Coaching Staff

Luciana De Pra

I’m Luciana De Pra, originally from São Paulo, Brazil. With a rich background in volleyball, both as a player and a coach, I bring a wealth of experience to my role here. From 1987 to 1998, I competed as a professional in both indoor and beach volleyball, participating in notable tournaments such as the Brazilian Circuit, the South American Beach Volleyball Circuit, the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship, and the Brazilian Superliga Indoor, among others. My coaching career has been equally fulfilling. I have led teams in Georgia and Virginia, and I am currently at our Academy, where I am entering my fifth successful season. Throughout my tenure, our teams have consistently achieved remarkable results, including securing bids for the Girls Junior National Championships with teams in the 12s (2021) and 13s (2022, 2023, 2024) age groups. This past season, we proudly finished 3rd place in the Regionals Power League and 5th place in the National Division. In addition, I have recently completed two seasons of coaching at Nueva High School and Crystal Springs Middle School, where I gained valuable experience and contributed to the development of young players. I am enthusiastic about continuing my journey with the Academy, where I am committed to fostering player development, teamwork, and success. On a personal note, I have been married since 1996 to Leonidio De Pra Filho, an Olympic Brazilian Volleyball player and current assistant coach for the USA Women’s Volleyball Sitting Team. Together, we have two daughters: Livia, a 24-year-old former College DI player and coach at our Academy, and Laura, a 25-year-old former College DI player and current professional indoor volleyball setter in Brazil. I look forward to another season of growth, learning, and achievement with all of you!

Tyler Scheerhoorn

Hello Academy Parents and Players, I’m Tyler Scheerhoorn, also known as Coach Tyler, and I’m honored to have been part of Academy since 2021. Prior to joining this esteemed organization, I served as a University Coach in Canada and held the role of Technical Coach at the Academy of Student-Athlete Development, also in Canada. Additionally, I had the privilege of playing professional volleyball overseas in Austria and Luxembourg. I consider it a blessing to contribute to Academy, bringing with me a positive and charismatic coaching style that complements this prestigious club. I am thrilled to continue my journey with the Academy coaching staff, supporting and inspiring athletes as they progress along their volleyball paths. Let’s goooooo

Lukasz Sasnal

Hey Academy Families! I’m Łukasz Sasnal, originally from Poland, where I earned my volleyball experience as a player and as a coach. I worked with youth teams BBTS and BKS, two clubs from my hometown, that represent the city in the highest level of competition (at that time Plusliga and Orlen Liga).  My experience includes coaching U18, U16 and mini-volleyball, assisting coaching in women’s professional teams, as well as working with the Polish National Team Development Program as a Regional Team head coach. This opportunity allowed me to work with the most promising young talents and guide them towards achieving their potential. I have been part of the Academy since the 2021/2022 season. During that season, I joined as an assistant coach, 14 HP coached by Daniele Desiderio and 17 HP coached by Kyle Mashima. During that season, 14 HP won a silver medal in the National Division at Junior Nationals in Indianapolis. 2023/2024 I was coaching 11 HP together with Olta Desiderio, and 17 HP. 11’s won the Salt Lake City Qualifier and Power League Championship, and 17’s represented our club in the American Division at Nationals. Last season, I coached 17 National, and we represented Academy in the USA division after getting third place in the Spokane Northwest Qualifier. During those 3 years, I worked with developmental teams as well. My coaching philosophy is focused on cultivating a supportive and development-oriented environment where each player can grow both on and off the court. I am passionate about helping young athletes develop their skills, build strong character, and achieve success in volleyball and beyond. I look forward to another exciting season with Academy as we continue to pursue excellence and raise the next generation of volleyball players.

