Metro American Volleyball

 Click HERE to email Brian

Brian Wong is in his second year with Metro American Volleyball.  He was the assistant coach for the 15 North team last year.  

Brian began his volleyball career at Lincoln High School in San Jose, CA.  While there he was Second Team All-League and Varsity Captain.    He then went on to De Anza College and then the University of Maryland.  Brian played club volleyball while at both colleges.  He earned a BA in Economics. 

Brian then went on to coach Junior Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys at Abraham Lincoln High School,  UMD Club Womens’ Volleyball, and the 14 Travel Team for Columbia Volleyball Club.

Currently, Brian is a Systems Administrator and enjoys cooking, relaxing, watching hockey and baseball and volunteering with the All Shepherd Rescue.   Brian also wards off ninjas in his sleep.

Metro American Volleyball Club is excited to announce Katherine Williams as a new Central region coach.  Katherine was an assistant coach for Absolute Volleyball Club’s (CA) 13’s team and was also the Santa Barbara Volleyball Club co-director of the Volley Pints Program.

Katherine began her volleyball career at Redwood High School (California) where she led her team to the state semi-finals and was awarded with first team all league her senior year.  She played for the Empire Volleyball Club’s 16’s team, who finished in Gold in Northern California and then was a founding member of the Absolute Volleyball Club.  

Katherine went on to play for the UC Santa Barbara club team, which won the NAIA National Championships in 2008.  She was named first team all tournament at the Vegas Invitational (2008) and was the Southern California League MVP (2011).  While at UC Santa Barbara, Katherine earned her BA in History.

Katherine is currently the Head of Individual Donations at Worldwatch Institute.

Click HERE to email Dawn

Dawn Barnes is in her second year coaching with Metro American Volleyball Club.  Dawn is also in her second season with the Howard University Women's Volleyball team. Coach Barnes finished third in the 2011 MEAC Conference polls (5-5). As a first year Head Coach, Barnes had her first 2011 conference MEAC Conference appearance. She produced one First Team All-Conference Player, Tosin Elebute. 

Dawn served as a volunteer assistant coach at University of Pittsburgh 2010-2011, an assistant coach at Tennessee State(1998), an assistant coach at Vassar M&W Volleyball team, and a graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky(1996-1997), Indiana State (1995) and Augustana College (1993-1995).  She also served as the Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the highly-successful Williamson County Select Volleyball team (Nashville, Tenn.), which earned a Big South tournament championship during her tenure there. In three seasons with Williamson County Select (2005-08), Barnes had 13 women go on to play collegiate volleyball. Four players have gone on to NCAA Division I teams, two to DII teams, four to DIII teams and three to NAIA teams. She also spent three seasons with the Impact Volleyball Club under USA Volleyball (USAV).

Barnes is also very active with the USA High Performance tryouts, developmental camps and clinics at various locations throughout the nation.  In 2010 she was selected as the Assistant Coach to the Select Team at the USA HP Nationals in Wisconsin Dells. 

Dawn is a native of Moline, Illinois.  She graduated from Teikyo Marycrest University with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology with concentration in Nursing.  She was a standout hitter for the Eagles, earning All-Conference and Regional honors. In addition, Barnes was invited to Colorado Springs, CO for the 1992 Summer Olympics tryouts.  Dawn is also a member of the AVCA and Black Coaches Associations.  

Owen Ranger is in his second year with the Central region of Metro American Volleyball Club.  Last year, he was the assistant coach for 14 Central.  Owen comes with a variety of coaching experience.  He was an assistant coach at National Cathedral School in 2007 and 2008, and head coach in 2009 and 2010.   He is now the head coach at Connelly School of the Holy Child. Outside of volleyball, he was an assistant basketball and softball coach at NCS from 2006 to 2011, an assistant baseball and football coach at Valdez High School in Valdez, Alaska from 2001 to 2006 (baseball)/2003-2006 (football), head girls’ basketball coach at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage, Alaska (2001-2002), and interim head coach of the Valdez Torpedoes Swim Club (2001).  For four years at NCS, Owen coached the 2010-2011 Gatorade DC Player of the Year Izzi Eberstadt, also a former Metro player.  

Owen attended boarding school in Virginia where they didn’t offer volleyball, so he grew up playing beach volleyball during his summers at home in Long Beach, California.  

Owen then went on to attend Pepperdine University  where he earned his B.A. in Spanish and History.   While there, he studied under the men’s head coach, Dr. Mary Dunphy, one of the greatest winners in the sport’s history.  Owen also completed his MBA studies at George Washington University.  

Currently, when Owen is not coaching he serves as a substitute teacher at Beauvoir Elementary School and also works at the Friendship Ambulatory Surgery Center.  

Click HERE to email Cassandra

Metro American Volleyball Club is excited to announce that Cassandra Ricketts will be coaching in our Central Region this season.  Cassandra coached our 13 Central team a few years back and enjoyed seeing the improvement that each girl made throughout that season; including a 9th place finish in the 14’s division at the South Atlantic Championships in Richmond.  She has also coached many summer camps at Brigham Young University, Brighton High School and American University.

Cassandra began her volleyball career at Brighton High School where she led her team to the 2006 State Championship.  She was nominated as 1 of 8 Academic All-Americans nationwide and was named First Team All-State her senior year.  Cassandra also played for the High Country Volleyball Club where her team made an Open Division appearance at the Girls Junior National Championships her 16’s, 17’s and 18’s club years.  

Cassandra then went on to American University where she led the Eagles to 3 Patriot League Championships, 3 NCAA Division I Tournament first round appearances, and was nominated the 2010 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  She was also named to the first team All-Patriot League in 2010, was a 3 time Rookie of the Week Award Winner, was nominated to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll all 4 of her years, and was named to many various All-Tournament Teams.  While at American University, Cassandra earned her B.S. in Biochemistry.

Currently, Cassandra is a Research Specialist at Whitman-Walker Health.  

 *Picture and Bio coming soon

 *Picture and Bio Coming Soon