Coaches
Ralph Smith - 18 Gold Head Coach
Ralph Smith is in his 4th year at Main Beach. In his first season with the Club, he helped take the 18’s team to a Gold Medal finish at the 2008 Junior Nationals. In 2009 his18s team qualified for the Junior Nationals and took a fifth place finish in the National Division. After being an All-American setter with Long Beach State, Ralph set for the Men’s USA National Team for 4 years. He then continued to play professional volleyball in Europe. As a National player, Ralph received 15 All American awards. After playing 2 years of professional indoor volleyball, Ralph returned to the U.S. to play and coach for the Outrigger Canoe Club Men’s Team in Hawaii. Ralph took those teams to 13 Championship Finals and 6 National Titles. Ralph has over 20 years of coaching experience. He coached the UCSC Men’s Team and the Soquel High Boy’s Varsity where he led his team to two CCS Championship Finals. Ralph has coached multiple athletes that have become Olympians and received full-ride scholarships to Stanford, Cal-Berkeley and the University of Hawaii. Ralph and his wife Joy are happy to be in Santa Cruz, but when not in the gym or running their business, you may find them under the palms soaking up that special Aloha that you can only find in the Islands.
Jan Furman - 18 Gold Head Assistant Coach
and Club Director
Jan Furman began her teaching and coaching career in Davis Ca. where she founded and directed the Davis Volleyball Club for 10 years. While at Davis High School, Jan led her teams to 7 straight league titles, 7 Nor Cal Championships, and 9 State Championship playoffs. She left Davis with a 77-0 winning steak. Jan was awarded the National High School Volleyball coach of the Year and in 1998, Jan was inducted into the Chico State Hall of Fame for volleyball and swimming. Jan came to Santa Cruz in 1988 to teach and coach at Cabrillo College. With 10 seasons at Cabrillo, Jan led her teams to 4 Conference Championships and 9 State Playoffs. She was inducted into the Calif. Community College Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2004. Jan has coached multiple athletes receiving full-ride scholarships to Stanford, UCLA, USC, UC Santa Barbara, UOP and San Diego State. Jan retired from teaching and coaching at Cabrillo in 2009 but continues to teach and Intro. to Kinesiology and Philosophy of Physical Education class. She founded Main Beach Volleyball Club in 2002 and in only it's 2nd season sent 2 of 5 teams to the Junior National Championships. Jan' passions are volleyball, photography and mentoring coaches. If she is not in the gym improving an arm swing, or meeting with a player about colleges you will probably her in the Napa Valley with her sisters.
Tori Bozzo - 18 Gold Asst. Coach
Zoe Beltz - 18 Blue Head Coach
We welcome Zoe Beltz to the Main Beach coaching staff this
season! Zoe was born and raised in Ben Lomond and graduated from Presentation High School where she played volleyball. She continued her volleyball career playing at the Division 1 level at Idaho State on a full rid scholarship. After 2 years she transferred to Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. There, she coached at Solana Beach volleyball club for two years. Zoe graduated from Point Loma with a degree in Liberal Studies and then moved back to the area to coach Varsity at SLV and continued to run Valley Volleyball Camp that she founded in 2006.
