Coach of the Year
IVCA coach of the year
Each year, the Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association (IVCA) recognizes a Coach of the Year during the spring and fall. The IVCA Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year is recognized in the fall, and the IVCA Boys Volleyball Coach of the Year is recognized in the spring. Coaches are nominated by IVCA member coaches. Read below to learn more about past and present IVCA Coach of the Year award recipients. Right click on each award recipient's graphic below and save to share on social media.
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2026 IVCA Boys Volleyball Coach of the Year – Grace Culver, Shepard High School Grace Culver is a dedicated high school and club volleyball coach with five years of coaching experience. Grace began her career as a girls varsity assistant before going on to coach freshman girls and JV boys. She currently serves as the Head Boys Volleyball Coach at Shepard High School, a position she has held for the past three years. Read more. |
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2025 IVCA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR - SHELLY STONER Shelly Stoner just completed her 12th season as Head Varsity Volleyball Coach at Limestone Community High School, building one of Central Illinois’ most respected programs. In 2024, her team went 34-3, won the Mid-Illini title, and earned the school’s first-ever State Final appearance as Class 3A Runner-Up. Stoner has compiled a 336-97 record with four conference titles, seven regionals, and multiple sectional and super-sectional runs, emphasizing athlete growth, leadership, and lifelong lessons through volleyball. Read more. |
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2025 IVCA BOYS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR - JORDAN VIDOVIC Jordan Vidovic has been the Head Coach for Marist Girls Volleyball since 2016 and Boys Volleyball since 2015. Coach Vidovic has a 320 – 43 career record (87.5% win percentage) leading teams to 3 state championships (2017, 2018, 2019), 10 regional championships, 10 ESCC championships, and 8 straight 30 win seasons. He is a 4x National Coach of the Year, 2x AVCA Midwest Coach of the Year, 2022 Illinois Volleyball Hall of Famer, and the only Marist and Brother Rice Hall of Fame member. Read more. |
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2024 IVCA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR - RONDA SCHLECHTE Ronda Schlechte began her coaching career in Junior High at Trinity Lutheran School, Stewardson, IL where she collected four State Championships and three 2nd Place finishes between the LSA and SIJHSAA seasons. During the 7 years of her reign, she ended with a 251-43 record. Read more. |
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2024 IVCA BOYS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR - MICHELE MUELLER In 2019, Coach Mueller was named the head coach at Streamwood High School where she would also teach science. In her first year leading the Sabres, the team went 5-13 during an abbreviated season. In true Mueller form, she pushed forward with the goal of changing the culture and getting players to believe in themselves, as well as the process. In the next 2 seasons, the Sabres would go from 10-23 to a record of 16-16 in 2023. The culture had changed and so had the mindset, the stage was set for a great year. Coach Mueller and the Sabres finished off the 2024 season with an overall record of 25-7 and placed 2nd in the conference; the best record and conference finish in program history. During this memorable season, Mueller also won her 100th game as a head coach. Read more. |
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2023 IVCA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR - KELSEY MUELLER Kelsey Mueller started coaching at Normal West as a volunteer assistant in 2011-2012 and became head coach in the Fall of 2012. This season finished with an overall record of 35-5 breaking the school record for number of wins in a season along with taking a Conference Title going 10-0. During Coach Mueller’s tenure at Normal West, they have won three Conference Championships, two Class 3A Regional Championships, one Class 3A Sectional Championship, one Class 3A Super Sectional, one Class 3A 3rd Place finish, one Class 4A Regional Championships, and one class 4A Sectional Championship, along with 11 All-State Athletes in her tenure. |
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2023 IVCA BOYS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR - CHRISTINE GIUNTA-MAYER Christine Giunta-Mayer is the founding coach of Topper Volleyball, Glenbard West. She was recognized as Varsity Boys Topper Volleyball 2006 – present, and reached her 500th career win this season. Giunta-Mayer was named the 2017 Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year; 2020 MICHO Hall of Fame Inductee; and 2022 MaxPreps National High School Boys Volleyball Coach of the Year. Under her leadership, her team won the State Championship 4x (2015, 2016, 2017, 2022); placed 2nd at State (2019); and competed in the State Final Four (2011, 2014, 2018, 2021). During the 2020 short season, they were ranked #1 in the state. |
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2022 IVCA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL COACH OF THE YEAR - MOLLY DESERF In her sixth season as the Bolingbrook High School Raiders Head Coach, and 13th season in the program, Coach DeSerf had a season for the record books this Fall. The Raiders finished the regular season with a record of 30-4 and a perfect 9-0 in the southwest Suburban Conference (SWSC). DeSerf led the Raiders to the most wins in the school's 48 year history for girls volleyball topping the 24 total wins mark set during the 2018 season. The longest stretch for the Raiders included a 16-game win streak in which the Raiders only dropped three sets over the course of the streak. In addition to this, DeSerf brought home another Regional Championship before seeing her season cut short in the Sectional semi-final to eventual sectional winner, Joliet West. The Raiders finished the 2022 season with a final record of 32-5. Molly DeSerf also serves as the Secretary and Social Media Coordinator on the IVCA Board of Directors. |