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Keith Lundgren

Greetings Academy Volleyball! I am very excited to be joining you all shortly. I’m very inspired by the Academy’s dedication and drive and the holistic, positive, deliberate approach to athlete development. I feel a strong alignment with these values. The Academy’s focus on hard work, development, growth, and the athlete-centered learning approach is inspiring. I look forward to being on the team and part of the developmental process with the athletes, coaches, and staff. My coaching journey has taken me on many adventures. I have been privileged to have coached from High School to the U-Sport level in Canada. Here in the US, I have spent time at the NAIA and NCAA Division 1 levels. Additionally, I have experience as part of a recruiting organization and performed roles as a volleyball performance analyst. Lastly, my path diverged from coaching volleyball at one point, and I was able to coach in the field of Strength and Conditioning at the College level for 5 years. Concurrently, I ran a personal training business focusing primarily on introducing people to fitness and guiding people on their health journeys. As a person, I am very passionate and focused on inspiring self-belief. My coaching philosophy is built on a foundation of expecting optimal attitude, effort, and enthusiasm from myself and others. Moreover, by focusing on people, purpose, and service, we inspire the developmental process and teach enduring and essential life skills. Growth is very important in my life, and I am thrilled about the experienced coaching staff the Academy has assembled. I have a love for teaching and hope my experiences can add value to the Academy’s vision statement to be the best volleyball club in the country. I am truly excited to meet you all!

Brad Hudson

Hello Academy Family! First and foremost, I want to express how excited I am to join the Academy community. I believe in the pursuit of personal and collective excellence. The foundation of this pursuit is values. My core values are humility, passion, gratitude, and servant leadership. With these values as a guide, our training and competitive culture will be based on mental, physical, technical, and tactical prowess. Young people have infinite potential and I look forward to sharing the journey. I have been blessed to parent two amazing kids, Cade and Makena. Watching them grow from young volleyballers to incredible university athletes has been enlightening as a coach and truly a joy as a parent. I have coached at every level, from early youth programming to the National team. I have identified and coached numerous young athletes who have gone on to represent Canada at the Olympics, and I look forward to finding another Olympian in the Academy. Let’s chase greatness. Go Academy!

Alan Domingos

Hello, Academy volleyball Family.
My name’s Alan Domingos, I’m from Brazil.
I was a professional volleyball player for 24 years. Of those years, I was the Libero of the Brazilian volleyball team for ten years.
I am a highly skilled, motivated, and passionate volleyball coach with over 24 years of professional playing experience in the following Countries: Brazil, Russia, Belgium, Finland, Romania, and Portugal. I was a distinguished player who won many international titles, including gold medals at the World Championship Italy 2010, World League 2008, and the Pan American Cup. I was elected the best Libero in the Russian league and the American Cup championship. I am devoted, dedicated, and determined to lead volleyball players to be their best while demonstrating the importance of integrity, commitment, and a strong work ethic. I am humbly resilient enough to face challenges in fast-paced environments and can assimilate to different cultures and sets of values. I’m very excited and grateful to join the coaching staff of Academy Volleyball Club for the upcoming season.

Mark Piorkowski

Hi everyone! My name is Mark Piorkowski and I am so excited to be joining the coaching team at Academy for the upcoming season!I grew up in New Jersey, where I first started playing volleyball in high school and quickly developed a passion for the sport. I progressed to playing club volleyball, which allowed me to be recruited to play for D-III Emerson College in Boston. While at Emerson, I was a 4 year starter, team captain, and reached the 1000 kill milestone. More recently, I have been a player and coach for a club in Copenhagen, Denmark. I spent two seasons both playing and coaching for the men’s team, guiding them to back-to-back promotions from the 4th to the 2nd tier of Danish volleyball. I also spent one and a half seasons as the women’s coach, who earned a promotion in my first season. I have also received my Master’s in Sports Management from Bournemouth University in the UK and have experience coaching club volleyball while living in Memphis, TN.I am very grateful for the opportunities volleyball has provided me already in my young career: being able to travel, live in new places, and push my boundaries. I love the sport and can’t wait to share my passion with the athletes at Academy Volleyball during this upcoming season. Looking forward to meeting you all soon!

