Encore Volleyball Club’s inaugural season was 2010-2011 and since inception has provided a home for girls to play volleyball from all over the Bay Area, even as far as Sacramento. The club has grown from 11 teams in its inaugural season to over 30 teams each season. Encore is led by a group of women who collectively have over 50 years of coaching experience ranging from youth to professional.
Encore’s vision is to bring the community together through the sport of volleyball. It is the club’s goal to provide an elite University environment for ALL student-athletes to succeed. We are committed to setting the standard high, competing to be great, and providing the best resources for our student-athletes to be successful.
In the heart of Silicon Valley is Encore’s 43,000 square ft campus that includes six volleyball courts, locker rooms, a sports performance team and dedicated turf and weight room, a film room, a training room and recovery center, a cafe and meal prep area to learn how to properly fuel your body and building a better relationship with food, an innovation and engineering lab, and a network of coaches, directors, and advisors that operate with integrity to support the athletes both on and off the court.
“We are committed to developing our young women to be confident, hard working, and disciplined contributors to our society. We are focused on more than simply ‘club’, we are here to develop the 360 degree athlete” shares Encore Club Director Ali Magner.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic
When the pandemic began last March Encore’s leadership acknowledged the role they needed to play with their student-athletes, and it was truly bigger than our sport. This time was more than just getting better at volleyball; it served as a mental, emotional, physical and social outlet.
“We pledged to continue to provide the necessary support to our student-athletes to ensure their success during COVID 19 and beyond. We had to pivot and innovate during COVID in order to continue servicing our student-athletes and keeping them engaged.
Encore created and built a robust remote learning curriculum for our 350+ volleyball student-athletes called Encore Remote Learning. The virtual program was intended to provide focused instruction on helping the athletes develop their physical skills and mental IQ of the game. The sports performance team hosted daily zoom workouts. The staff created an Encore webinar series called Encore Blue Banner Narrative, which was completely free and open to the community beyond Encore.
“The impact is immeasurable with over 450 student-athletes tuning in to learn from the best; these insights are a true gift that will transcend far beyond the court and playing field” adds Magner.
Guests from season 1 of Encore Blue Banner Narrative have included:
-Karch Kiraly: THE GOAT, UCLA 3x national champion, 3x Olympic gold medalist, only athlete to win Olympic gold in both indoor & beach and current US Women’s National Team coach.
– Nicole Davis: 2x Olympian, USC alumni, Compete to Create mindset coach.
-Kathryn Plummer: Stanford 3x national champion and current US Women’s National Team member.
-Morgan Hentz: Stanford 3x national champion, and one of the most decorated Liberos in the game.
-Ogonna Nnamani: Stanford 2x National Champion/Hall of Fame Inductee and 2x Olympian.
– Encore Alumni panel – class of 2013 – graduates from Columbia, Washington State University, Yale and UCSB that are now forging their own paths as confident women in the professional world.
– Juliann Johnson (Faucette): University of Texas NCAA Freshman of the Year in 2007, four-year starter and three-time All-American, 2010 UT Female Athlete of the Year and the 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year finished a 7 year professional career in 2018.
– Erik & Kawika Shoji: Stanford National Champions, World Champions, Olympians and sons of the legendary collegiate coach, Dave Shoji.
– 5 of our 17/18U Encore Student-Athletes who undoubtedly shared some extremely relatable words of wisdom.
– Our very own Coach Damien and his daughter, Alohi: Alohi was a multi-sport athlete at BYU, first true freshman to start in a national championship match, and currently playing professionally in the Philippines.
– Carli Lloyd: Cal Bear, 2016 Olympian and current professional volleyball player.
Community Engagement and Giveback
One of Encore’s #1 philosophies is “don’t expect to accomplish your dreams if you’re not willing to help others accomplish theirs.” The philosophy is the driving force behind all that they do. Encore is committed to helping their student-athletes become better athletes, better students and ultimately better people.
“It is a goal of ours that our student-athletes understand that they are a part of something far greater than themselves and that they have the ability to make an impact. It’s never too early to equip them with the tools necessary to make change. We want our student-athletes to drive the process and we are simply here to provide the resources necessary to execute” shares Magner.
