Coach Bri is originally from Chicago, IL where she competed at both the high school and club level. As a senior, Bri was captain of her high school and club team and was named to the All-Tournament team at the National Junior Classic. Bri then went on to play as a Libero at Lake Forest College where she was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team and chosen to represent her team on the Athletic Council. Since then, Bri has continued her passion for volleyball through coaching. She has coached for 5 club seasons at both the travel and regional levels for 13s-16s. Bri has also led her teams to place in the top 3 at tournaments that include the Winter Classic and the Midwest Crossroads. Bri’s coaching philosophy is that defense wins games, as well as that players should not only walk away from a season as a better player, but as a better person. When Bri isn’t coaching, she is exploring NOLA with her fiancé, cuddling with her two dogs, crafting, and working as a Child Life Specialist. This is Bri’s first season with Core Elite and she is very excited to see what the season holds!

I was born and raised in New Orleans, LA and attended Chapelle High School from 2014 to 2019.  While at Chapelle, I helped lead our team to its second ever State Championship appearance where we finished Runner-up in Division 1. After high school, I attended LSU and played club volleyball for the university for 4 years and even held the title of president of the club for 2 years. Being president of the club team has helped me grow in my leadership and coaching skills as our team coached each other. At LSU, I played libero and helped our club team climb to the 3rd seed out of 250 teams nationwide.

In December of 2023, I graduated from LSU with a major in Kinesiology and beginning January 2025, I will be pursuing a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy. This will be my first-year coaching at Core Elite, and I am so excited to meet the team!

Kennedy was born and raised in New Orleans. She has played many sports during her athletic career, including volleyball, soccer, basketball, swimming, cross country, track and field, dance team, and cheerleading. She first began playing volleyball at age  10 at St. Paul’s Episcopal School. Kennedy continued to play volleyball for all 5 years of high school at Ursuline Academy, where she was a middle hitter. Her first year playing Varsity at her high school was her Sophomore year and during her Junior year, she was named All-District. During her time in varsity, Kennedy and her team made appearances at State 3 times and made it to the quarter-finals and semifinals, respectively. She also played club volleyball for 6 years. Kennedy went on to play collegiate volleyball at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi where she played for 2 years before deciding to focus her time on her education. She graduated with a Bachelor's in Neuroscience and is working towards her Master of Public Health degree at Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She has plans to attend medical school and become an OBGYN. This will be Kennedy’s third season with Core Elite, and she is excited to pass on her love of volleyball to the players and help them grow individually and as teammates.

Emma Richey is a setter at Mt Carmel Academy in the Class of 2025. She was born in Mobile, Alabama in 2007 and moved to Destrehan when she was two months old and has lived there since. Emma began playing multiple sports (gymnastics, softball, basketball, and volleyball) at an early age. She played club volleyball for six years and the past two years helped her teams (Ignite 15, Rise 16) make deep runs in the Premier Division at AAU Nationals in Orlando registering over 1,000 assists in both seasons while not coming off the floor in either year. She has played varsity at MCA since her freshman year and this past season she finished second in the state of Louisiana with 1,340 assists. Emma was named both LVCA All-State and All-District 7-5A First Team while helping the Cubs to a second straight Division I State Runner-up finish.

Megan is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She was a four-year starter at Mountain Brook High School and played club volleyball. She also lettered in basketball and lacrosse. Megan played volleyball at Washington and Lee University and was a four-year letterman and captain in her final two seasons. Megan has experience working volleyball camps and was the freshman team coach for Mountain Brook High School. This will be Megan's first year at Core Elite, and she is excited about the opportunity to teach and support players this season. 

(coaching experience - worked volleyball camps during the summer while in college at local high schools and colleges, coached Mountain Brook High School's 9th-grade team (it's a 7A public school in Alabama)

Primarily Outside Hitter - all of high school and college
Setter - club
Libero - club)

Coach Hailey was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended De La Salle High. While attending De La Salle, she played volleyball and softball. She was on her varsity volleyball team all five years, where she played multiple positions. While at De La Salle, she found her favorite positions as setter or libero. Hailey was named All-District for 3 seasons, and at the end of her senior year, she earned the title of Female Athlete of the Year. Hailey furthered her education at Nicholls State University, majoring in Culinary Arts with a concentration in Pastry and a minor in Business Administration. While at Nicholls, she was an active member of Phi Mu Fraternity and other on-campus organizations. Hailey played many intramural sports, including volleyball and softball. Outside of volleyball, Hailey enjoys baking, spending time with her friends and family, playing with her pug, Lola, and shopping.

