Coaches

Who is this Lynne Stopford person? Well, I am a transplanted Yankee from Cincinnati, OH. I always root for the Bengals and the Buckeyes, whether they are good or bad. In fall of 1997, I came to Chattanooga to teach math at Baylor School, a private day and boarding school here in town. Growing up, I never played club ball, just played for my school. I guess I was good enough to be able to keep playing in college. I attended Denison University, earning a degree in both Math and Education. I was a 4 year starter for Denison's volleyball team and earned all conference honors while there. I currently head the volleyball program at Baylor. I am with the varsity program in the fall and with the middle school program in the winter.

In 2000, I was invited to start up a Junior Olympic Volleyball club. Being young and naive, I did not know what I was getting into. We had three teams that first year. Now eight seasons later, I am managing 7 teams and a staff of 20+ folks that share the same passion for coaching and working with kids that I do.

Experience:
I grew up playing volleyball in Illinois. Sylvan Lake, the community I lived in had three sand courts with summer leagues and tournaments. My high school started a guys team my junior year and I went on to play in college at Trinity International University. I did an internship at Stars and Spikes SportsCenter in Crystal Lake Illinois, home of Sky High Volleyball.

This will be my third season coaching for Dig to Win. I currently coach at Notre Dame High School. Go Irish! Before that I was an assistant coach at Covenant College for two seasons. Go Scots! I've also assisted with two high school teams in Illinois before moving to Tennessee.

Influences:
I enjoyed learning from some of the older guys in Sylvan Lake. They had a junior olympic team before there was guy's volleyball in Illinois. My high school coach was great (Coach Szymkoviak), Coach Sien at Trinity, and of course Kevin Ulmer, Herb Ahne and Shawn Paul.

Favorite Things about Volleyball:
I love the speed of the game and the excitement of a hard fought rally. With coaching I love being able to teach the girls new skills and watch them progress. I really miss playing in sand tournaments.

In Real Life:
I teach PE at Rivermont Elementary. So I get to play all day long. I have two kids, Elias and Finnlea, and a beautiful wife, Carlene. We love the outdoors, camping, hiking, kayaking, etc.

Experience- I have been playing volleyball ever since middle school and have only grown to love volleyball more and more as the years go by. I played ball all through high school as well and this coming season will be my 4th year playing at Lee University.

Influences- I really starting playing volleyball because of my love for sports in general. As a young athlete I played the majority of sports out there, but volleyball was always my favorite. I would have to say that my parents and coaches have influenced me greatly over the years because of the tremendous support and love for the game they have. Also as I played varsity ball in high school I was really encouraged and impacted by my coach and she is such a crucial part of my volleyball career to this day.

Favorite thing about volleyball- There are so many things I like about volleyball that it is pretty hard to narrow it down! I would have to say that one of my most favorite things about volleyball is that volleyball is most definitely a TEAM game that includes all 6 six players at all times. It is just so amazing how each individual in almost every play is required. This creates a certain respect and team unity that in my opinion is rare in other sports. Team chemistry is crucial in this game, and it just makes everything more enjoyable to have such a connection on and off of the court. The fact that you NEED your teammates (every single one) is unique to me.

In Real Life - I am currently playing volleyball at Lee University and studying to be a teacher and coach. This is my first experience coaching club volleyball outside of the realm of coaching camps and private lessons. I hope to one day coach high school and be a health and physical education teacher.

I am currently the assistant volleyball coach at Lee University in Cleveland , TN. This is my second year back with Dig To Win after taking a few years off from the club volleyball scene. I like coaching volleyball because of the teamwork and the pace of the game. I like it from every aspect. Coaching strategy, statistics, tendencies, mechanics, crazy plays and good skill. I still consider myself a student of the game.

I played one year of men's club volleyball at UNC. Dig to Win is my first experience coaching.

My father is an athletic director, basketball and football coach at Rosman High School so either I have the genes for or learned to love coaching from my father. My high school also had a very strong women's volleyball team who won a state championship, and I worked as a lifeguard with the setter on that team. The volleyball program at UNC has had a large influence on my love for volleyball, as well as the coaching staff and players at Dig to Win. Lastly, all the men and women at Covenant College who are active in volleyball have a large influence on me.

