Christi Lutman

Club Director – Head Coach of 16 Elite and 15 Elite

Christi founded PVA in 2011 after finishing her playing career at the University of Missouri. She was named an All-American in 2003 and inducted into the Mizzou Hall of Fame in 2013. Christi is currently the assistant coach for the women’s volleyball team at the University of Central Missouri. She will serve as the primary middle and offensive trainer for PVA.

Ryan Hembrough

Recruiting Coordinator – Head Coach of 13 Elite and 18 Elite Assistant

Ryan started coaching with PVA in 2021 and is finishing up his third season with the club. In 2023, his 12 Elite squad earned their bid to USAV Nationals in Dallas. He has also served as an assistant for the upcoming 16-Elite team over the past 3 seasons.. the first PVA team to double qualify in the Open division in the same year (23’). Ryan also serves as the clubs Recruiting Coordinator and is extremely passionate about finding all our athletes with next level aspirations, a spot at a program and university that fits everything the kid is looking for. In his first year as the Recruiting Coordinator, the 24’ class had 17 kids commit to play at the next level, a PVA record.

Ryan played D1 Men’s Club volleyball as a MB at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. He aims to provide a positive and inclusive environment while preaching culture and chemistry at the highest level. Ryan is passionate about developing individuals who are not only skilled athletes but good people as well. Ryan focuses on training positional discipline within all skills.

Zach Warring

Director of Volleyball Instruction

Background:

Zach Warring has coached volleyball since 2010 at various levels including NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NAIA Beach, NJCAA, Premier Club, and Recreational. During this time, he has taken both college and club teams to their respective National Tournaments and coached record-breaking, All-Conference and All-American athletes.

Instruction Style:

I believe the human comes before the player. It is my goal to help guide athletes towards being strong and confident in their self-perception in hopes they pass that gift along to others. Headspace and self-talk are just as important as any physical rep a player will ever take.

Amy Christian

11 Elite Head Coach & Director of Volley Tot’s & Volley Mini’s

Amy Christian has a club career spanning 25 years in Kansas City. Amy has qualified teams for Nationals in the Open and National divisions. This is Amy’s second year coaching with PVA where she runs the club’s Volley Tot (5-7) and Volley Mini (8-10) programs in addition to serving as the Director of Volleyball Tournaments for Homefield . In addition to coaching club, she is the varsity assistant at Blue Valley North under head coach Matt Allin, where she has helped the team to 3 straight state appearances with a 1st, 3rd, and runner-up title respectively.. Collegiately, Amy played at UCM from 1987-1989. Amy emphasizes training the complete athlete and building confidence in all skills.

Jeff Morgan

12 Elite and 16 Molten Head Coach

Jeff Morgan has a club coaching career spanning 24 years in Kansas city. Jeff coached boys his first two years of his coaching career and over the past 22 years he has coached all ages and levels and the last 14 years for PVA. Jeff has made nationals every year he has coached and has sent numerous players to play collegiately at all levels!

Jeff has consistently qualified teams in the Open, National, USA and American divisions, including a 9th place finish in the Country at Nationals.

Jeff played high school volleyball in the St. Louis area. He led the state in kills his last 3 years of high school. He was named to the USAV all-tournament team his senior year. Collegiately, he played volleyball at Graceland University from 1997 to 2001. Graceland won Nationals in 1998 and the team was inducted into the Graceland Wall of Fame.

Mark Rice

14 Elite Head Coach

Mark served as a Varsity volleyball coach in Lee’s Summit for 20 years while racking up 476 wins for an average of 23 wins per season. Mark guided Lee’s Summit HS to Missouri State’s final four for the first and only appearance and led Lee’s Summit West HS to a State Championship and 2 Runner-Up Titles. Coach Mark’s Lee’s Summit West teams were ranked top 10 nationally. Mark was inducted into the Missouri Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2024. In the club scene, Mark has consistently qualified teams for Nationals in the Open, USA, National, and American divisions. He emphasizes training to individual players strengths and building confidence in all skills. lives in Lee’s Summit with his wife Jill. He enjoys spending time with his family and 2 grandkids.

