Register NowThe goal for this full-day camp is to learn volleyball in a positive atmosphere with a focus on building general skills, inclusion, sportsmanship, and fun. Players come in with different levels of experience and are grouped according to their skill. Campers learn the basic techniques of volleyball and then apply those techniques during game-like situations, all with the aim of developing each participant into a more complete player.
This is a one-week session. A hearty lunch provided by Sage Dining Services is an add-on option for this camp.
Weeks 1, 2, and 3 (ages 7-14)
*Former Varsity Head Coach, and current Berkeley Middle Division Coach, John Coup, will be running the camp during Week 3*
About the Coaches
Sarah Kirkwood Reiss graduated from Plant High School in 2004, winning state titles in 2001, 2002, and 2003. In addition, Coach Reiss was named Florida Gatorade Player of the Year her senior year. A 2008 graduate of the University of Virginia (UVA) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in cognitive science and a pre-medicine concentration in neuroscience, Coach Reiss had one of the most outstanding volleyball careers in Cavalier history at outside hitter. She established team records for career kills, kills per set, and service aces, and graduated ranked sixth all-time in hitting percentage and eighth in digs.
During her time at UVA, Coach Reiss racked up numerous accolades. She was an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-American as a sophomore and senior, as well as a two-time ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American—including receiving First Team honors her junior year. A two-year team captain, Coach Reiss was also selected All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) each of her four years and was named the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2004. She was a three-time Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Player of the Year. Off the court, Coach Reiss received the Thomas Rodney Crowley, Jr. Scholarship and the Ralph Sampson Scholarship Award. She was also a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.
Following graduation, Coach Reiss continued her volleyball career professionally in the Association of Volleyball Professionals and internationally in Italy and Puerto Rico.
Following her professional volleyball career, Coach Reiss earned a Master of Science degree in Commerce with a concentration in Financial Services from UVA in 2010. She earned a law degree from the Cardozo School of Law in New York City, concentrating on Intellectual Property.
John Coup is currently in his 24th year as an instructor at Berkeley. He has been part of the volleyball program for twenty-five years and was the head coach at Berkeley Prep for four years. During this time, Berkeley played in three final fours and a regional final. He played competitive flag football in and around the state of Florida and the southeast for over a decade. He was part of a team that won the national championship and enjoys passing on his passion for flag football to youth players.
Ashley Bassler is entering her 18th year as a fifth grade teacher and volleyball coach. She is a native of Tampa and a graduate of Berkeley, where she was an All-American volleyball player. Ashley continued her volleyball career at the University of Florida, where she earned All-American honors as an outside hitter. After graduating, she went on to play professionally in Belgium. After retiring as a player, Ashley spent many years as a club coach and camp counselor before starting her teaching and coaching career. Ashley is excited to be returning to Berkeley this summer and joining the varsity girls coaching staff in the fall.
Ally Simon has been coaching volleyball for 8 years. She played competitively in high school and college, and qualified for Junior Olympics in 2016. She is so passionate about volleyball that when there was not an option for a Volleyball Club at her university, she founded one and took the team to Nationals in their first year! She played all throughout her university experience - three years at the Club level at Winthrop University and one year at the collegiate level at Mount Olive College. After college, she has been coaching youth volleyball (ages 4-10) and high school volleyball (ages 14-16) and most recently she was the JV White Coach at Berkeley for the 2022-2023 Fall season. Ally is looking forward to continuing to develop our younger players’ skills and interest in this wonderful sport!