our coaches
AMBER BETTILYON
Amber started playing volleyball at her mother’s knee at 10 years old. Her love of the game grew quickly. At Provo High School in Utah, she quickly made the JV/Varsity team as a sophomore playing libero. Her junior year they took 4th in state. Her senior year as a team captain, she played outside hitter. She played 3 years of club ball. Amber coached 2 seasons of club and 1 season of high school. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in music and minor in ASL, she was always involved in some kind of volleyball; classes, intramurals, pick up play, sand, and grass. She is married and has 3 daughters and one son.
Amber is taking a 1 year hiatus ‘25-’26 to welcome her new born son but is available for help if needed. Ambers’ 2 years with NC Gold produced successful teams and both years her players showed great personal growth. Hurry back Amber.
Brett Townsend
Brett has been deeply involved in volleyball for nearly 30 years as a player, coach, and general manager across high school, Junior Olympic Club, college, and professional levels. After his indoor and outdoor playing career, he began coaching at Murray High School in Utah before becoming General Manager and Assistant Coach of the Hawaii Waves, where he built the expansion franchise from the ground up. He later coached both girls and boys varsity teams at Dobson High School in Arizona, leading the girls to their highest state ranking (#4) and a Final Four appearance. In Texas, he coached at Texas Elite before spending nine years at Texas Advantage Volleyball (TAV), where he guided multiple teams to the National Championships and co-directed the North Dallas program. Over 60 of his players have gone on to play in college, including 40+ at the Division I level and two eventual All-Americans. His teams have won over 35 tournaments, including five National Qualifiers. Beyond coaching, Brett organized the first-ever Division I men’s volleyball match in Texas in 2005 and worked as a radio and television broadcaster for three years, covering major collegiate conferences.
Tricia Foster
Tricia Foster played both club and high school volleyball in California. She then went on to play volleyball at a D1 college in Texas called SFASU.
She began her club career in California coaching for Empower volleyball club, and Laguna Beach Volleyball Club. Her last year coaching in California she lead her 13s team to be a top 5 team in SCVA. She moved to North Carolina and began coaching a top 12s team at CUVC and ended the season with multiple Gold medals finishing in the top 80 in the country. This past year Tricia lead her 13 open team at CUVC to take home 6 Gold medals and taking 5th place in the Gold division of Premier at AAU nationals in Florida with a record of 52-11 and winning THE MOST VICTORIOUS TEAM in the club. Her 13U team ended the season 35th in the Country! She is currently Head Varsity Coach at Providence Day School and NC Gold is excited to have her lead our & 15U Elite teams to Victory!
Review:
“I wanted to extend a very BIG thank you for giving my daughter an opportunity to play on your team this year. I could not have been more pleased with Leah’s experience and growth under your coaching and guidance throughout the year. I was very pleased nonetheless and I think it’s the best coaching Leah has had to date on any team she’s been involved with.” - Bill Davis, DAVIS LAND GROUP, LLC
Todd barnes
We are delighted to have Todd Barnes as part of the NC Gold coaching staff.
kellie streater, 17U SEMI-NATIONAL
Kellie is the JV Head Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach for Union Academy Charter School. She played Middle and Right-Side hitter during high school as well as on Junior Olympic teams. She continued to play club in college and in adult leagues after graduation.
She currently lives in Monroe with her husband, Matthew, and her dog, Charlie. She's excited to join NC Gold and to coach a great team of volleyball players.
From Kelly: My name is Kellie Streater and I will be coaching the 17U Semi-National Team for the 2025-2026 season. This is my second year with NC Gold. I
started coaching in 2023 at the JV high school level and assisting with Varsity high school. During my volleyball career I played as a six- rotation middle hitter on my high school and Junior Olympic teams where I averaged 14 kills per game. I continued to play on club teams while in college and in adult leagues after college. I wanted to start coaching volleyball to share my love of the game with developing athletes.
meet kellie interview
Q: What is your coaching philosophy, and how do you approach developing players both on and off the court?
A: As a coach, my goal is to develop the whole athlete. In addition to volleyball skills I want to help my athletes to learn mental fortitude, teamwork, sportsmanship, and communication. I hold my athletes to a high standard for their behavior both on and off the court.
Q: What qualities do you look for in players during tryouts, and how do you evaluate their potential?
