The AVCA is pleased to announce the full launch of its T.E.A.M. Committee. This group, which consists of seven members, helps the AVCA amplify Togetherness, Empowerment, Accessibility, and Mentoring (T.E.A.M.) within the volleyball coaching community.
The AVCA T.E.A.M. Committee focuses on open, meaningful dialogue and data-informed action aimed at improving access to coaching, professional development, networking, and relationship building. The group is, in part, continuing the work of the former AVCA Diversity Development Team to remove barriers that result in a disproportionate need for support among historically under-resourced demographics.
“I am excited that the T.E.A.M committee has been established as a way to continue this important mission,” said committee chair and AVCA Board Representative Charita Stubbs, who is the head women’s volleyball coach for the University of Arizona. “With the far-ranging growth of volleyball in the United States, we have a great opportunity to forge new pathways and empower coaches at all levels of the sport.”
Members of the AVCA T.E.A.M. Committee are:
Charita Stubbs (Committee Chair and AVCA Board Representative), University of Arizona head women’s volleyball coach
Josh Walker (Vice Chair), Baylor University associate head women’s volleyball coach
Lizzy Briones, 3Step Sports regional director of sports operations
Dr. Ramona Cox, Cass Technical High School (MI) head girls varsity volleyball coach
Maggie Johnson, University of Iowa assistant women’s volleyball coach
Amir Lugo-Rodriguez, Long Beach State University assistant men’s volleyball coach
Marie Zidek, DePaul University head women’s volleyball coach
Stubbs has become synonymous with Arizona volleyball. She was a Wildcat player from 1992 to 1994 and had two stints as an assistant coach at her alma mater before becoming the head coach in 2023. Last season, the Wildcats returned to the NCAA Championship, as they’ve done in 15 of her 22 seasons on staff in Tucson.
Walker has played an integral role in Baylor’s success since he joined Ryan McGuyre’s staff before the 2022 season. Last year he helped the team make its 10th-straight NCAA Championship appearance and extend its streak of being ranked in the AVCA Poll to 121 consecutive weeks.
Briones honed her expertise in club volleyball operations at MOD Volleyball before joining 3STEP Sports, the most impactful youth sports ecosystem in the country. At 3STEP, she plays an integral role in helping the company grow its platform that serves more than 3.2 million athletes across 40+ states.
Cox is a volleyball coach, youth development leader, and advocate for expanding access and opportunity for girls and women in sport. She is the head girls varsity volleyball coach at Cass Technical High School in Detroit and the founder and director of Fair Play Volleyball Club.
Johnson joined the University of Iowa staff as an assistant in early 2024. The 2025 season saw the Hawkeyes post 15 wins, which was the school’s highest total in seven years. She was the head coach for four seasons at Jacksonville University before joining the Iowa staff.
Lugo-Rodriguez returned to his alma mater before the 2026 season, and helped The Beach go 25-5 and advance to the semifinal round of this year’s NCAA Championship. Over the prior seven years, he’d been a women’s assistant at California, Northwestern, and UCLA.
Zidek was named the sixth head coach in DePaul volleyball prior to the 2018 season. Her 2024 squad reached the BIG EAST Tournament for the third time in four years, and the 21-14 Blue Demons eclipsed the 20-win barrier for the first time in two decades.
The formation of the AVCA T.E.A.M. Committee was approved at the AVCA mid-year Board of Directors meeting in April, and the group was activated as of May 1, 2026.
AVCA Senior Director of Engagement, Mission, and Research Kennedy D. Wells serves as the staff liaison for the AVCA T.E.A.M. Committee. If you have any questions or inquiries, please email Kennedy at kennedy.wells@avca.org.
To make a donation in support of the AVCA T.E.A.M. Committee, visit the AVCA Donations webpage.
