Our Coaching Roster
At 864 Elite VBC, we believe quality coaching is the foundation of a good program and have made the commitment to build our program with that in mind. There is demand for us to offer 2 or 3 times as many teams, but we have made the decision to only grow as we are able to find the best in coaching in this area.
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Melissa has been coaching club volleyball for over 10 years and comes to 864 Elite with experience coaching 12-18s. She was the varsity coach at Easley High School for 3 years and has been doing private volleyball lessons for 8 years. She has been playing volleyball since she can remember. She played middle at Easley High School (1 year JV, 3 years Varsity) and Dixie Volleyball Club for 2 years ( junior and senior year). In 2005, she was offered a full scholarship to play at Limestone College, but medically red-shirted. She was the starting outside hitter from 2006-2009. She is currently the all time kill leader at Limestone (1924 kills) and was recently inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame. “I love helping players of all ages learn to love the sport of volleyball. I also enjoy bonding with my players, and teaching them lessons off the court. I want them to not only be great volleyball players but fantastic people.” Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband, Justin, and their two adorable babies, Charlotte and Sidney.
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Anna has been playing volleyball for over 13 years and has been coaching for 8. She attended Easley High School and played varsity for the Green Wave for 3 years under Melissa Baker. She also played club for Carolina One and Crossfire Volleyball. She attended Southern Wesleyan where she played volleyball for the Warriors her freshman year. While at SWU, Anna fell in love with coaching. After graduating in 2019, Anna became the head JV coach and assistant Varsity coach for Liberty High School. During her time at LHS, she led their JV program to multiple 1st and 2nd place finishes in the region, while helping varsity garner back to back to back region championships, 2 upperstate appearances, an upper state championship, and runner-up at state in 2022. Anna is in her 6th year as a 4th grade teacher at Forest Acres Elementary School. She loves to spend time with her family, especially her son, Ashton.
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Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA Education: Pine Richland High School (2022) Clemson University (2026) Volleyball Experience and Achievements: Playing collegiate volleyball at Clemson University ACC Academic Honor Roll (2022-2023) Played club volleyball for Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball Academy (2017-2022) 2020 Top 10 Open Club Team Two-time captain of Pine-Richland HS volleyball team First Team All-State selection 2020-2022 Coaching Experience and Achievements: Clemson University Undergraduate Camp Coach (2022-2023) Pine Richland High School Camp Coach (2018-2022) About Me: I love this sport and all the opportunities it has given me. Through volleyball I have traveled the world, and met a great number of life long friends and mentors. It has not only shaped me into the athlete I am today but helped me grow as a person. I am currently a rising junior pin hitter on the Clemson University Volleyball team.
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Head coach 17U Sophie |
Coach Crumpton is in her third year as the Pickens High School varsity volleyball head coach. In her first two seasons with the Blue Flame, her teams were 55-10, including upsets over 5A State Champions Dorman, Mauldin, River Bluff and Lexington. Crumpton's Blue Flame also boasted wins over the states dominating Cardinal Newman program. Pickens has won the 2022 Nation Ford Tournament and two 4A Region titles under her leadership. In her 10 seasons as the head volleyball coach at Pickens Middle School, she had a record of 161-6 with 9 Regular Season Championships and 9 Tournament Championships and also a winning streak of 130-0 that continued into 2023. Coach Crumpton was also named the 2020-21 Middle School Coach of the Year by the SCACA. In the last three club seasons, her teams have won an incredible 18 gold titles including the Beast of the Southeast and the Southeast Qualifier Invitational. In 2021 her 13U club team finished the regular season with a 40-0 record with 7 gold championships including the club’s first ever Palmetto Region title. That team also went on to finish tied for 5th at AAU Nationals. Coach Crumpton played at Pickens high helping lead her team to three State Championships – two as a player and one as an assistant coach. Coach Crumpton earned an athletic scholarship to play D1 volleyball at UNCA where she was a four year starter as a six-rotation outside hitter. She has been coaching for over 25 years, including club, middle school, JV, high school, and college. Coach Crumpton has a true passion for the sport that she strives to pass along to each of the players she is blessed to coach. Her motto for the past 12 seasons has been “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” “I give my everything as a coach and I expect the same from my players. To me it all begins with developing solid fundamental skills. We practice hard, we play hard, and we grow together on and off the court. We become one big, solid volleyball family. That is what 864 Elite is all about.” Club
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Head coach 14U Mellie |
Tommy is currently an assistant varsity volleyball coach at Pickens High School. Previously, he was an assistant volleyball coach at Pickens Middle School for 10 years where he helped lead the team to 8 consecutive undefeated seasons with an amazing 130-0 record. During that time the Lady Sparks won 9 division titles and 9 tournament titles. He has also coached the last 9 years in club volleyball including 2 National teams. His 13u team in 2021 climbed as high as #2 in the nation. His 14u team in 2022 reached a ranking of #3 in the nation with a record of 41-1. He has been married to Coach Crumpton for 15 years, and they have one Goldendoodle named Josie.