A: The number one quality I look for in athletes during tryouts is coachability. Are they open to feedback? If I give an instruction during a drill, do they listen? Even if you have been playing volleyball for years, there is always an opportunity to learn something new. You should never show up to a tryout or practice assuming you already know how to do everything. I also look for players who are willing to play with other athletes who they may not know or who may not be on their same skill level. Volleyball is a team sport and you need to be able to interact and play with different people of all Skill levels.
Q: How do you plan to prepare the team for high-level competition and ensure they perform at their best?
A: To prepare the team for high-level competition I do my best to build up confidence within the team. I believe in each athlete on my team. I know what they are capable of and the level of play they can achieve. I want each athlete to believe in themselves and their teammates as much as I do. This involves being mentally strong, physically conditioned, and trusting your teammates to have your back. Volleyball is a game of mistakes. You have to know how to pick up your teammates if they're down, how to overcome a points deficit, and how to push yourself to finish out a set to the very last point. : What excites you most about coaching this team, and what are your goals for the upcoming season? A: I'm so excited for this upcoming season. At the I7U level, these athletes know the sport so my goal is to help them refine and accelerate their skills and abilities. I want to encourage a fun and collaborative spirit on the team.
Shi'Anne Caldwell
Shianne Caldwell is the Assistant Volleyball Coach at Charlotte Country Day Middle School, where she brings her passion and experience to help develop young athletes. With over a decade of playing experience, Shianne started her volleyball journey in middle school and continued playing competitively through high school, on club teams, and in a college club team. She remains an active player today, competing in various leagues.
Her coaching philosophy centers on fostering teamwork, building fundamental skills, and instilling confidence in players both on and off the court. Shianne is committed to creating a positive, motivating environment where athletes can grow and excel while developing a love for the game.
When she’s not coaching, Shianne continues to pursue her personal development in the sport and remains deeply involved in the volleyball community, always looking for ways to inspire and uplift the next generation of players.
Ralph Viegelmann
Ralph Viegelmann brings over 15 years of elite-level coaching experience to NC Gold Volleyball, with a proven track record of developing high-performing athletes and teams. He spent 8 years coaching top Elite teams at Carolina Juniors Volleyball (CJV) and 7 years leading top National teams at Carolina Storm.
As a dedicated Recruiting Director for more than a decade, Ralph has helped over 100 athletes continue their volleyball careers at the collegiate level. His passion for athlete development is matched by his commitment to guiding players through the recruiting process with integrity and expertise.
Ralph holds both CAP 1 and CAP 2 certifications through USA Volleyball and has coached at numerous NCAA Division I summer camps, including North Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, NC State, George Washington, and Queens University.
His extensive experience, strong collegiate connections, and deep knowledge of the game make him a tremendous asset to NC Gold and a trusted mentor for aspiring collegiate athletes.
ADAM CARMEN
Adam graduated from University of Memphis is 2001 and moved to Charlotte in 2004. Volleyball has been a part of his life the last 31 years and as a coach for the last 21. Adam says, "Sharing my love of volleyball and mentoring current high school student-athletes in the ways of the game is so rewarding to me and I'm always striving to find new ways to do that with each team I have been a part of."
Meet Adam!
Rachel West
We are delighted to have Rachel West as part of the NC Gold coaching staff.
ashley
My name is Ashley and I am so excited to join the NC Gold family! I have been involved in volleyball since I was 9 years old when I started playing at the YMCA. A few years later, my younger sister decided to give volleyball a go and I asked to help coach her team. I was 12 at the time and basically never stopped coaching from then on. I continued to volunteer as an assistant coach until I was 15 when I was asked to head coach a 10U team. Every year after that, I would coach, referee games, and even got to help create the league rules, all while balancing my playing career at Providence High School. After graduating from the University of South Carolina in 2021, I started coaching in CMS at Jay M Robinson Middle School and won the conference championship that year with a record of 13-1. I coached there for another year before moving to my alma mater, Providence High School, as the JV coach and am currently gearing up for year 3. I can't wait to continue and grow my coaching career with NC Gold!
Memorable Coaching Moment:
My first season at Providence, we were playing against Charlotte Catholic in a very tight game when I hit my clipboard in excitement so hard that it broke in half! We went on to win that game 2 sets to 1 and I have never lived down my broken clipboard.
Qualities I look for in Players:
Nothing beats the value of effort and good sportsmanship. I always look for the players with a good attitude, who I know will put in maximum effort day in and day out. They will respond to feedback and put in the hard work, especially at practice. I am a big believer in 'You play how you practice,' so I expect my players to never give less than 100%. When a player is putting in the effort, I know they have more potential and that they will continue to grow.