Cal Kickoff 2022 Recap

Cal Kick Off weekend has officially wrapped up and tournament season is in full effect! It has been an exciting time seeing each of our teams compete and grow throughout the event. 

Congratulations to 12 Conan for taking home the 12 Club Division! The team completed the weekend with an undefeated record and many memorable moments. 

“I am beyond proud of what the team was able to pull off at Cal Kickoff. Going 6-0 against some really great competition in our first tournament, and we are not going to stop getting better. The sky is the limit for this young group of girls!” - Coach Conan


This year, five teams represented UC ELITE in the Open Division. The Open Division is filled with NCVA’s top competitors who bring a high level of skill to the court. We are proud of those who took on the challenge with a strong drive to compete this weekend!

18 Matt 3rd in Open

17 Jel Top 10 in Open

16 Randell 5th in Open

14 Oliver 3rd in Open

13 Vivian 3rd in Open

“I am so proud of the resilience and hustle my girls showed on the court against high level competition all weekend! I’m excited for them to get back on the court and find a way to make the improvements needed to succeed as a team.” - Coach Jel

“5:1 today and played so well against the number 1 seed that won the whole tournament. Beyond proud!” - Coach Oliver on Day 2 of the tournament


Huge congratulations are in order for our teams who competed in the Club Division. For many this was their first tournament as a team or even their first NCVA tournament in general! Each team started off their season strong and we are excited to see what they’ll be able to accomplish in the future.  

17 Sarah 3rd out 26

17 Andrew 25th out of 26

16 Minh 33rd out of 62 

16 Conan 53 out of 62 

16 Chloe Reese 41st out of 62 

15 Vivian 3rd out of 40 

14 Lynda 3rd out of 58 

14 Mafa 13th out of 58 

13 Kelly/Isaiah Top 10 out of 28 

“As coaches we were very proud of our girls this past weekend with them being able to finish off in the top 10. The Cal Kickoff tournament is a good gauging point for us and we know that it will only go up from here for them.” - Coach Kelly and Coach Isaiah 

“I am so proud of the girls who were able to make it, we were missing half our team by the last day. They showed true grit and played their hearts out in such a tough situation. We are looking to build on this experience and grow from it in our coming tournaments.” - Coach Conan on 16 Conan

“I’m really proud about where we’re at, and I’m really excited because we only had 2 months together. Half of you guys haven’t even played club before, look at us! We’re at a big tournament that a lot of clubs go to and we’re competing at a really high level.” - Coach Lynda

"MY VOLLEYBALL STORY" - ANGELINA ESTRADA

Angelina, or “Lina”, has been a member of UC ELITE VBC since it was founded in 2014. Lina has dedicated countless hours to the sport and to the club to polish her overall game. It has been an honor to watch her grow as a player and as a person these past few years and we wish her the best of luck as she enters her 6th and final year with us!

LINA’S ACCOLADES EARNED DURING HER HIGH SCHOOL CAREER:

  • 2019-2020 — FIRST TEAM ALL MISSION VALLEY ATHLETIC LEAGUE

  • 2017-2020 — MISSION VALLEY ATHLETIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

  • 2018-2019 — DIVISION 1 NCS CHAMPIONS

  • 2017-2018 — DIVISION 1 NORCAL CHAMPIONS

  • 2017-2018 — DIVISION 1 STATE RUNNER UP

  • 2017-2018 — DIVISION 1 NCS RUNNER UP

  • 2019-2021 — TEAM CAPTAIN OF JLHS GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM

  • 2018-2019 — TEAM MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

CHECK OUT WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT HER TIME WITH UC ELITE VBC AND WHAT SHE WILL MISS THE MOST AS HER VOLLEYBALL CAREER COMES TO A CLOSE:

WHY PLAY CLUB VOLLEYBALL?

