Welcome to The Cove
Youth volleyball for 12U through 18U at CSUMB in Marina, coached by teachers and current college and high school head coaches.
Volleyball has the power to shape confidence, character, friendships, and a lifelong love of learning.
We believe every young athlete deserves coaches who teach with purpose, teammates who encourage one another, and a place where the joy of the game comes first.
Whether you are picking up a volleyball for the first time or chasing your biggest goals, our commitment is the same:
Teach the game well.
Love the game deeply.
Help every athlete grow.
Looking to join a team? Fill out our new player interest form and a coach will follow up about open roster spots.
A Cove semi-private group workout in the Otter Sports Center on the CSUMB campus, home court of the university’s NCAA Division II volleyball program.
how we coach
Through volleyball, we teach the things that last.
Confidence, resilience and being a good teammate. Our staff includes a special education teacher, a college kinesiology instructor and two coaches with master’s degrees in education. They coach the way they teach: patiently, one athlete at a time.
We want every athlete to feel capable, keep getting better and want to come back.
Strength and conditioning is part of our training, so athletes get stronger and stay healthy.
“Young athletes should feel supported enough to take risks, and confident enough to grow.” Jody Garry
“Every athlete learns differently. Meet them where they are, then challenge them to grow.” Michelle Uchida
“Learning from mistakes is how you understand how to improve, and how you keep challenging yourself.” Hannah Castillon
“Some of the greatest growth happens in the moments between success and failure.” Brittney Long
“Coaching has always been about more than wins. It’s about confidence, character and life skills that last.” Israel Ricardez
who’s in the gym
Our coaches have spent their careers teaching this game: in college programs and high school gyms across the nation, and on the beach. They’ve coached at every level, from 8U to NCAA to USAV.
They know what young athletes need at each step, because they’ve walked alongside them through all of it.
2
current college head coaches
4
current high school head coaches
2
master’s degrees in education
4
NCAA Division I programs coached
All of it goes toward one thing: helping young athletes grow, on the court and off it.
Our coaches have coached at NCAA Division I programs including Washington State, Saint Mary’s, Idaho State and Stetson. Four have played or coached at CSU Monterey Bay, where Cove trains, and others grew up playing at Gavilan, San Benito High and on the Peninsula.
That experience shows up in the small things: how a drill is taught, how a mistake is handled, how a quiet kid finds their voice.
questions families ask
The things we’d want to know, too.
Playing time Coaches make playing time decisions based on practice, effort and team needs, and they will always tell athletes what to work on next. Questions? Just ask your coach.
Thinking about college? Several of our coaches have recruited for college programs at the highest level and know how the process works. If playing in college becomes a goal, we’ll give your family honest guidance.
Safe and screened Every Cove coach is background-screened and SafeSport trained through USA Volleyball.
New club, experienced people Cove is new, but our people aren’t. Our coaches have spent their careers in the sport, and our Director helped grow another youth club from one team into a large, established program.
why cove?
We coach with purpose.
We teach with patience.
We compete with joy.
We celebrate effort.
We inspire a lifelong love for the game.
And we’ve spent our careers learning how.
Still deciding? We’d love to have you visit.