, Ohio, Annie came to Chattanooga in 1996 on a volleyball scholarship at UTC. She spent the next 4 years as an OH with a phenomenal team that won the Southern Conference 3 times, played in the NCAA tournament twice and she captured a record high 100 career wins for the Lady Mocs. She graduated with a degree in biology which led her to the next chapter of her life- teaching science and coaching volleyball at Ringgold Middle School and Ringgold High School.
Annie has been coaching club volleyball for almost 25 years, working with North Georgia Rage VBC, Cincinnati Attack Men’s VBC, and Anthem United VBC.
Annie and her husband Brandyn O’Dell were married in 2016 in the Eilean Donan castle on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. She has two children, Savannah and Bennett, who are involved in band and sports. She is a breast cancer survivor and loves coffee, dark chocolate, photography, and sharing her testimony.
Annie’s fight verse is Isaiah 40:31 and her motto is “He’s bigger than the battle.”
She is ready to take all of the incredible lessons life has given her and invest in her players. Annie has worked with 12/13s players at Anthem and has spent the last 4 seasons as our 15-Navy Head Coach. Annie's teams have placed 2nd and 3rd overall in the club division at Regionals for the last two seasons. We are so lucky to have her for a 5th year with AU.
15 RED
KAYLEIGH & ASHLEY
KAYLEIGH OWNBEY
Kayleigh Ownbey is a graduate of Sonoraville High School and is currently a student at Kennesaw State University. She is studying History Education with hopes of becoming a middle school history teacher and High School volleyball coach. During Kayleigh’s time at Sonoraville, she accomplished a lot such as 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances, a Final Four appearance, and a Region Championship her senior year. Kayleigh was a varsity outside hitter and starter all four years of high school. Although she was an outside hitter for high school ball, during club ball she would often play as a middle blocker. Throughout middle school and high school, Kayleigh played club ball every year. She played with C4 for two years and then spent her last several club seasons playing for Anthem!
Kayleigh began her coaching career by coaching 10u in the fall and 14u in the spring for the Gordon County Recreation Department. She fell in love with the game of volleyball and couldn’t let her time with the game come to an end. Kayleigh is extremely passionate about this sport and can’t wait to share her love for the game with other young athletes. Last season Kayleigh served as a co-coach for 15-Red. She is currently a JV coach at Christian Heritage High School.
ASHLEY CLINTON
Coach Ashley's volleyball career started in 6th grade, continued at Heritage High School, and finished in college playing competitively for her sororities volleyball team. Ashley played travel ball for Choo Choo City Volleyball Club, C4, and Force Elite. Coach Ashley was both a setter and right side hitter at HHS where she earned over 1,000 career assists and still holds the record for most aces served in a single set. Coach Ashley is excited to take her knowledge from the many years of playing and put it into coaching. She says, "volleyball was such a huge part of my life and I am looking forward to showing these girls how awesome the sport is!"
14 NAVY
HALEY & RYLEIGH
HALEY VAN DYKE
I started playing volleyball in 8th grade at Sonoraville Middle, then went on to play Varsity 4 years at Sonoraville High school.
I’m very proud of the following achievements during my senior year at Sonoraville:
- 3rd Region Championship
- All-State and All-Area player
- Played in the Final Four for the first time in school history
- Rome News-Tribune Volleyball Player of the Year
- # 1 in AAA in kills
- Set the school record for Most Kills in a season
I played club for Prolink Atlanta my 18s year and received a scholarship to Brenau University where I played for 4 years. While at Brenau I coached for Prolink with a 13s nationals, 14 and 15s regionals. I served as the assistant coach at Red Bud Middle in 2019, and have coached the 13-Navy, 15-Navy, and 16-Navy teams while at Anthem.
I love volleyball so much, and I enjoy having the opportunity to share that love for the game with girls who are developing their own passion for the sport.
RYLEIGH PAYNE
I am from Chatsworth, GA. I graduated from Christian Heritage High School. I currently attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I am majoring in Biochemistry. I have plans to become a doctor. I have played volleyball since 6th grade, and played 4 seasons with Anthem United. I played varsity volleyball all 4 years in high school. I was an outside and rightside hitter. During my time at CHS we made our very first state appearance. I was picked for first team in region my senior year. I am so excited to be able to coach this year and can’t wait to have so much fun this season. Coach Ryleigh has assisted Coach Tony with his 12s players and last season served as an assistant coach on our 13-Navy roster.
