Ask any athlete what made a season great and the answer is almost never a tournament. It is a coach. The one who stayed after practice, who noticed the small improvement, who believed in them a little before they believed in themselves.
That is why announcing our NSSC volleyball coaches is one of our favorite days of the year. Here is who will be leading the NSSC Family on the court for the 2026–27 season, from our 10U–12U athletes all the way up to 18U.
17U & 18U Coaching Staff
Jack Stover leads our 17/18 Nike team. A First Team All-State player at Francis Howell North, Jack coached NSSC 18 Boys to Nationals in 2025. In his words: “I love coaching at NSSC to help people become better, and I love winning!”
Our 17U and 18U regional and local coaches:
- Raechel Cantoni – All-State at Lutheran South, four years of club volleyball at SEMO, and a longtime junior high and club coach.
- Kaitlyn Zajicek – Woodland High School volleyball alum who loves “helping girls discover their true potential.”
- Aimie Parkin – All-State at Advance, played at Jefferson College, and has coached with NSSC since 2015.
15U & 16U Coaching Staff
Brandon Best leads our 15/16 Nike team. Brandon brings a decade of beach volleyball, Nationals appearances in both beach and indoor, and time as president of SEMO Men’s Club Volleyball.
Our 15U and 16U regional and local coaches:
- Josey Wahlers – Saxony Lutheran standout who played at Maryville University and went to USAV Nationals three times as a player.
- Whitney Froman – Scott City alum who played at East Central Community College.
- Evan Best – Troy Buchanan High School alum from Troy who played club volleyball at SEMO and captained teams to national competition in both beach and indoor.
- Kaitlyn Coffman – Fredericktown High School volleyball alum and middle school coach.
- Kennedy Cissell – former NSSC athlete from Perryville who won a state championship with St. Vincent High School in 2025.
- Shawna Vanpool – All-State at Puxico with college playing experience.
- Rachel Cobb – All-District player at Dexter who went on to play at Jefferson College. A former NSSC athlete herself, she says she has “always enjoyed the volleyball atmosphere and what NSSC brought me when I was a player.”
13U & 14U Coaching Staff
Madyson Eller leads our 13/14 Nike team. A First Team All-Conference player at Argenta-Oreana (IL) who went to nationals with her own club team, Madyson says she loves NSSC’s “positive and constructive environment that facilitates growth in the athletes’ skills and love of the sport.”
Our 13U and 14U regional and local coaches:
- Jessica Sostillio – Jackson High School alum and four-year Southeast Missouri State player, twice First Team All-OVC.
- Cassi Schaefer – All-District and All-Conference at Leopold.
- Elizabeth Bolin – Academic All-State and three-time Stoddard County champion at Dexter High School, in her first year coaching and “beyond excited” to help athletes grow their skills.
- Lauren Kline – Academic All-State at Sikeston and a club coach since 2019.
- Rachel Cobb – All-District at Dexter and a Jefferson College player, also coaching our 15U and 16U athletes.
- Sam Dohogne – Notre Dame Regional record-holder for blocks who played at Graceland University.
10U–12U Coaching Staff
Lori Meyer leads our 12 Nike team. A four-year starter at Southeast Missouri State and the current varsity coach at Bell City, Lori has spent decades coaching club volleyball and has already taken an NSSC 10s team to Nationals. Our youngest athletes are in very good hands.
Our 10U–12U regional and local coaches:
- Holly Hoesli – All-State at Leopold and a four-year Murray State player.
- Lindsey Bickings – Strafford High School volleyball alum.
- Chase Schaefer – from Bell City and in his first year coaching, he loves “watching players build confidence, work together as a team, and reach goals they once thought were out of reach.”
- April Burchard
- Symone Owens – North Pemiscot High School alum from Homestown, in her first year coaching and all about “teaching girls to make the game fun but also push them to greatness.”
- Madyson Eller – also leading our 13/14 Nike team.
- Amber Helms – Cape Central alum and a club coach since 2020.
- Ava Stephens – Fredericktown High School alum and former NSSC athlete, in her first year coaching. She loves “being able to watch players become more confident and grow their love for the game.”
- Kara Kassel – former NSSC player from Perryville, two-time All-District and team captain at St. Vincent who went on to play at Columbia College. Kara has coached club for seven years and taken three teams to Nationals.
What Every NSSC Coach Has in Common
Different hometowns, different playing careers, different coaching styles. But every coach on this list shares the same job description: meet each athlete where she or he is, and coach them forward. That means teaching the game well, and it means building confident, coachable kids who are better teammates on and off the court.
It is also why so many of our coaches are former NSSC athletes, local high school and junior high coaches, and college players who came home to give back.
Want to get to know them better? Read full bios on our Coaching Staff page, and say hello the next time you see them in the gym.
Welcome to the 2026–27 season, NSSC Family. 🏐
