Sam Nimpchaimanatham, born in Thailand and retired from the U.S. Air Force with 25 years service, began playing and coaching indoor and beach volleyball for USA Volleyball clubs and military teams three years into his military career. Since 1990 while serving in the Air Force in Okinawa, Japan and Florida, Sam has volunteered his off-duty...

Bethani Hincherick has devoted two decades to coaching youth players to become the best they can be. She used her experiences as a four-year letterwinner at Grand Valley State University from 1996-1999, including captain her senior year, to develop her own coaching skills for the next generation of players. Bethani has coached Elite Teams at...

Loren Paulozzi has made Ohio Valley Region’s Southwest VBC into a family affair with a history of success. He began his coaching and club director career almost 25 years ago when his daughters Charlotte and Amy were playing volleyball in grade school. Now both of his daughters are coaches on the Southwest staff serving northeastern...

John Nelson started playing volleyball in coed sand and indoor leagues as a teenager and later went on to play with his unit at Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He joined USA Volleyball as an adult player in Yakima, Washington and became a regional referee in 1992. Ever since then, John has...

From the first time he stepped on the volleyball referee stand in 1979, Joe Campbell has loved the game. And that is from a football and baseball fan growing up never having followed volleyball until Japanese strangers asked him to try the sport in 1979 while in the U.S. Air Force serving in Japan. His...

Michelle Goodall has a habit of saying yes, and that has expanded her volleyball wings to nearly every discipline. While in college, Michelle coached her first high school volleyball team in Rocky Ford, Colorado. She moved back to her home state of Iowa in the early 1990s where she played on a women’s USA Volleyball...

Brady Starkey took over as head coach at Concordia St. Paul in 2003 and has created one of the best dynasties in all collegiate sports at any level. In 17 seasons with the NCAA Division II Golden Bears, Brady holds a 550-66 record through the 2019 season. He has mentored Concordia St. Paul to nine...

Dr. Cecile Reynaud spent 26 seasons as head coach at Florida State until her retirement in 2001, yet was a coaching mentor for so many outside of the Seminole program. Cecile, who accepted the head coach position at Florida State at age 22, posted a 635-326 record with the Seminoles, which ranked ninth all-time in...

Chuck Nelson was flying high when he was introduced to volleyball at the Topeka, Kansas YMCA, thinking this new game might be a fun addition to the other sports he played at Washburn University. Shortly after graduating in 1956, Chuck joined the U.S. Air Force. While not flying jet fighters, he continued his new love...

Diana Hoffman learned to play volleyball in 1958 at Burbank Parks and Rec in a program designed to give young girls the chance to compete after softball season ended. That early introduction propelled her to become a women’s volleyball pioneer of the Olympic-era. Diana quickly elevated her game to be among the best setters in...