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Club volleyball has really grown in popularity throughout the US since the early 2000’s. We see parents and athletes now committing earlier to the sport of volleyball. Choosing a volleyball club is the route for athletes committed to the sport of volleyball. Athletes that do, go through a tryout process and are assigned to a team at a club. Typically this is with other players their age. Those players then train and compete in tournaments throughout the off-season of their school teams.

Why Play Club Volleyball

So why should you play club volleyball?

Club volleyball can help a player meet several goals, including:

  • Improving their skills and game experience – Due to the length of season, weekly practices and numbers of tournaments played, skills can’t help but improve…sometimes dramatically.

  • Receiving strong coaching – Many clubs hire coaches who have been coaching for a long time or were players themselves and now coach.  It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of a wealth of knowledge and experience. At UC ELITE you will experience training from seasoned club coaches, a variety of accomplished high school varsity coaches, and even collegiate coaches on our staff.

  • Playing competitively – Playing club means you are competing consistently. Whether it’s in practices or tournaments the level of play and competition is higher. This competition prepares players to better compete for playing time or starter positions back at their schools.

  • Gaining exposure to college coaches and programs – For the volleyball player who wants to play at a collegiate level, club is a must. Recruiting doesn’t happen through high school sports and college coaches will tell you that. At UC ELITE we consistently help our players get exposure. This has enabled us to see numerous athletes go on to play college volleyball through our program.

  • Getting to compete at a higher level – Players may find themselves at less competitive high schools. They could also handle more competitive play.  Club volleyball matches an athlete to a team appropriate with their skill set. This enables players to experience a more challenging level of play.

  • Improving physical fitness – With two-three practices per week and day-long tournaments, players build strength, stamina and overall conditioning.

  • Meeting new friends with similar goals – We all know that school volleyball players can vary with their commitment and interest in the sport.  With club ball, players compete with like-minded athletes developing friendships both on and off the court.

  • Extending the season of the sport they love!

BENEFITS OF PLAYING CLUB VOLLEYBALL

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The direct advantage of playing competitive club volleyball is the amount of additional time on the volleyball court and in competitive situations that high school and middle school coaches cannot create in their respective off-seasons. For example, most club teams have two to three practices per week for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours per practice. This translates into over 80+ hours of additional practice time in the gym dependent on team. In addition, teams can  participate in approximately 12+ tournament days and seasonal tournaments, dependent on level, starting as early as January and generally ending around April/May. This translates into anywhere from 40 to as many as 50+ matches (depending on the level of the team, travel and success of the team). The average high school season is around 20-40 matches so numerically this is like playing a whole season in the offseason.

For all athletes who have aspirations in playing at the next level in college, then club volleyball is necessary. College coaches do the majority of their recruiting during club season and are at many of the national qualifier & showcase tournaments. At UC ELITE Volleyball Club we work hard with our athletes through the entire recruiting process. We make sure you are doing all the things you need to do. At UC ELITE we have contributed and helped numerous athletes reach the collegiate level.

UC ELITE welcomes Coach Sarah to Summer Coaching Staff

We welcome Coach Sarah to our summer coaching staff!

Check out her bio below and sign up for her summer camp sessions!

Sarah Nauss

Sarah was born and raised here in Fremont attending Washington High School. After graduating she went on to play volleyball at Rockhurst University (Kansas City, MO). Upon graduating from Rockhurst she graduated with four teaching credentials and 2 degrees. In Kansas she coached club from 2013-2015. During the 2014-2015 season she led her team to an appearance at the USVA Nationals. Upon returning to CA she started coaching both Girls and Boys Volleyball at American High School. 2015-2016 she was the JV Head coach for both girls and boys. From 2016 to the present she has been the head coach of the girls program. Each of those years American has made NCS and in 2016 had an appearance in the CIF Nor-Cal rounds. 

COVID-19 Facility Reopening Protocols

After the latest updates with the ACHD Summer Camp Guidance and the USAV, we are pleased to slowly open our doors to our club members and coaches. As always, player and staff safety will be of primary concern in our effort to restart so we must have commitment from everyone in following the safety protocols. If you do not feel safe to return to the gym for volleyball, have loved ones that are of high risk, or have any symptoms, you are not required to participate – please stay at home. It has been a long struggle since we had to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic in early March, but we want to make sure anyone who walks through our doors is as safe as humanly possible.  Please carefully read all our protocols & rules below.