14 RED
HAILEY & SIENNA
HAILEY HUBBARD
I started playing volleyball when I was nine years old and have played on competitive team since. I graduated from a small town in Florida called Viera, where I attended Viera High School. I played on Varsity for three years, and freshman for one. I used to be a libero up until my freshman year, I got switched to a setter. I helped my high school team to win a state runner up championship. Now i currently play volleyball and study my major at Chattanooga State University. Last year I served as the Anthem 13-Red coach. I am very excited to help teach young players and help them learn a lot!
SIENNA DYE
Bio coming soon!
13 NAVY
BAYLEA & BRANDON
BAYLEA RICHARDS
Baylea has played volleyball for 11 years and continues to play in some adult leagues. She is a graduate of Sonoraville High School and Middle Georgia State University. During her time at Sonoraville, she accomplished many things such as a Sweet 16 appearance, two Elite 8 appearances, and a Final Four appearance. She was 90+ percentage in aces for all four years, ranked 41st in digs out of all classifications, and was named All-Region and All-Area for 2 years. Throughout middle school and high school, Baylea played club ball every year. She continued her volleyball career as a starter for all four years at Middle Georgia State University. She played all 6 positions at some point during her college career and was a captain for two years. She was named All-Academic team for all 4 years and was ranked 3rd in the school’s history for the most amount digs.
Baylea began coaching her freshman year of college. She coached 13s-15s for Tsunami Central GA. She is in her 3rd season as the JV coach/Varsity Assistant for Sonoraville High School, who is currently playing in the state playoffs. Coach Baylea says, “Once I picked up a volleyball in 6th grade, I knew I wouldn’t put it down for years to come. I love this sport and I love helping girls find that love and passion for the game." Baylea has led several AU 17/18s teams and last season served as a co-coach for 16-Navy at AU. We are excited for year 4 with Baylea!
Brandon Knight
Brandon has been in coaching for 15 years. Baseball at the middle school level, Basketball at the high school level, and Volleyball at all levels. This will be year 6 coaching volleyball. He is currently the head volleyball coach at Sonoraville High School where he teaches Art and Special Education. This is his 4th season there. Prior to coaching at Sonoraville, Brandon coached 3 years of club ages 10-15 and directed a club in Calhoun. Brandon is married and has 3 daughters.
13 RED
KELSEY
KELSEY BLEVINS
Kelsey Blevins is from Dalton, Georgia and has 8+ years of volleyball experience. She graduated from Southeast Whitfield High School in 2008, where she was the starting middle hitter for three years, all-area team her senior year, and broke the school record for most aces in a season (99). She started coaching in 2021, ranging from 4th-8th graders, and has won two Dalton Parks & Recreation Dept. Volleyball Championships. She also teaches small group sessions & camps where she focuses on fundamentals, communication, and teamwork, and helping each player reach their full potential. Kelsey is a passionate coach who is proud to pass down her love of the game to her teams and their families, especially her own daughter, Harper.
12 NAVY
TONY & KATELYN
TONY HOEKSTRA
Tony Hoekstra has been coaching volleyball for over 25 years. His coaching career includes:
1994-2000 Walnut Hills High School JV Girls Coach
1995-2002 St. Williams School Boys 8th Grade Coach
1996 Thunderbirds 16 Girls Junior Olympic Team
1997-2016 Cincinnati Attack Boys Junior Olympic Coach for ages 13-18s
2006-2016 Cincinnati Attack Club Director for Boys 13-15s
2016-2019 Summer Camp 16-18s Girls Coach for Shepherd University.
2019-current Anthem United 12's & 13's Girls Head Coach adn Juniors Program Director
We are so blessed to have someone with Coach Tony's coaching experience back with us for the 6th season.