I love the fact that every time the ball is put in play one team is going to score a point. I love that there is ten seconds to call your play, find their setter and hitters, and then execute. I love to see bodies hit the floor, to get a nearly impossible dig, and to beat the ball down. I love the techniques that are involved and the rhythms of the game. I love that there are two or three hitters attacking the defense of the other team every time the ball is put in play.

I am an undergraduate junior at Covenant College majoring in chemistry. I am interested in marine science, meteorology, oceanography, biblical studies, and coaching.

I have coached middle school volleyball for 5 years. This will be my second year with the Dig to Win club.

Many people contribute to my coaching style and traits. My most influential would be Coach Dee Carter. His preparation for the game both mentally and physically completes a circle of wellness for the player as well as the team. The second influence would be Coach Andy LaFevor. His spirit and passion for competition evokes a dedication to the game and to the team. With the middle school, I have coached softball, basketball, volleyball, and cheerleading. Each gives me a different perspective to the players and the teamwork. Therefore, the students that surround me influence my growth as a coach and as a student of the game.

I enjoy a tough rally. The players can feel the intensity of teamwork regardless of whomever won the point. Those moments define the players and the team, not the score.

I teach science and coach volleyball and basketball at Red Bank Middle School. My family lives here in Chattanooga and we all support each other.

"People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get." Fredrick Douglass

This is my third year with Dig to Win and I really enjoyed getting to work with these eager and energetic athletes. My volleyball interest is not limited to the coaching side, but I also continue to play on league teams at the YMCA and I organize a sand volleyball league during the summer. I am looking forward to getting to know a new group of players to help mold into future volleyball stars of Chattanooga.

I got hooked watching the USA Olympic teams, and started playing after that..sometimes 5-6 times a week.

I love the competitive nature of the game..not only is it a power game it is also a finesse game. I also love that it takes the whole team to win.

In my opinion, volleyball is more of a team sport than any other sport out there. In baseball, a pitcher can throw a perfect game and the rest of the team doesn't have to do much. In basketball, you can have a point guard run the whole game. His/her team might not be too happy about it if it happens, but it's still possible.

That kind of situation isn't possible in volleyball. If you don't use your team, you don't stand a chance. You have to learn your teammates and you have to get that chemistry on and off the court. Sometimes you have to work for it, sometimes it just happens on its own.

When it does happen, though, it's just so stinkin' fun!!

My family is very close- now that we're all (somewhat) grown up (I'm the youngest of 3 kids) we all get along really well. Being away from them is hard sometimes, but it makes those times when I'm able to make the trip back home that much more enjoyable!

Leo Sayles

Experience:

I am currently in my fifth year as head women’s volleyball coach at Bryan College, and advise the men’s club team. I have coached volleyball at some capacity since 1989 (20 years this spring!). I coached boys and girls high school teams in California for 5 years, Connecticut for 6 seasons, and volunteered with a team in Illinois for two seasons. I coached club while in Connecticut, but stopped to help my wife when our first child was born. Now, five children later, I am looking forward to stepping back into the club scene as a coach, not just a recruiter! – and no, I am not trying to get out of a loud household…although it is wild and crazy at home. I have directed volleyball camps since 1996 in Connecticut, Illinois, and through Bryan College. I am looking forward to working with some of the great talent we have in the Chattanooga area.

Influences:

Coaches have influenced my life throughout my sports career. I was blessed with very kind, caring coaches in several sports, and have tried to emulate what they passed on to me. From my high school track coach, to my high school basketball coach, to my college football/track coach, I have learned that although we teach the importance of team, the individual is still the reason why we teach – for that opportunity to teach, train, and impact young lives. I am humbled at the privilege that parents allow us to be personally involved with their children, and pledge to do my best to give make their experience meaningful.

In Real Life:

Although I am not pastoring a church, I am a minister, and am still dedicated to working with youth – just now I use sports as an avenue to make a difference. I am a father of 5 great children, aged 14-6, and am the husband of a loving, beautiful wife, who has always been one of the biggest supporters of my teams. I am blessed that my life does revolve around my coaching, and hope I get to stay in the realm of coaching until I retire. I am an outdoorsman, and love Tennessee because I can fish, hike, camp, hunt, boat etc. at any time of the year! Any bass fishermen want a partner?

Experience:
I have been with Dig To Win. I started my 'coaching career' as a 9th grader at Baylor helping the middle school teams. This year I am taking on a new role as Club Treasurer.
As a player I was a setter and a defensive specialist.