UC ELITE Reopening Protocols & Rules 

1.  You must register, sign waiver and pay online for any activity prior to arriving at the facility.

2.  You must adhere to all governmental rules as well as the facility rules.

3.  You are required to fill out our daily sign-in sheet prior to entering the facility, along with a temperature check during check-in.

4.  Bring your own water, mask, disinfectant and/or snacks to the facility for your lesson, session or your workout. 

5.  Masks are required to be worn to and from the courts or workout area.

6.  Gloves are required when working out in the training area.

7.  Coaches and staff will also need to fill out daily sign-in sheet prior to entering facility

8.  Coaches will work with no more than 12 athletes per lesson, camp, or workout.

9.  Coaches are required to wear a face mask while inside the facility at all times.

10.  Coaches must disinfect all balls and equipment after each session.

11.  Parents are allowed to wait in the parking area during the lessons or workouts but not in the building.

12.  Players must stay at least 6 feet apart during water breaks.

13. Players must not enter the facility until at least 10 minutes before to the start of your session/lesson to minimize crowding or encounters with previous groups.

14. Players must wash hands and exit the facility promptly after each session/lesson.

15. Entire facility and all equipment will be disinfected and cleaned at the end of each work day.

(COVID-19) USA Volleyball 4/22/20 UPDATE

USA Volleyball is extending the elimination of sanctions for all USA Volleyball activities (including but not limited to events, practices, team activities, individual training sessions or anything covered by USA Volleyball insurance) through May 8, 2020.

Following several communications with the USOPC, the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and our insurance providers, USA Volleyball has received permission to sanction virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings during this period of sanction suspension. Any virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings involving minors are subject to requirements of MAAPP, specifically the regulations on electronic communications and one-on-one interactions. These requirements include the following:

  1. All virtual trainings/coaching/meetings must be “observable and interruptible,” able to be ended at any time, and have at least two applicable adults on each session, i.e., coach and assistant, coach and club director, etc.

  2. All parents/guardians must be provided the code or link to join the virtual session.

  3. All parents/guardians must sign a waiver in advance as these sessions could be viewed as individual training. A record of which clubs/coaches have been approved to conduct these sessions should be kept. USAV has created a standardized waiver form if you care to use it.

  4. If a minor athlete ends up emailing a video to a coach for feedback or additional coaching, the coach needs to copy the parent/guardian and/or other applicable adult on all correspondences.

To be clear, virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings will only be considered sanctioned so long as the above requirements are followed.

USA Volleyball has been asked by local clubs whether such ban applies to club activities covered under the club’s own (non-USA Volleyball) insurance. In these situations, USA Volleyball strongly encourages all member clubs and coaches to adhere to USA Volleyball’s policies. However, should a club decide to voluntarily disregard those policies and assume all risks associated therewith, we recommend that the club adhere to CDC; local, state and federal guidelines and recommendations when deciding whether or not to host practices or individual training sessions. If a club does host practice or individual training sessions, those activities would be considered a non-sanctioned activity by USA Volleyball and thus NOT covered by USA Volleyball insurance.

The health and welfare of our membership, volleyball families and fellow citizens is our primary concern in all decisions we are making during these uncharted times.

USA Volleyball is monitoring the situation daily and will continue to provide updates on a regular basis.

UC ELITE ADDS OLIVER DOFILES TO 2019 BOYS COACHING STAFF

UC ELITE is happy to have Coach Oliver join our boys coaching staff and head coach our 14U team for the 2019 season!

About Coach Oliver:

Oliver is very knowledgeable of the sport and continues to educate himself. He is IMPACT and CAP II Certified and is currently working on his CAP III. Oliver has 5 years of club coaching experience in addition to over 8 years of playing experience.  Oliver has played high school and college volleyball and continues to share is knowledge and love for the sport through coaching. 

