Isabella V.

I am a 14U volleyball coach with Allegheny Volleyball Club and a personal trainer at Essential Strength, where I work with multisport athletes of all ages. I also volunteer within the Homewood community, providing strength and conditioning support for youth athletes. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Slippery Rock University, where I gained hands-on experience working with clients and conducting strength and endurance testing. I am currently a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at the University of Pittsburgh.

I have over six years of playing experience in volleyball at Ligonier Valley and competed in travel volleyball with Ridgetop Storm, Allegheny Volleyball Club, and Invasion Volleyball Club. During college, I served as both president and treasurer of the Slippery Rock University Women’s Club Volleyball team. I was a multisport athlete growing up, with extensive experience in softball and basketball. I played softball for 13 years at the recreational, school, and travel levels, earning a Heritage Conference Championship during my sophomore year of high school and a second-place finish at the state level during my senior year. I also played basketball at Ligonier Valley for five years.

I have experience playing every volleyball position, with my primary position being setter, which has given me a strong understanding of all aspects of the game. I emphasize fundamentals such as footwork, proper ball placement, and ball control across all positions. I am able to coach serving, defense, hitting, blocking, and setting. Defensively, I teach proper diving techniques, hand passing, J-hook passing, and developing consistency when passing to target. For hitters, I work with outside, middle, and right-side positions, focusing on footwork, ball placement, net transitions, court awareness, and blocking. As a former setter, I also provide detailed instruction on footwork, ball placement, back sets, tips and dumps, back-row setting, and transitioning. I believe well-rounded athletes make the strongest players, and I tailor training to develop multiple aspects of each athlete’s game.