Jordan Cotton - 18 Blue Asst. Coach
Gabrielle Houston-Neville - 17 Gold Head Coach 
and Asst. Club Director
Gabrielle is currently the women's head volleyball coach for Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA. She became the Head Coach in 2009. In 3 seasons she has led the Seahawks to 3 Coast Conference Championships and has created a winning program with a cumulative record of 66-10. Last season the team ended with a 28-1 regular season record to make the Final Four in the state. The team also made history year by being ranked #1 in Northern California and the state for the entire regular season. Gabrielle was voted the 2010 Coast Conference Coach of the Year and the 2010 Northern California Coach of the Year. Gabrielle received her B.A. from U.C. Santa Barbara and her Master's Degree from Arizona State University in Exercise Science where she was also a volleyball instructor for 2 years. Prior to Cabrillo, Gabrielle was a competitive beach volleyball player with a AAA rating. She has been a competitive beach volleyball player since 1992. While always competing on the beach, Gabrielle was also coaching indoor volleyball. She is the Asst. Director of Main Beach Volleyball Club and this will be her 10th season with the club. In 2010, she led her team to a GOLD MEDAL finish in the 16s National Division at the Jr. National Championships. Additionally she has taken every 16s and 17s teams that she has coached to the Junior Nationals. Prior to Cabrillo, she also spent 4 years at Mt. Madonna High School. During this time her team went from last place in the SCCAL to winning 2 CCS Championships and a California State title. With over 17 years as a Head Coach, Gabrielle's experience also includes Bethany College, Santa Cruz High School, Santa Cruz Volleyball Club, Monterey Bay and Pacific Coast Volleyball Clubs, and Aptos and Mission Hill Jr. High Schools. As well as a volleyball coach Gabrielle has been a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer for 15 years. She is a certified Sports Performance coach through the USA Weightlifting Federation. When she is not in the gym teaching volleyball, she is in the weight room helping athlete's to prepare physically for their upcoming seasons. Although Gabrielle works with many athletes, she enjoys training people of all ages to excel in life and sport. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, teaching and coaching volleyball is her passion and with growing up on the beach, the sport has always been an integral part of her life.
Bill Cotton - 17 Gold Asst. Coach, Blenders Program Director 
2011 will be Bill's 4th season with Main Beach. The last two consecutive seasons, Bill has helped take the 15s and 16s teams to Junior Nationals where last season the 16 Gold team won a Gold Medal in the National Division with a perfect 11-0 record.
Prior to this club season, Bill was the assistant volleyball coach at Salinas High School where he was instrumental in taking the girls to a 2nd place finish in the 2009 CIF Division I State Championships. Before coming to Main Beach Bill spent 4 seasons with the Salinas Valley Volleyball Club and 4 years with Salinas High School Girl's and Boy's teams. His coaching resume also includes collegiate experience at Cuesta College in San Luis Opispo and youth training with San Benancio Middle School. Bill is USAV CAP1 certified, Gold Medal Squared, a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association and a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance. Originally from Los Gatos, he now resides in Aptos with his wife Kourey and their three daughters. When not working or coaching, Bill likes to hang out with his family and friends, and surf with his daughters.
Lucas Bol - 17 Gold Asst. Coach
April Bliss - 16 Gold Head Coach
April Bliss is in her 2nd year with Main Beach. April played volleyball at Aptos High School. After high school, April earned her AA degree in Liberal studies at Cabrillo College and played volleyball for the Cabrillo Seahawks. In two years she led her team, as a setter, to an undefeated sophomore season and into the State Championships. April earned All-Conference honors in 2000 and set California Community College State records for assists. April then transferred to California State University, Fullerton where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology. While at Fullerton, April played in the Big West Conference, as a libero. After earning a spot on the team, April became one of the team’s key role players in 2002 and was offered a full athletic scholarship for the duration of her collegiate career. During her last year at Fullerton, she worked as an undergraduate assistant coach for the Titans gaining insight into coaching recruiting and running a program at the Division 1 level. April’s 10 years of coaching experience include Bay club, Scotts Valley High School and St. Francis Catholic High School where she helped take the sharks to the CIF State Tournament twice. The team became the Northern California runner-up in 2006 and 2008; as well as winning the CCS championship in 2008. April also helped co-found and coach for the Pacific Performance Volleyball Club, a non-profit organization based out of Watsonville. April she is now the executive director at Sawyer Chiropractic Group. When she is not coaching or working, she enjoys spending time with her close friends and family especially her new niece! She loves to snowboard, go on long runs and road trips and continues to play volleyball in the NCVA women’s league.
Kristen Pocock - 16 Gold Asst. Coach
Kristen was born and raised in Santa Cruz and played volleyball at Soquel High School. After graduating, she earned her AA degree while helping take the Seahawks to an undefeated season and a #5 ranking in the state. Kristen then transferred to Cal State Fullerton where she earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies. Kristen's 10 year coaching experience includes Scotts Valley and Soquel High Schools, New Brighton Middle School, Pacific Performance, Bay Club and Santa Cruz Crush. Kristen is also a professional photographer and a personal trainer. When she is not coaching or working at Bay Photo, she enjoys taking photos, seeing movies, and spending time with family and friends. She loves snowboarding and continues to play volleyball in the adult women's league for the NCVA.