Oliver Dofiles had a successful 2018 season coaching SF Tremors 14:1 He led his team to a 2nd place finish in the Bay View Classic competing in the 16 division. He served as an assistant coach for the SF Tremors 13-1 Wolverines in the Windy City Chicago Qualifier where the team finished 1st place in the USA Division and qualified for the Girls Junior Nationals.  Prior to last year, Oliver has coached at Club Kalani from 2014 through 2017.

In addition to club coaching experience, Oliver had an opportunity to coach in the USA Future Select National Skills Program (2017) in Las Vegas, NV. Oliver has participated in several High Performance Tryouts (2016, 2017, 2018 in Reno and San Mateo). Oliver has also represented the Northern California Region as an Assistant Coach for the Future Select Girls Regional Team (2017).  NCVA Head Coach Select Red Team (2018).

When Oliver is not coaching, he enjoys spending quality time with his family, loves to run and play golf.

UC ELITE ALUM (ALEXIS FERNANDEZ) JOINS BOYS COACHING STAFF

We welcome back UC ELITE alumni Alexis Fernandez to our boys coaching staff! He will head coach our 16-1s team!

BIO

Alexis graduated from Tennyson High School in 2016. He started playing volleyball his sophomore year and made varsity his first year playing. He was given the position as team captain his junior and senior year. He played 1 year of club at UC Elite. After he graduated, he came back and coached the girls volleyball program at Tennyson High School for 2 years. He was the head coach of the Junior Varsity Team and Assistant Coach to the Varsity Team. During his first year coaching at Tennyson, they made history for making NCS for the first time in the school’s history. He coached 1 year at Lakas Volleyball club and he had a girl’s 16-1 team in 2017. In 2018 he moved on and went to Encore Volleyball Club. In 2018, he was an assistant coach to a 16-1’s team and 14-2’s team. His second year he coached his own 15’s team and was assistant coach to a 13’s team. In fall 2018, he moved on from Tennyson and went to Bishop O’Dowd High School were he coached JV and assisted on Varsity. His first year being at Bishop O’Dowd they went undefeated in league, won NCS Division 2, won NorCal Division 1, and state runner up finishing the season with a record of 34-7 and being ranked 4th in California. Alexis is excited to come back to UC Elite where he started his first year of club at.


- 2016-2017 Tennyson High School Junior Varsity Head Coach and Varsity Assistant. •Fall 2016 made NCS for the first time in school history
- Coached in 2017 at Lakas Volleyball club
• Head Coach to a 16-1s team for the girls program
- Encore Volleyball Club (2018-current)
• Assistant Coach to Encore 16 Navy 2018
- Top 10 at Cal Kickoff tournament
- Top 5 at Las Vegas Showcase
- Top 4 at Spokane tournament
- Finishing Power League 15th
•Assistant Coach to Encore 14 Red 2018
-1st at Cal Kickoff Tournament
- Won silver division at Colorado Crossroads tournament
- finishing 9th at Far Western Tournament
- finished 29th in power league
• Assistant Coach Encore 13 Chia
- finished 13th at Cal Kickoff in Open Division
- finished 25th at Colorado Crossroads
- finished 5th at Far Westerns
- finished 13th in Power League
• Head Coach Encore 15 Lex

- Bishop O’Dowd High Volleyball
• JV Head Coach
- Berkeley High Tournament runners up
- Undefeated in league
- Recored 24-5
• Varsity Assistant
- 1st at Norte Dame Belmont Tournament
- Silver Division winners at Nike Invitational Tournament in Arizona
- Runners up at Stockton Classic Tournament
- NCS Division 2 winners
- NorCal Division 1 winners
- Division 1 State Runner up
- Recored 34-7
- Coaches Bishop O’Dowd Summer Camps
- Coaches Volleyball at Stanford University summer camps