This will be Hailey’s 5th year of coaching club volleyball. She is excited to be around a new group of coaches and young athletes to share her love of the sport that gave her so much.

Randi was born in Lake Charles, LA and raised in Metairie, LA. Her mom was a high school volleyball and softball coach for 20+ years where she found her love for volleyball and softball. She played volleyball and softball at Archbishop Chapelle High School from 2009-2014 where she was a member of the LHSAA All-State team as an outside hitter, two time All-District, a member of the LHSAA All Star team, All-Metro New Orleans and a two -time Times-Picayune Player of the week. She continued her athletic career where she attended Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL from 2014-2019, earning her Bachelor’s in Sociology and Health Science and her Master’s in Business Administration. At Spring Hill, she continued to play both volleyball and softball. While in college she and her team competed for the NCAA DII SIAC Conference Championship in 2019 and won. After that, she and her team were able to compete in the NCAA DII Regional Tournament in West Palm Beach, FL in 2019 which concluded her volleyball playing career. While playing for the Badgers, as a red shirt freshman she earned an athletic letter by appearing in 74 sets with a season high of 12 kills at Rollins College. As a sophomore, she earned another athletic letter with 8 straight starts in 30 matches with 86 sets played during that season. Her junior year she earned her third athletic letter with appearances in 106 sets in 32 matches including 25 starts as a junior having led the team with 65 aces, third on the team with 230 digs as well as a member of the 2017-2018 SIAC Commissioner’s All Academic Team. Overall, Randi holds the Badger D2 era career record for service aces with 143.

After graduating college Randi moved back home and has been coaching for 3 years. Aside from coaching volleyball she works as a Clinical Research Coordinator for LSU Urology Oncology. Randi also coaches the JPRD 10u Eastbank Softball Team. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones and doing DIY projects. She is excited to see what this club season brings!

Trotter comes to NOLA from Butler University, where she was an assistant for the Bulldogs for the 2022 season. She also served as the interim head coach during the spring of 2023. Before her stop in Indianapolis, she competed in her second year of professional volleyball with Polkky Kuusamo of Finland's Mestaruusliiga, finishing her playing career as the league's female MVP. While receiving several setter/player of the month awards in Finland, Trotter also led them to a Finnish Cup Championship and a finish League championship, both firsts for the club. While competing abroad, she completed her master's degree online at Southern Arkansas University. Coach Trotter has a Master's in  Kinesiology with a focus in Coaching.

 
Before her return to her second year to play professionally, she was an assistant volleyball coach at Ouachita Baptist University, where she aided in the team’s organization, preparation, and strength and conditioning plans.

Trotter played collegiately at Syracuse from 2015 to 2018. She ranks eighth in the program's history as a setter with 2,520 career assists. She was a 2018 All-ACC Academic honoree, got ACC Player of the Week (10/23), and made the Cyclone Classic All-Tournament Team. She was also a Member of Syracuse University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's Leadership Committee (SAAC) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). She was also a four-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.  

At Tulane, Coach Trotter assists with the Green Wave offense while training the setters and defenders. Coach Trotter helps with skill-specific training with Tulane setters weekly. Her experience, integrity, enthusiasm and love for her players are unmatched.

The Texas native has athletic bloodlines, including her mother, Melissa Trotter-Hardy, who played volleyball at Henderson State (1994-98). Her uncle Nicholas Trotter played football at SFA, and her uncle Jeremiah Trotter, who played in the National Football League for 12 years, was a four-time Pro Bowler at linebacker.

Coach Olivia Helmers was born in Southern Illinois, she moved to California and Georgia before settling in Louisiana. Olivia has been playing volleyball since the age of 12. She has played every position on her junior varsity and varsity teams from 03’-09’. She has received awards for Most Improved player and Best All-Around player on her varsity team. Upon graduating from high school, she went to The John Folse Culinary School at Nicholls State University and decided to focus on her career path while playing intramural volleyball for all 4 years. After graduating with her Bachelor’s in Science, Olivia was seen as a leader and a mentor amongst her peers and was guided by her professors to continue her education with a Masters in Science in hopes to come back as a professor and guide the next generation of chefs and sommeliers.  After over a decade of experience in the service industry, Olivia’s calling to teach and educate turned into a Human Resources career until ultimately finding her passion in financial services. Olivia now teaches financial literacy and helps guide her clients into a secure and bright future through financial and retirement planning.