Influences:
My high school basketball coach influenced me the most. I was willing to work harder for him because I knew that he truly wanted me to be not only the best player I could be but also the best person I could be. I want to be that kind of coach.

Favorite Thing About Volleyball:
My favorite accomplishment as a player was being a part of Baylor Volleyball from its first season and being in the Final Four in our fifth season. My favorite accomplishment as a coach was taking a 16s team to a National Invitational Tournament in 2003.
My favorite part about volleyball is watching a long rally with hard, smart hits and miracle digs that make the fans hold their breath but gives the players a calm confidence.

Main Thing to Teach Kids:
Confidence. Kids do more, achieve more, and reach goals when they have been supported and had confidence placed in them by the adults around them.

I am a social studies teacher at Washington Alternative School. I work in a very challenging situation everyday that allows me to see how much a positive influence can affect a young person. I also call stats for the UTC volleyball team and run the shot clock for the UTC women's basketball team.

My experience consists of playing in high school back home in Virginia and then in college at Covenant. Next came seven years of coaching at the high school level and coaching at my alma mater.

have come from the players that I coach. They challenge me to learn more about the game so that I can help them reach their fullest potential.

To be strong and confident under pressure. I want to teach them to work hard for themselves and for others. I want to teach them how to be a team player. I want to teach them that discipline and sacrifice are habits and last much longer than the volleyball season.

I am happy to be the wife of a teacher/basketball coach, and the head volleyball coach at Covenant College. There’s one dog, two remotes and three blocks to the Krispy Kreme!

Volleyball had always been just a fun game that, occasionally, boys could play. The highlight in my volleyball “career” was serving for the intramural championships in front of the whole middle school. I also played intramurals in college (Runners up in ’04- champs in ‘05) and for a club team in the winter of ’05. I’ve been a coach’s aid for an NAIA school in northwest Iowa (Northwestern) and spent the fall season of ’05 as the JV coach of MOC-FV high school in Orange City, Iowa. I also coached high school AAU volleyball for the past two years in Iowa. After graduating from Northwestern College I was offered a job teaching physical education and health and as head volleyball coach at Chattanooga Christian School.

Influences: I credit most of my coaching education to an incredible teacher of the game. She has gained little notice outside of the state of Iowa but has built an incredible program in the northwest corner. Leeanne McMillen, head coach at MOC-FV high school, has been the main model for my coaching. She taught me the importance of passion, encouragement, and fundamentals; because of her I have a greater appreciation and understanding of the game.

From start to finish volleyball is a very unique game. It is a game that takes more than pure athleticism. There is a lot of the game that requires a certain amount of finesse and that makes that game beautiful. My favorite thing: Three hitters transition to the attack line in perfect synchronization, approach with grace, and slam the ball on the other court … that is my favorite thing about volleyball. Oh, and a great stuff block!

My love for sport has shown me that no game is perfect, no player is perfect, no referee is perfect, and no coach is perfect. Perfection cannot be reached, but we always strive for excellence. The first way to do that is to believe in yourself. “If you don’t believe in yourself, how can anyone else?”

I teach physical education and health at Chattanooga Christian School. I am the son of Dean and Wanda and I am a brother tothree siblings and three in-laws: Wendy (Derek), Matt (Diane), and Amanda (Greg) - which makes me the 9th wheel at family get-togethers. I'm also in my second year as the varsity volleyball coach at CCS.

My volleyball experience includes coaching university, club, junior, and camp levels. I coached both men's and women's volleyball at Western Illinois University. For the women's program, I was co-organizer and co-coach of the women's open team (one year); assistant coach women's varsity (one year); coach of the women's junior varsity (one year) and I ran the men's volleyball club and coached the men's A and B teams (two years). I continued coaching in the junior olympic development system, where I coached the St. Louis Mid-America Junior Olympic Volleyball team for two years. I coached at camps too numerous to count for the USA Volleyball National Development Camps in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. I also coached at camp in Colorado and a Volleyball Magazine Camp in Illinois. While at Western Illinois I played for four years in club ball and in the North Central Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, being named to the all star team three seasons. My other playing experience consists of some three player tournaments, the Oak Street Beach, occasional leagues, and some "wally-ball" where my left posterior cruciate (a.k.a. left knee) decided it had had enough.

