Coaches

Elaina has been involved with the Jr. Gryphons for 5 years as a coach and has been coaching the Development program the past 3 years. She has been playing volleyball for 15 years, with 6 years of rep experience, and has played intramurals for the past 6 years at the University of Guelph. She has been attending the Madawaska Overnight Volleyball Camp for 12 years, 5 years as an athlete and the last 7 as a coach. 

With over eight years of competitive volleyball experience, both indoor as a middle blocker and on the beach, Morgan brings a deep passion for the sport. Coaching has opened up exciting new opportunities for her, allowing her to grow both as a leader and as a mentor. Alongside her coaching journey, she is also pursuing an undergraduate degree in Chemical and Bioengineering at McMaster University.  Morgan is eager to apply the same dedication and drive that volleyball has instilled in her. 

Jack discovered his passion for volleyball when he played for the Guelph Grizzlies for 6 years before they became the Jr Gryphons. 

Jack first realized his desire to coach while assisting with his former high school team after graduation.  The opportunity to Head Coach for the Jr Gryphons for the last 3 years has made coaching something he'd like to pursue as a career. 

This year Jack would like to encourage his players’ passion for the game by developing skills needed to succeed at a higher level and perform to the best of their abilities in competition.  

Alex is a former varsity player from Javeriana’s University in Colombia. This will be his 8th year coaching with the Jr. Gryphons and he is looking forward to expanding his coaching knowledge throughout his time here.  Alex is looking forward to getting to know each athlete individually and helping them to achieve their goals this season. Alex is NCCP Level 2 Trained

Zach is entering his 6th year as a Jr Gryphons coach, 5th year as Technical Director and 4th year as University of Guelph Women’s Varsity Assistant. Over that time, he has been active with OnPoint Beach volleyball where he has had the opportunity to coach with both the Canadian and US Jr. National team coaches, the head coach of Spain’s National Program and the head coach of Men’s next gen national program, where he also did a stint as a guest coach.

Zach began coaching his last team at 16U where they were ranked 109th in the province. By the end of 18U they were ranked 29th , had won 14 medals (6G, 3S, 5B) and had 3 athletes continue their volleyball career at post-secondary institutions.

This is Jeff’s 7th year with the Guelph Jr. Gryphons club and 18th coaching.  He is Level 2 certified and has coached for over 14 years in the OVA across all age groups, both boys and girls.  Jeff is an Assistant for the University of Guelph's Mens Team.  

Jeff’s goals for the team will be to have fun and to inspire passion for competitive volleyball.

This will be Allison’s 8th year with the Jr Gryphon’s. She is passionate about the sport of volleyball and has been playing for over 16 years, including 4 years with the OVA. Allison started coaching for the Jr. Gryphons during her undergrad at the University of Guelph and has since completed her PhD. Allison loves being a part of the community and is looking forward to continuing her role as a coach with female athletes. Her goal is to foster her passion for the sport in her athletes and develop strong, confident, dedicated volleyball players who excel both on and off the court. 

Following graduation from university, Greg wanted to give back to the community and began coaching volleyball and basketball in southwestern Manitoba.  When his career path brought him to Ontario, he continued to coach volleyball at high schools in the Halton Region.  Greg has been coaching volleyball for 11 years now and is entering his 8th year with the Jr. Gryphons.  He enjoys the challenge of developing young players and is excited to work with the Jr. Gryphons coaching staff to help his players excel at and enjoy the wonderful sport of volleyball.

Tess (Maritess) grew up in Etobicoke and later moved to Mississauga during high school. A dedicated multi-sport athlete throughout her formative years, Tess began playing volleyball in Grade 6 and quickly developed a passion for the game.

Her involvement in volleyball was rekindled in 2019 when her daughter Madison began playing and shared her enthusiasm for the sport. Tess joined the Pakmen Volleyball Club as an assistant coach from 2020 to 2023, where she contributed significantly to the team's development.

In 2022, Tess and her family relocated to Guelph, where she now continues to advance her coaching skills by contributing to the Guelph Community Volleyball programs.

Outside of coaching, Tess enjoys supporting her children, as they compete with their respective volleyball teams. She also tries to find time to spend with her family while trying to sneak in some time to engage in golf, softball, basketball, volleyball, and bowling. 

Chloe started playing volleyball in 12U and played for the Jr Gryphons from 16U until 18U. Chloe has been an Assisstant Coach in the indoor and beach development programs for 4 years. 

This will be Chloe's 2nd season as coach for a rep team and she is looking forward to helping athletes achieve their volleyball goals! 

This is Coach Brad’s second season with Guelph Youth Volleyball Club. Coach Brad is an experienced coach; he is an intermediate teacher with over 20 years experience, coaching more teams and sports than he can count! His passion for volleyball really took off after his daughter began playing club volleyball. Coach Brad is a student of the game alongside his athletes, taking as many courses and mentoring opportunities he can get. You may find him reffing OVA games, coaching, or supporting his daughters while they play. Coach Brad’s priority is to develop athletes with good foundational volleyball habits.

Stefan has had a passion for volleyball since he discovered it in Grade 8 and grew up playing in the club system in Germany. After coming to Canada he played competitively at the highschool and varsity level and in the OVA beach circuit.  Stefan has been a Guelph resident for close to 20 years and is the proud father of three daughters.  When he isn't busy parenting or coaching, he loves to find time playing tennis and singing in the local church choir. Stefan started coaching for the Jr Gryphons in 2022.  

Vanessa has played volleyball competitively for 6 years and rec for 8. She has been an assistant coach for highschool boys volleyball teams in Kemptville, Ottawa.   Vanessa has grown up playing the sport and loves it. 

Vanessa is a biochemical engineering student at the university of Guelph. (2nd year)

This is Vanessa's 2nd year as Head Coach with the Jr Gryphons.

She is looking forward to helping athletes achieve their volleyball goals as they excel both on and off the court.