Outside of assisting her clients, Olivia captains an indoor and outdoor volleyball team and plays on two other co-ed outdoor teams. Volleyball has always been her favorite sport and one of her passions. Now that she has been given the opportunity to coach the next generation, she can’t wait to hone her skills and take her team to the next level as individuals and volleyball players.

Imana Ellis … Born on Aug. 8, ... Lettered two years in volleyball and one year in track and field at Slidell High School ... Played club volleyball for Louisiana Volleyball, Wattle Daub and Southern Elite ... Earned a spot on the South Louisiana Volleyball Invitational All-Tournament Team in 2016 ... Named 2015 Girls Volleyball Most Improved Player ... Coached by Michelle Anderson at Slidell High School. After Graduating High school in 2018 she attended Temple College (2018-2020) where she played Middle Blocker, tallied 72 total blocks across 86 sets to average 0.84 blocks per set as a freshman in 2018-19 ... Also contributed 120 kills and 1.40 kills per set in her first season of collegiate volleyball ... Posted over 200 kills and 100 total blocks in just 121 sets across 33 matches in a breakout sophomore campaign in 2019-20 ... Finished her sophomore season with 128 total blocks and 233 kills ... Completed her Temple College career with 200 total blocks, 353 kills and 52 digs. She then Transferred to University Of Arkansas At Pine Bluff (2020-2021) where she then opted out. For her last two years of playing Collegiate volleyball Imana decided to transfer to Louisiana Tech University (2021) and saw action in 10 sets across four matches, before suffering a season-ending knee injury ... She recently graduated from Louisiana Tech with a Sociology Degree and plans to attend Grad school to pursue her Chiropractic degree. Imana is looking forward to working with the players to assist them on their development, skill, and knowledge of the game to help them be successful in their careers. Coach Imana has been at Core Elite for the past 2 seasons.

Alicia was born and raised in San Francisco, where her love for volleyball began.  She started playing at the age of ten and never stopped.  She played DS/Libero at Lick-Wilmerding High School from 1998-2002 and was awarded Most Inspirational player.  Alicia attended Loyola University of New Orleans, where her volleyball career was cut short due to an injury.  She continues to play in various recreational leagues indoor as well as beach throughout the metro area.  She worked as a Project Leader for Recreate, providing exposure to youth in underserved communities. She loved introducing the children to an array of sports and cultural events that opened their eyes to a world of opportunities.  Alicia also spent years as a competitive swimmer, swimmer’s and volleyball coach.  Alicia is the Manager of Commercial Property Tax for Ryan LLC.  

Alicia has spent much of her life around children and is looking forward to nurturing their potential, focusing on fundamentals, and hopefully instilling a lifelong love for the sport. 

Camryn was born and raised in New Orleans. She was first introduced to volleyball in 5th grade while attending Country Day. Throughout middle school, she participated in Country Day’s volleyball program during the fall and would continue growing her skillset during the off-season with NOLA Volleyball. She transferred to Mount Carmel Academy in her freshman year, earning a spot on the program’s JV roster. Camryn played with Mount Carmel from 2014 to 2017 as an OH and RSH. During her sophomore year, she was injured but returned soon, earning the Coach’s Award for her performance as JV Captain. As a senior, Camryn was privileged to serve as a member of Mount Carmel’s 2017 State Championship team while acting as Senior Class President.

In her collegiate years, Camryn attended Vanderbilt University and continued to compete with her university’s club team as a DS. She was appointed in her second year as Community Outreach Co-Chair and graduated with degrees in Medicine, Health, and Society (MHS) and French. Camryn hopes to one day attend medical school and possibly study sports medicine.

Coaching Experience

• Triana Catholic School (Aguascalientes, Mexico 2006-2015)
  • National Young School Competition (Elementary, Middle and High School Girls)
    • Produced 4 National Championships
    • Produced 8 Final Four teams
    • Produced 4 Competition MVP
  • U12 Girls National Championship appearance (2010-2014)
  • U14 Girls National Championship appearance (2010-2014)
  • U18 Girls National Championship appearance (2010-2014)
  • CONADEIP National Young Competition Best 4 teams (U12, 2013)
• Aguascalientes State Representative Team:
• U14 Girls National Young Olympic Games appearance (2013)​