Katie Straka

15 Elite Assistant

Currently the head coach at Blue Springs High School, Katie Straka has 25 years coaching experience at all age levels in both club and high school. Her high school resume includes coaching at BSHS since 2008, where she has led the Wildcats to eight district championships, four Elite Eight appearances, and a State Runner Up finish; prior to that, a two-year stint at Shawnee Mission North saw Straka’s team knocked out in the sub state finals both years. Straka began her high school coaching year at Warrensburg High School, where she coached for five seasons, winning a district title in 2002. In 2023, Straka was named to the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame. While coaching club for Team KC in 2010, Straka’s 17’s team qualified for Nationals; she’s also coached 10 and under teams for Invasion. At PVA, Straka coached the 15 Elite team to a 12th place finish at Nationals in the USA division in 2022; that same team elevated their status to a 5th place finish their 16s year. Straka currently serves as an assistant to Christi Lutman on the 14s team, who has qualified in the National division.

As a high school player at Clearwater High School, Straka played on two state qualifying teams, winning a state title her junior year and finishing fourth her senior year; she was named as All-Tournament selection as well as earning All-State honors. Straka pursued an undergraduate degree at UCM and played for the Jennies until her graduation in 2001. Straka was inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame with three Jennies teams: 1996, 1998, 1999. Straka was an MIAA Academic All-Conference selection each year of her college career. After finishing her undergraduate degree in English Education, Straka has since completed her Masters in Secondary School Administration and earned a Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning. Straka teaches English and Journalism at BSHS, and lives at Lake Tapawingo with her husband, Jeff.

Bree Thompson

18 Elite Head Coach & 16 Elite Assistant Coach

Bree Thompson, an Iowa Native, played collegiately at both Lipscomb & then UMKC. Bree had a very decorated High School career as she was a 4-time state champion, 4-time All-Tournament team, 4-time All-District, 4-time All-State and 2-time Iowa Player of the Year. Bree competed for both Six Pack and CIA and won 6 Qualifiers in her club career. She also was a member of the CIA sand volleyball team and was a 2-time National Qualifier in the sand.

During her two years at Lipscomb, Bree and her teammates went a combined 33-16 including an NCAA tournament experience in her sophomore campaign. While battling injuries in both seasons, Bree played in a combine 22 matches. Following her transfer to UMKC, Bree played in 23 matches during her junior season and received All Summit League honors. During her senior year, Bree had a major ankle reconstruction after suffering a brutal ankle injury, only allowing her to play in 6 matches that season. Bree still received All Summit League Academic Honors.

Bree is entering her third-year coaching at PVA and will be on staff for both 18 Elite and 16 Elite. She has a passion for this game and finds it to be very important to understand each athlete and meet them each where they are. Bree develops and trains all skills at a high level and will be pivotal for our club moving forward.

Sarah Joles Slagle

12 Elite Assistant & 14 Elite Assistant

Sarah Slagle is a Kansas City native beginning her volleyball career playing for ranked and nationally qualified Invasion and MAVS teams through high-school. Sarah continued her playing career collegiately at Missouri Southern State University where she started all four years as a setter; earning multiple MIAA All-Conference accolades and holding university records: second all-time in assists, first all-time in assists in a five game match and first all-time in service aces. During her tenure, the team ranked Top 25 in the nation and made their first appearance in the DII National Tournament.

Post college, Sarah played competitively indoor and outdoor (doubles) and joined the coaching staff at Performance Volleyball Academy in their inaugural year where she coached for three additional years, qualifying teams for Nationals. Sarah stepped away from coaching in 2014 to focus on family and her corporate career—she married her now husband Blake and they have two daughters, Knoelle (4) and Knox (1).

Sarah believes that success principles are universal in every arena—and it starts with mindset. She’s passionate about developing a success mindset in the girls she coaches, knowing it will prepare them for life beyond volleyball.

