U18 Travel

Norm Cummins (USAV IMPACT and Safesport Certified) has been coaching youth sports since 2005 and has over 42 years of experience in the sport from coach to player. During his coaching career, he has coached teams at the 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U, and 18U levels. In addition, he served as the head coach for Belmont Ridge's Middle School Open 1 team. In his final season with the team, he led them to a championship victory. When he moved to Rehoboth Beach, DE, he became the head volleyball coach of Factory Sports Inc. Through his assistance, they were able to expand their volleyball program. Additionally, he took over the volleyball program at Beacon Middle School and led the team to its first school volleyball championship. His enthusiasm and passion for teaching the sport earned him NVVA's Most Enthusiastic Coach of the Year and Club Head Coach of the Year awards in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, respectively. He previously served as the head coach of PVI High School's freshman team for two years before moving to Delaware. Additionally, he served as an assistant coach for their girls' and boys' varsity teams.

Coach Norm grew up playing beach volleyball in the Huntington Beach area of Southern California. In his youth, he played several sports and was one of the top junior tennis and mixed doubles players in California, finishing undefeated for two consecutive years. His passion for volleyball has always been evident. From 1988 to 1990, he served as the setter for the US Coast Guard's volleyball team in Key West, Florida.  Key West hosts a highly competitive military league in which teams such as the Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces participate. His team finished second in the league two years in a row.

In the 18U age group, Coach Norm understands the dynamics of the age group since some players are finishing their club volleyball careers and others are preparing to enter college volleyball. During this year, many changes are taking place in the players' lives, and they are eager to get one last special season in. In addition to guiding these players to individual success, he is here to assist them in achieving team success as well. He is not a coach that just shows up to practices and games, then doesn’t pay attention to the season. Throughout the season, he continuously studies game film and statistics in order to help each player and the team perform at their peak. Several of his players have been recruited by D1 to D3 volleyball programs over the years. The part of the game that he enjoys the most is seeing a player where he was their first coach and see they are still involved in the sport from player to coaching. He considers volleyball to be a very important aspect of his life, and it is imperative for him to share this passion with the players he has coached for all these years.

In addition to his BA in Business Management, Coach Norm holds an MBA with a concentration in Human Resources Management. Currently, he is the Director of Animal Care Operations at the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.  (Contact:  norm.cummins@viennaelite.org )

Brian Meredith (USA Volleyball IMPACT and Safe Sport Certified) is a former outside/middle hitter and setter with 27 years of volleyball experience at Open, A, and Rec levels of Beach Doubles, Grass 4's, and Club 6’s. He is a multi-sport coach with 11 years of coaching experience, including five years coaching youth flag football, with eight diverse years coaching boys’ and girls’ volleyball of all ages at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels in Galaxy and Loudoun Youth Volleyball (LYV), USAV and JVA/AAU Club, and high school. In addition, Brian frequently leads passing, serving, setting, and hitting clinics for various experience levels.

While at Rock Ridge High School, Brian took the Varsity volleyball team from a 3-8 record in 2020 and its first-ever District Volleyball Championship appearance, to an 8-12 record in 2021, to a 2022 record of 17-3 and the school’s first-ever District Volleyball Championship and Regional Playoff. Two of his players made first- and second-team All-Region and first team All-District, with three other players making second team All-District. Brian is currently the head Varsity coach at John Champe High School.

His volleyball philosophy contains just 4 simple rules: Have Fun, Try Hard, Be a Good Sport, and…Have Fun, based in the “10 Things That Require Zero Talent”. He believes that the mental game matters more than the physical game, which is why he is a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) that teaches growth mindset for use in both sports and in athletes’ daily lives. Coach Brian believes in a lifelong love of the sport of volleyball, emphasizing volleyball IQ to not only coach the how but also the why of volleyball, teaching players vision, advanced strategy and tactics, and statistical analysis to push them into a deeper understanding of their volleyball craft. (Contact: brian.meredith@viennaelite.org )