EXPERIENCE:
MY LOVE OF VOLLEYBALL STARTED IN FLORENCE, ALABAMA AT BRADSHAW HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE WE WERE STATE CHAMPS MY SOPHMORE THROUGH SENIOR YEARS. I THEN PLAYED AT THE LOCAL COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA FOR MY FIRST TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE. I WAS OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE WITH MY AUNT, UNCLE AND THEIR TWO DAUGHTERS IN PRAGUE FOR A YEAR. MY UNCLE WAS WORKING WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT THERE AND I WAS ABLE TO PLAY ON A CZECH VOLLEYBALL TEAM, WHICH WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!! I RETURNED TO A FULL VOLLEYBALL SCHOLARSHIP AT OLE' MISS AND FINISHED MY COLLEGE PLAY. OUR TEAM MADE IT TO THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BOTH YEARS, ONE HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AND THE OTHER AT BYU. MY COACHING EXPERIENCE BEGAN AT UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS WITH A GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP IN WOMEN'S ATHLETICS. WHILE WORKING TOWARD MY MASTERS I WAS UNDER THE VERY ABLE TUTELAGE OF DIANE HALE, WHO HAD MOST RECENTLY HELD THE HEAD WOMEN'S JOB AT IOWA STATE. THROUGH HER MID-WEST CONNECTIONS I WAS INTRODUCED TO STEW MC DOLE AND HIS VOLLEYBALL WORLD. I BECAME A CAMP COACH WITH HIS SYSTEM WHICH CONDUCTED BUNCHES OF CAMPS/COACHES CLINICS EVERY SUMMER THROUGH-OUT A SIX STATE AREA. I WAS THE ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE MID-AMERICA JUNIOR TEAM ATTENDING NATIONALS AT UCLA AND WAS THE SITE COACH FOR ST. LOUIS. MY OTHER JUNIOR INVOLVEMENT WAS IN MEMPHIS, WHERE DIANE AND I STARTED THE PROGRAM AND I COACHED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I OBTAINED MY INTERNATIONAL COACHING CERTIFICATION IN 1980.

INFULENCES:
MY VOLLEYBALL INFLUENCES INCLUDE: MY DAD, WHO FIRST GAME ME AN INTEREST AND LOVE FOR SPORT, IN GENERAL. MY HIGH SCHOOL COACH, NOONA KENNARD, WHO OFFERED AN INCREDIBLE PROGRAM TO GIRLS AT A TIME WHEN THAT WAS UNUSUAL AND TAUGHT ME TO BE A COMPETITOR AND THAT SPORTS ARE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY HEROINE AND PLAYER I MOST WANTED TO BE LIKE WAS MARY JO PEPPLER, AN OLYMPIAN, PROFESSIONAL PLAYER AND SUCCESSFUL COACH.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT VOLLEYBALL: VOLLEYBALL HAS INTRODUCED ME TO MANY THAT FALL INTO MY "FAVORITE PEOPLE OF ALL TIME" CATEGORY AND AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST IS MY HUSBAND, ART. WE MET AT VOLLEYBALL CAMP IN IOWA--HE WAS A VOLLEYBALL PLAYER IN COLLEGE AND A SUMMER COACH.

IN REAL LIFE: I TRY TO KEEP UP WITH MY THREE TEEN AGED SONS--WES, A SOPHOMORE AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS MAJORING IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND JAPANESE, PHILIP, A SENIOR AND SOCCER PLAYER AT MC CALLIE WHERE JAY IS A SOPHOMORE AND ENJOYS ALL THINGS OUTDOORS-- PLUS MY HUSBAND, AN ATTORNEY AT SPEARS, MOORE, REBMAN AND WILLIAMS. I LOVE TO TRAVEL!!

I have been a coach for most of the last 15 years. As a child I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged my love of sports, who never allowed their daughters to settle for “playing like a girl”, who were available to discuss strategy and who were always willing to practice in the backyard. What I enjoy about volleyball is this same encouragement to use your mind and your body, to set goals and work to their fruition. And I love helping each girl find her strengths along the way. In my other life I am the mother of three bright, creative, athletic, adult daughters and wife to a patient husband.

Dig to Win Coaches
(the brady bunch gallery) click pic to view bio

Coach Registration With Region

Dig to Win Coaches (the brady bunch gallery) click pic to view bio

Coach Registration With Region

Dig to Win Coaches
(the brady bunch gallery) click pic to view bio