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Assistant coach 14U Mellie |
Abby’s love of volleyball began in elementary school when she began playing in an afterschool club. From there she continued to play every chance she could: local rec teams, outdoor tournaments, and even in the backyard. She played for McCants middle school as a setter for an undefeated season and Championship. She played JV at TL Hanna as a setter as well. During her college years, she played in adult rec leagues and began to coach at McCants. She was the 7th grade head coach and 8th grade assistant coach for 2 years before becoming the head coach of both teams in 2023. Currently, Abby is working full time at West End Elementary and pursuing her Masters of Education. “I am super excited to coach club ball this year and become part of the 864 family!
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Assistant coach 12U Carla |
Emily has grown up playing volleyball since she was 9 and had a love and passion for it almost instantly. She has now coached for 2 seasons at 864 as an assistant coach, one seasons with 13s and the next with 15s. She played high school volleyball for 5 years- 1 year in JV and then 4 years on varsity, even earning region player of the year her senior year. She also played club volleyball for 8 years and was named twice as an AVCA All-American. While playing varsity she was a four-time region champ as well as in club, winning regionals her 15s year. While playing varsity she would also be the first to aid and assist coaches for help in training the younger girls. She has always wanted to know the game as deeply as she can and was always the first to get her hands on a volleyball to get some extra court time in. Now she wants to pass on that knowledge while continuing to grow it, as she assists in helping these young girls. She now is attending Clemson University and working towards her bachelor’s degree in English.
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Assistant coach 16U Michelle |
Tyra has coached club volleyball for 3 seasons and High School volleyball for 1 season. Tyra is a graduate of UNC Charlotte where she majored in Health Systems Management. Tyra played at Charlotte for two seasons before suffering a career ending injury. During her Freshman year at Charlotte, Tyra played in 30 of a possible 31 matches with 27 starts ... led all C-USA players and finished 2nd nationwide among all freshman with 151 total blocks, ranking 12th in the country, a whopping 21 blocks clear of second in C-USA ... led all of C-USA with 120 block assists and 1.35 blocks/set (next closest at 1.12 blocks/set) ... 120 block assists tied for third-most in a single season ... stands 10th all-time for most blocks in a single season after her 151 ... started career with four solo blocks and 10 total blocks vs. Virginia Tech posting 23 total blocks hitting .333 with 20 kills during opening weekend ... set new career high with nine block assists and tied total blocks record with 10 vs. UTSA on October 19th ... shattered previous career high of eight kills with 18 at Florida Atlantic just two days later ... 19 matches with at-least one BS, eight matches with at-least two BS ... named C-USA's Freshman of the Week after .375 hitting weekend with 13 blocks in sweeps over FIU and Louisiana Tech ... hit career best .545 in sweep vs. Gardner-Webb ... hit over .300 in 15 matches in rookie season. Tyra was named AVCA South Region Freshman of the Year, Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, All Conference Second Team, All Conference Freshman Team, and NCCISA All State First Team. Tyra also had an exceptional high school career at Davie County High School in North Carolina, finishing her senior year with 288 kills at .541 hitting percentage and with 201 blocks.
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Matthew joined the 864 Elite coaching staff in the fall of 2023. He draws his knowlege of volleyball from his playing experience and his previous coaching experience. He began coaching club in 2018 with other local clubs in the area. He is currently an assistant coach for the Pickens High School JV team. Matthew has competed with the Clemson Men’s Club team and as a practice player for Erskine’s Men’s Indoor team. He is currently an active player on the AVP Grass Tour. He is also a Business student at Clemson University.
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Assistant coach 15U National Ken |
George brings 26 years of coaching experience to 864 Elite. Prior to moving to South Carolina in 2011, George was a high school varsity coach in South Florida for six years. in 1999 he co-founded and coached for Big Lake Juniors and led teams from 14U to 18U.This will be his ninth season coaching in the Palmetto Region and his fourth with 864 Elite. Over the past two years he has guided our 12U team to a combined 107-21 record. in 2024 they played a difficult schedule that included the JVA World Challenge in Kentucky, Beast of the Southeast in Atlanta and the 2024 AAU National Championship in Orlando. They racked up three tournament titles, played in five gold finals and notched five third place finishes. Included was a runner-up finish and a 3rd while playing up in the 13U division. They brought home the club's first Regional title on March 31 when they won the 12U PVA Regional Championship in Rock Hil and they strung together a 9-2 record in Orlando this past June while competing in the 51st AAU National Championships where they finished 5th in the 12U Club Division. In 2025 George is looking to continue building on the competitive and the winning tradition that has been established at 864 Elite. He loves spending time pursuing sport and outdoor related activities. He is a retired Firefighter from West Palm Beach Florida and is married for the past 45 years to his wife Susan.