Matt Striegel

12 Elite Assistant Coach

Matt Striegel went to the University of Northern Iowa where he played for the UNI Men’s volleyball club competing for 4 years. Once he graduated, he moved to Kansas City and kept playing volleyball (indoor, outdoor grass quads and doubles, and then transitioned to playing mostly sand doubles). Matt started coaching junior volleyball in 2003 at Club North for 6 years (coaching ages 15-18s). Matt then coached for the Titan’s club for two years as an assistant to Christi Lutman taking a 17 team to Nationals and an 18s team to Nationals in the Open Division. Matt then took some time off from coaching, got married to his wife Casey and started a family – daughter Andie (11), and Kane (8). He got back into coaching club volleyball again in 2022 coaching a PVA 10s team and recently coached our 11 Elite team that was one of the 48 teams in the Nation to qualify at 11’s. Matt is extremely passionate about volleyball and is excited to grow the sport and develop that same passion with the girls he coaches.

Alycia Bradley

17 Elite Assistant Coach & 14-2 Select Head Coach

Alycia played collegiate volleyball at the University of Central Oklahoma as an OH. She began coaching in 2017 for Oklahoma Peak and this will be her second year coaching at PVA as the 13-2 Select head coach and 17 national assistant!

Sydney Henry

13 Elite Assistant Coach

Sydney is a current reigning 1st Team All Summit League setter at UMKC. Sydney played at Sterling HS, in Colorado, under coach Lisa Schumacher. As a freshman, Sydney was named an All-Conference Honorable Mention, as a sophomore, she won state championship and was named Mile High Prep Report 3A Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference, Second Team All-State. As a Junior, Sydney was a state runner-up and led 3A in kills. Sydney was named Second Team All-State, First Team All-Conference and was an Under Armor All-American nominee. 2022 3A Player of the Year here senior year at Sterling. Sydney had over 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs and at one point in her career, her team won 58-straight sets, a school record. Played for Norco Volleyball Club, coached by Jim Stone, Janae McDonnell, and Andy Levoe. Sydney was named to Prep Volleyball Magazine Sophomore 75 Highest Honorable Mention & AVCA Phenom Selection. Parents Mark and Marci Henry. Sydney’s father played football at Colorado & her mother is the athletic director at Northeastern Junior College. One sibling, Axel Henry who also ran track, lettering and placing in high jump. Sydney was also her Student Council Senior Class President & a member of Student Leadership Advisory Committee. Earned honor roll all four years & is was a scholar athlete award winner in HS. Sydney will emphasize training the complete athlete and building confidence in all skills.

Ryley Shinkle

17 Elite Head Coach

Aubree Bell

14 Elite Assistant Coach

Aubree played competitive volleyball for a total of 11 years. Playing six years for PVA at the Elite Level and five years at the collegiate level for The University of Central Missouri. During her time at Central Missouri, she earned three All-Conference awards as well as a team Regular Season Championship and Post Season Conference Championship. Aubree is currently the Head Volleyball Coach of a Class 5 High School in the KC metro area, and she looks forward to coaching competitive club volleyball for PVA at the Elite level again for the 3rd year in a row.

Tori Spencer

15 Elite Assistant Coach

Tori Spencer has been with PVA for 2 years now as a head coach. She is currently finishing up her 6th year as JV volleyball coach at Blue Springs High School and will start her first season as head varsity volleyball coach at Staley High School this fall. She has been coaching club volleyball since she was 19 and loves to call PVA her club volleyball home!

Kersti Nix

16 Elite Assistant Coach

Kersti Nix, an Overland Park native competed for Mavs KC on the club scene. From there, Kersti committed to play at the University of Central Missouri in 2019. During her college career she was named a 3 time all conference scholar athlete, 3 time all conference academic honor roll, 2 time all central region team, 3 time all conference 1st team Outside Hitter and a AVCA All American. Kersti is the 10th Jennie to ever be named a 3 time all conference first teamer. Kersti completed her career with over 1,200 kills. She aspires to coach and is so passionate about helping girls get to the next level!

Kaitlyn Disney

11 Elite Assistant Coach