Below are a few examples of how our student-athletes continued to help others through the pandemic.
MVP Cookie Program
During the pandemic, we launched our MVP Cookie Program. The MVP Cookie Program is the “Most Valuable Play” for student-athletes to compete and give back. This program was designed by our very own entrepreneurial student-athletes who strive to push the needle in youth sports, making sports participation and competitive learning accessible to EVERYONE. We see sport as a tool to educate, a resource for personal growth, and a platform for social impact. Our MVP cookie program partners with local businesses to sell delicious cookies with all sales going directly into our Champion Scholarship Fund. We require all hands on deck from coaches, parents, and student-athletes. Our student-athletes learn about: goal setting, money management, decision making skills, interpersonal skills, and business ethics. Every cookie made, sold, and eaten is a piece of a student-athlete’s journey to success! Our student-athletes saw a need during the pandemic and decided to take action: over the course of 6 weeks they raised a little over $60,000 for our Champion Scholarship Fund. The Champion Scholarship Fund was introduced in 2017 and since then Encore has granted over $775,000 in scholarship awards for student-athletes to participate in the sport that they love – volleyball.
Student Athlete Leadership Council
Leadership and character building are important initiatives at Encore. In order to help raise the next generation of leaders, the Encore coaches and leadership team select representatives from their teams to serve on the Student-Athlete Leadership Council. This group of student-athletes is charged with fundraising initiatives, research and plan Encore-wide community engagement, and push internal goals in order to improve upon services provided at Encore. For example: peer tutoring, coaching Encore Juniors (ages 4-12), work study programs, internship opportunities, and business start-ups to name a few.
Food and Supply Drive to Support Animals
A member of one of Encore’s 12U teams partnered with members of our Encore Student-Athlete Leadership Council during the pandemic to run a food and supply drive to support animals in our community. This driven young lady is the founder of the Animal Welfare Club at her middle school and began this school club because of her love for animals and her passion to help them. Her vision for the Animal Welfare Club is to grow a community that people can trust. She wants it to be a place where people are reliable and responsible, and will take care of animals and do the right thing.
Encore Team
The Encore Leadership Team exists to serve their student-athletes and none of the club’s accomplishments would exist without their relentless, dedicated team.
“Together we strategize on how we can elevate each student athlete’s human potential. We house coaches from all walks of life and we unite our diverse perspectives. We exist to progress our mission and when we help to unleash the power of sport, we change lives” says Magner.
Denise Corlett, one of the most respected coaches in the collegiate game, joined Encore in a leadership role this season as the Co-Director. Corlett spent 31 years on the Stanford sidelines, winning 9 National Titles plus 3 years on the Stanford Beach staff. Beyond her honorable contributions to the collegiate game, Denise has a wealth of experience with USAV, working for the National Team in various roles: coaching for the Pan Am Games, Junior World Championships, Junior National Team, and USA A2 Team. She was involved in the 80’s and 90’s with SCVA and NCVA, currently serves on a number of advisory boards for both club and college alike, and also currently serves as an executive board member at the JVRA. Corlett has been inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame, the Southern California Indoor Hall of Fame and the AVCA Hall of Fame. A 3-sport student-athlete at UCLA, Corlett has been a part of success on the court, on the coaching sidelines, and once again in the club arena. Encore is privileged to have her coach, educate, and direct our young athletes on success and playing at the next level.
Encore is committed to creating a space that provides the highest level of personal and professional development for our student-athletes from sports performance training and nutritional education to entrepreneurial opportunities that impact our community and families. Developing the 360 athlete mentally, physically and spiritually is the club’s top priority because they understand that when the student athletes are well prepared, they are capable of discovering their greatest potential. Encore strives to provide a university experience – a winning standard, the highest pedigrees of knowledge, and true societal impact – all things their players will always have access to as they move on into the next chapter of their lives.
Encore Volleyball Club (Redwood City, CA) is a member of the Junior Volleyball Association, an organization committed to enhancing the junior volleyball experience for club directors, coaches, players, and fans.
For more information about joining the JVA click HERE. For more information about JVA Awards click HERE. To nominate your club for JVA Club of the Month click HERE.