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Head coach 13U National George |
Amanda grew up as a volleyball loving gym rat following her older sister & dad (George May) around to every practice, game & tournament. She played volleyball for Big Lake Juniors from age 10-17 and played on the Indian River Juniors 18U team during her final season of club volleyball. She played at Yearling middle school in 6th, 7th & 8th grade and played 1 year of JV & 3 years of Varsity as a starting setter for Okeechobee High School. She co-coached 1 season of 12U club ball for Big Lake Juniors in Okeechobee FL, 1 season as the 7th grade coach at Pickens Middle School where her team finished with a 12-4 record & 2nd in the region. The upcoming 2025 season will be her 4th season as an assistant coach for 864 Elite. During the 2023 season her team’s final record was an impressive 44-10 bringing home 2 gold championships. During the 2024 season her team ended the season with a 63-11 record. They were in 5 tournament championship finals & won 3! Including becoming the 2024 12U palmetto region champs! George & Amanda took their team to the AAU nationals tournament in FL & finished 5th in gold out of 80 teams! In her free time Amanda enjoys spending time with her husband Jarod and their 4 children Karsen, Maycee, Masen & Jessa.
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Assistant coach 13U National George |
Carla has played a large role in Liberty volleyball over the last 25 years. She played four years with Liberty High School helping lead her team to a top 4 finish in the Upper State and earning All Region Player honors. Returning to the team a few years after graduation, Carla began her coaching career as an assistant with the Liberty Red Devils. After four years as an assistant, Carla took over the team as the head varsity coach and has shaped the Liberty volleyball program for the last fourteen years. She has coached several Regional Championship teams and amassed more than 200 wins as a head coach while being named region Coach of the Year in 2010, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2014, 2021 and 2022, she led the Red Devils to the Upper State Championship. The Red Devils won the Upper State Championship in 2014 and 2022. Also in 2014 and 2022 she was honored as a finalist for the SC State Coach of the Year. She was chosen to coach the North All Star team in 2018 and the FCA All Star team in 2019. Coach Simpson has had the pleasure of coaching numerous All State, All Star, All Region, and several Region Players of the Year who have continued their volleyball careers on the collegiate level. As a club coach, Coach Simpson has coached players as young as twelve and as old as sixteen. Coach Simpson loves volleyball and loves watching how this game can develop a sisterhood that can thrive and support its players and coaches both on and off the court. In her free time, Coach Simpson loves being a wife to Jared and a mother to her two-year-old son, Stran. She is beyond excited to continue shaping the young women of the Upstate through this new experience with 864 Elite.
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Head coach 12U Carla |
Ken boasts over three decades of experience playing volleyball and two decades coaching the sport. Currently, he serves as a varsity coach at Pickens High School. Previously, he held the position of Head JV coach at Pickens High and Head Coach of Seneca Middle school. Apart from these duties, he also worked as an assistant coach at Pickens Middle School and various schools and volleyball clubs across North and South Carolina. Ken's passion for volleyball began when he started playing sand volleyball in the Low Country of SC during his childhood. He firmly believes that coaching is all about building strong relationships, both on and off the court. According to Ken, mutual dedication and support among team members lead to outstanding results. While he enjoys winning and dislikes losing, his ultimate goal is to help individuals and teams reach their full potential. Outside of volleyball, Ken prioritizes spending quality time with his family. He and his wife Cheryl have been happily married for 25 years and are proud parents to two daughters, Kaili and Kaci.
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Head coach 15U National Ken |
Michelle comes to us from St. Louis, Missouri. Her love for volleyball began in 5th grade and has continued over the last 30 years. She began coaching when her daughter showed interest in playing and loves how the game is always changing and evolving. Michelle said volleyball is her life from coaching multiple teams at a time for several years, 12-15 private lessons a week during the season to running large multi-day tournaments (indoor, grass and sand). Michelle has won several Bids to AAU and USAV nationals along with winning 7th overall in 2022 AAU club division over the past 13 years. Her goal for her team to increase their skill level by pushing themselves to accept mistakes while learning and to increase their volleyball IQ by understanding the strategy of the game (“THE WHYS” is what she calls them.)
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Head coach 16U Michelle |
| Team | Coach | |
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12U Carla |
Head coach Carla Simpson Email Assistant coach Abby Elrod Email |
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13U National George |
Head coach George May Email Assistant coach Amanda Seder Email |
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14U Mellie |
Head coach Mellie Crumpton Email Assistant coach Tommy Crumpton Email |
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15U National Ken |
Head coach Ken Vanderhoof Email Assistant coach Matthew Garland Email |
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16U Michelle |
Head coach Michelle Wilson Email Assistant coach Emily Eubanks Email |
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17U Sophie |
Head coach Sophie Catalano Email |