Playing Experience

• Semi-professional:
  • Aguascalientes Club (Aguascalientes, Mexico 2012-2014)
  • Lagos de Moreno Club (Jalisco, Mexico 2008-2012)
• College:
  • Universidad de La Salle Bajio (Master degree) 2012
    • Middle Blocker / Outside, CONNDE and CONADEIP Conference National College Competition
  • Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes (Bachelor degree) 2008:
    • Middle Blocker / Outside, CONDDE National College Competition
• High School:
  • La Salle High School (2004)
    • Middle Blocker, National Young Olympic Games. Selected State Representative Team.
    • MVP LaSallian National Young Competition for 3 consecutive years.
    • City Best Athlete Mention (Jalisco, Mexico 2000)

Education and Certifications
Coach Gonzalez holds a Master of Science degree in Sports Management from the Universidad de LaSalle Bajio, Mexico. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Business from the Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico.  She achieved a Volleyball National Coach Certification FMVB (Aguascalientes, Mexico). Coach Gonzalez is CPR and First Medical Assistance certified as well as receiving a Psychological Pedagogical Anthropology Certification. Coach Gonzalez is a current USAV Member, IMPACT Certified, and SafeSport Certified.

Dianela's most recent club experience has been Assistant Coach for Next Step 13U and Head Coach for Core Elite 14U. While at Core Elite, Dianela's team was in the top 10 of the Bayou Region as well as placed 18th out of 200 teams at Nationals. 

               Coach Sophia is a native of New Orleans. She started volleyball at an early age. She attended Lusher High School, played volleyball for five years, and graduated in the top percentile of her class. Sophia played JV volleyball in 8th grade and advanced to the Varsity team her freshmen year. While at Lusher High School, she played middle blocker and received the Sportsmanship Award. Sophia also played club volleyball. After graduating, Sophia attended the Loyola University of New Orleans. During her sophomore year, Sophia transferred to Tulane University and is expected to graduate in 2024 with a Digital Media and Marketing degree.

               Sophia has coached at Lakeview Park and lead her team to Runner-up Championships in the 2021 season. Working with children and love of volleyball has always been her passion. She enjoys watching kids grow as well as assisting with increasing their confidence levels. In Sophia’s spare time, she enjoys babysitting, going to the gym, and playing intramural volleyball at the university. Coach Sophia is looking forward to working with the team’s in assisting them to become better volleyball players and, most of all, better individuals.

Coach Tempestt Vaughn is originally from Beaumont, Texas, and attended high school at Ozen High school. During high school, Coach Tempestt earned All-District as well as District Defensive MVP and team Captain. She played club volleyball at FMTVA and Houston Juniors. While playing for Houston Juniors, Vaughn attracted multiple Division I volleyball programs as a power Middle Blocker. After consideration, Vaughn decided to play college volleyball at Southeastern University. Throughout her career at Southeastern, she contributed on the court with 234 recorded kills, 139 blocks, assisted SLU in 2018 to obtain the best record in school history, and was the team captain. Off the court, Vaughn was a part of the Southland Conference Commissioner Honor Roll. Coach Tempestt is eager to share her love and knowledge for the game of volleyball.

John Brandon was a two-sport athlete at Bastrop High School in Bastrop, Louisiana. While attending Bastrop High, Brandon, in the quarterback position, lead the program to their first District championship. Brandon was named All-District in football, All-District, All-Metro, and All-State for baseball. Coach Brandon had scholarships offers for football and baseball but decided to pursue baseball. Brandon started his collegiate career at Panola Junior College. While at Panola, he was named Junior College Athlete of the Year. After playing two years at Panola, Brandon was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 36th round. At this time, Brandon being highly recruited by LSU, Miami, Florida State, and Louisiana Tech University. Brandon decides to commit to Louisiana Tech University to pursue his degree. While at Louisiana Tech, his senior season accolades consist of, 2nd Team All- WAC, 2nd in stolen bases, .263 batting average, 7 home runs, and 27 RBI’s as well as being recognized as the Top Defensive Outfielder in the league. After completion of his degree, Brandon joined Louisiana Tech’s graduate assistant strength and condition program. He worked with the football, baseball, softball, and volleyball programs. He has coached and trained many NCAA and PRO prospects specializing in speed and agility as well as trained Mrs. Louisiana Najahe Sherman.

Brandon brings tones of knowledge, experience, and certifications to the Core Elite program such as CPR/AED, NESTA Personal Training, Cooper Institute Biomechanics, NASM: Master Trainer, NASM: Behavior Change in Exercise, NASM: Performance Enhancement Specialization, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist. Coach Brandon has also designed our strength and conditioning program and partnered with Ochsner Sports Performance.

In Coach Brandon’s spare time, he enjoys playing golf, working out, watching movies, going to sporting events, and traveling with family. Brandon is married to Gelon and shares five kids and four grandkids.

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