Thomas Feng

Hi! My name is Thomas Feng and this will be my 4th year coaching at Academy! I am from Fremont, California and played volleyball locally for both Academy Volleyball Club and Mountain View Volleyball Club. As a player, I received 13+ offers to play Division 3/NAIA volleyball. Started on Varsity for 3 Years at American High School, and received MVAL First Team All-League Honors as an Outside Hitter and a Middle Blocker. Silver medal in the U16 USAV Junior Beach Tour. As a coach my accomplishments include, Academy Volleyball Club: 3rd Place 2021 NCVA Spring Fling. 7th Place 2021 USAV BJNC 17 Club. 3rd Place 2024 SCVA Red Rock Rave 13 USA. 3rd Place 2024 NCVA Far Westerns 13 USA. 3rd Place 2024 NCVA Power League U13. 5th Place 2024 GJNC 13 National. 5th Place 2024 BJNC 16 Club. 3rd Place 2024 BJNC 15 Club. And in Woodside High School: 2023 PAL Ocean League Champions. 2023 CCS D2 2nd Place (First Qualification to CIF Playoffs in School History). My passion truly lies in the development and preparation of athletes to play at the next level. I have worked with many athletes who have gone on to play in college and am excited to continue to help more young athletes acheive their goals. I am so excited to be able to share my love and passion for volleyball with the upcoming generation of athletes. I look forward to working with the rest of the amazing staff here at Academy to ensure the best possible volleyball experience for you and your family!

Livia De Pra

Hello everyone! I’m Livia De Pra, originally from São Paulo, Brazil. My journey in volleyball spans over 15 years, both as a player and coach. I began coaching at Academy in 2021 during my college summer breaks and transitioned to full-time coaching after graduating in 2023. I am passionate about supporting players’ development and fostering teamwork to achieve success together. From 2011 to 2018, I played both indoor and beach volleyball in Brazil, competing in some great tournaments such as the Brazilian Pro Club VB Indoor, SP Club Tournament, CBDE Volleyball World Championship in Serbia, where we finished 2nd in the World, and among others tournaments. In 2018, I moved to the U.S. to continue my volleyball career in college, committing to Seward County in Kansas, where we finished 2nd in the country during my freshman year. After two seasons, I transferred to Arizona, where I had another two successful years playing both beach and indoor volleyball. During this time, we became conference champions, qualified for Nationals, and I was honored to receive All-Conference and All-America recognition, ultimately concluding my volleyball career. My coaching career has been amazing. I started coaching in Virginia in 2020 and I am now entering my second successful season at Academy. Additionally, I recently completed a season at Crystal Springs School, where I gained valuable experience and helped young players’ development. I am very excited about continuing my journey with Academy. I look forward to another season of growth, learning, and accomplishments together! 

Chris Crader

Chris is in his fourth year at Academy and will coach 15 National this year. The life-long South Bay/Peninsula resident grew up in Santa Clara before graduating from Stanford. His love for the sport developed in college – playing on a blacktop court outside his freshman dorm every afternoon, then helping out with the men’s team, and working for future US Olympic Head Coach Fred Sturm, and future NCAA Coach of the Year Ruben Nieves.Chris then began his journey as a high school coach, which has led him to be the varsity head coach at Palo Alto High. He directed the Vikings to a 27-4 regular season record in 2023, and a perfect 12-0 league mark; their third league title in his first five seasons at Paly. Overall, in 34 seasons at the high school level, he has coached seven CCS championship teams, and has reached at least the quarterfinals of the state tournament 11 different times, at four different schools.He is excited to begin his 30^th season of club at Academy this year (and to work with Coach Łukasz for a third season!), after coaching at City Beach and MVVC previously. Chris has led four teams to medals at Junior Nationals as a head coach, including an Open bronze medal (in 15s). He’s also coached three teams to the Power League season-long title, and has helped nearly 200 girls to play collegiately (including 19 All-Americans, and 1 Olympic silver medalist). But he still loves the simple things, like helping a player find that “aha” moment with one of her skills, teaching some life lessons with a clever anecdote or quote, or thinking outside the box to make the most effective use of his players’ different talents. Chris’s favorite Academy memory (so far!!) is leading the 17s to a win over Vision Gold in 2021, marking the first time Academy had won the Gold division of any power league tournament. He’s quite glad that several other Academy teams have matched that accomplishment since!