Trevor Krieg - 15 Gold Head Coach
Trevor Krieg is currently in his first year as the varsity coach for Mount Madonna High School where he just receive Coach of the Year in the SCCAL. He is in his 3rd season with Main Beach. In 2009, Trevor helped take the 16 Gold team to Jr. Nationals and this past year was the asst. coach with the 14 Gold team. He played volleyball for Saugus High School in Southern California and was an All-league selection his senior year where he set 2 records for the most digs in a match as a libero. Trevor played club volleyball for Shock Volleyball club in Thousand Oaks for two years and has coached community league for four years. He is currently a senior at UCSC and majoring in Mathematics. After graduating Trevor plans on becoming a high school math teacher and further his career in coaching. Trevor is very excited about his second year as head coach at Mt Madonna.
Helen Milne - 15 Gold Assistant Coach
Helen Milne is in her second season coaching with Main Beach. She grew up in Redwood City CA and played varsity volleyball for 3 years at
Woodside High School. She is currently the starting middle blocker
for the UCSC women's volleyball team and was captain in her junior season. She is majoring in History and plans to go to PA school
after graduating.
Iris Farrens - Asst. Coach
Nicole Thometz - 14 Gold Head Coach
Nicole will begin her 2nd season with Main Beach after playing Division 1 volleyball for University of Portland from 2004-2008. As a 4 year starting outside hitting for the Portland Pilots, Nicole led the West Coast Conference in service aces in 2006 and was also voted on to the All-WCC Academic Team. She received All-tournament honors at the Wildcat Classic at Davidson College in 2006 and at the Molten Invitational in Reno, NV. in 2006. Nicole was voted on to the 2006 CoSiDA/ESPN The Magazine - All Academic, All District Volleyball Third Team. While in Portland, Nicole coached for Athena Volleyball Club and spent her summers coaching college, high school, and beach volleyball camps in both Portland and Southern California. Nicole grew up in Mission Viejo, CA, and played for Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club where she places second at nationals her 16s year. She also played for Capistrano Valley High School where she led her team to 2 undefeated league seasons as a junior and senior. Nicole earned her AAA beach volleyball rating her sophomore year of college and continues to play beach volleyball since moving to Santa Cruz. Currently, Nicole is in her third year of graduate school at UCSC where she is studying to get her PhD in marine biology.
Kristen Kenny - 14 Gold Asst. Coach
Katie English - 13 Gold Head Coach
Katie English is a mighty senior at UCSC where she is majoring in psychology with a minor in education. She is currently a starting outside hitter for UCSC and she has tied two of UCSC’s school records and hopes to help her team make it to the NCAA division three regional championships this year for the school’s first time. She played for St. Lucy’s High School in Glendora, California and helped in leading her team to two league titles and got to the semi- finals for CIF in 2005. She also played 6 years of club volleyball for Rancho Valley Volleyball Club in Southern California. This is her third year of coaching at Main Beach . After graduating she hopes get her teaching credential so she can become an elementary school teacher and continue to coach. We hope she gets a job in Santa Cruz!
Melissa Stoll - 13 Gold Asst. Coach
Melissa Stoll is in her second season with Main Beach Volleyball Club assisting with the 13’s team. She is a junior at UCSC and plays setter for their NCAA Division III volleyball team. Melissa hopes to help UCSC reach the regional championship and ultimately enter into NCAA tournament. She played volleyball for Placer High School and led her team to two league championships, the first in the schools history. Also, She helped her team reach two semi-finals in the CIF tournament. She played three years on varsity and was a captain for her junior and senior years. Melissa received honorable mention her freshmen year, and first team all league her junior and senior years. She played for both NCVC and Force volleyball clubs. Other than her passion for volleyball, she is majoring in Modern Literary Studies and aspires to be a novelist.