KATELYN JOHNSON
Katelyn Johnson started playing volleyball her freshman year of high school for the very successful and competitive homeschool patriots program. Beginning her sophomore year, she played varsity volleyball at Gordon Lee High school as a middle blocker/hitter where she was a part of the team that made it to the State Championships and earned the title of State Runner Ups. Katelyn was a captain and key player for Gordon Lee her senior season and helped her team make it to the Sweet Sixteen. Katelyn received honorable mention for the 2023 6AAA All-Region team. She played club volleyball for 3 clubs in her high school career, including a season at Anthem United on an 18s team. Katelyn has one season of experience as an assistant club coach and has served the last two years at Grace Baptist Academy assisting Coach Tony Hoekstra with their middle school program.
12 RED
LARISSA
LARISSA BRALY
Larissa has a great passion for volleyball. She grew up playing volleyball in the Birmingham area and eventually earned a college scholarship to a school in Alabama. Larissa then completed her playing career at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama.
After college, Larissa volunteered with various programs in Montgomery. When Larissa and her family moved to Chattanooga she assisted with the Patriots homeschool volleyball for a couple of years. She took a short hiatus from the sport to raise her two precious children and has now returned to the sport once again since her daughter has fallen in love with volleyball. Ultimately, she wants to share her love of volleyball, and help the girls grow in skill, leadership, confidence, and character.
Playing Experience:
1991-1992 Pelham High School
1992-1995 Thompson High School
1991-1995 Birmingham Volleyball Club
1995-1997 Central Alabama Community College
1997-1999 Faulkner University
Past Coaching Experience:
Prattville Christian Academy - Volunteer Assistant (2 years)
Brew Tech - Head Coach (1 year)
CSTHEA Patriots - Assistant (2 years)
CSTHEA Patriots Head Coach (1 year)
Anthem United 12s and Juniors Head Coach (3 years)
Positions Played:
A little of everything, but her specialty is Defensive Specialist / Libero.
Larissa has a heart for the Lord and her players. She matches the mission of our club and ministry so perfectly. We are so excited to have her with us again this year!
11 NAVY
TONY
TONY HOEKSTRA
Tony Hoekstra has been coaching volleyball for over 25 years. His coaching career includes:
1994-2000 Walnut Hills High School JV Girls Coach
1995-2002 St. Williams School Boys 8th Grade Coach
1996 Thunderbirds 16 Girls Junior Olympic Team
1997-2016 Cincinnati Attack Boys Junior Olympic Coach for ages 13-18s
2006-2016 Cincinnati Attack Club Director for Boys 13-15s
2016-2019 Summer Camp 16-18s Girls Coach for Shepherd University.
2019-current Anthem United 12's & 13's Girls Head Coach adn Juniors Program Director
We are so blessed to have someone with Coach Tony's coaching experience back with us for the 6th season.
MASTERS/FLOATER COACH
JENALLE DUFF
Jenalle Duff has played volleyball for over 15 years. Originally from Lafayette, Indiana, she is a graduate of William Henry Harrison High School where she ran track for 2 years and played volleyball for 4 years earning First Team All-Conference Honors and the distinction “Pride of Harrison Volleyball.” While Jenalle was a 6-rotation left-handed outside hitter in high school, she was a rightside hitter and defensive specialist on her club volleyball team, Circle City. Jenalle continued her volleyball career at DII Hillsdale College where she played outside hitter, rightside hitter, defensive specialist and libero. In her time as a Charger, she earned GLIAC All-Academic Team, Honorable Mention All-GLIAC and GLIAC South Division Player of the Week Honors.
In college and after graduating, Jenalle coached many lessons, summer camps and club teams ranging from 13 year olds to 18 year olds. She also coached a 6th grade middle school volleyball team at Jonesville Middle School in Jonesville, Michigan.
In June 2019, Jenalle went on a mission trip with New Hope Church in Camden, Michigan to Uganda, Africa where they served at Heal Ministries (a non-profit organization that empowers and resources vulnerable, abandoned, and widowed women and children in Christ centered programs), Sole Hope (an organization committed to fighting foot diseases in East Africa by educating communities, providing medical aid, creating jobs, and distributing shoes to eliminate the suffering caused by jiggers, a detrimental parasite)) and Amani Baby Cottage (a home that provides care for orphaned, abandoned, and vulnerable children, from newborn to 5 years old).
Jenalle met her husband, Joseph Duff, her junior year in college - they got married in June 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, shortly after. She served last season as 17-Navy's head coach and will be serving the club this year as a floater/masters coach, helping as needed.