Filip Kaminski

Hello, My name is Filip Kaminski. This is my 3rd season as a Head Coach for Academy of Volleyball. After eight years of coaching youth, elite professional, and national teams in Poland, I decided to gather and share my experience in California.I started volleyball as a player when I was nine years old. After 10 years on the court, I went back to volleyball but in a different light- as a Coach.In 2016 I was a coaching staff member for the U16 and U18 Polish Women’s National Team. Since then, I have earned 8 National Championship medals 16’s and 18’s Open Division, 3 of which are gold. My philosophy of coaching young players mainly focuses on cultivating joy for the sport and teaching them strong fundamentals. To achieve this goal, I work to find ways and approaches personalized to each player to ensure they come to every practice session with a huge smile. Mutual support, trust, healthy relationships, solving conflict, and cultivating joy are what I find the most essential in a successful team. I am beyond grateful for this awesome opportunity! See you soon on the court.

Sarah Triolo

Hello, my name is Sarah, and I am excited to return to Academy Volleyball Club for my third season as a coach. With three decades of experience in volleyball, both playing and coaching roles across various levels, I bring a passion for the sport and overall athletic development for all players.I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from San Jose State University and a Master’s in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from the University of Florida, specializing in Human Performance. In addition to coaching, I am a teacher and leverage my expertise as a sports nutritionist and sports psychology consultant for athletes. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with athletes at all stages of their journey. I am dedicated to developing each athlete’s overall development of skills on and off the court. I look forward to another season of growth, teamwork, and success at Academy Volleyball Club!

Monika Leon

Hello everyone! I am Monika Leon. With over 12 years of experience in volleyball, I established myself as a passionate player and dedicated coach. I played competitively for over a decade, including two standout years at West Valley College, where my contributions were crucial in leading the team to a runner-up finish in the state championship in 2021. Notably, setting a record for most blocks in a state championship game, showcasing my exceptional defensive skills. Transitioning to coaching, my time spent more than 8 years mentoring athletes across different volleyball clubs. My coaching philosophy emphasizes skill development, teamwork, and a strong competitive culture, inspiring players to reach their full potential on and off the court. I am committed to love of the game and instilling a sense of resilience and sportsmanship in their athletes.

Cristine Santana

Hello Academy Parents and Players, I’m Cristine Santanna from Brazil, married to Coach Harley, and proud mom to a son who plays at the Academy. I grew up playing indoor volleyball in Brazil, competed at the D1 level with Louisiana Tech University, and began my professional beach volleyball career in 2005, playing on the World Tour for 10 years. I’m honored to have represented the country of Georgia in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This is my second year coaching at the Academy, and it’s been a blessing to work with such dedicated players and supportive parents. My goal is to share the lessons volleyball has taught me—both on and off the court—and to help each player reach their personal best. I’m excited for the upcoming season and look forward to seeing the growth in all our players. Thank you!

Tyler Taylor

I am Tyler Taylor, an accomplished volleyball coach with extensive experience at institutions such as Idaho State University, Foothill College, Santa Clara University, Stanford University, and Golden West College. My career highlights include leading Idaho State to improve team blocks, contributing to Stanford’s 2016 National Title, and earning multiple Junior Olympics medals. With expertise in team management, training, recruiting, and innovative strategies, I consistently drive team success and athlete development. I am excited to bring my passion and knowledge to the Academy Volleyball Club and help our athletes achieve their highest potential.