LOVB Pro Coaches

Reft joins LOVB San Francisco from UCLA, where he spent the past three seasons as head coach of the Bruins’ women’s volleyball program. A former high-level collegiate and professional player, Reft brings firsthand understanding of the demands of the game – experience that has shaped his coaching philosophy and approach to team culture. Known for his ability to build strong, connected programs while driving results, Reft will oversee all on-court performance for LOVB San Francisco as the team prepares for its inaugural season in January 2027.

With more than 12 years of experience with the U.S. National Team as both a player and coach, Reft brings a deep background in high-performance volleyball and a reputation for athlete-centered leadership, player development, and competitive excellence. His international résumé includes serving on Karch Kiraly’s coaching staff for the U.S. Women’s National Team, culminating in a silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Parisi, 66, brings more than three decades of coaching experience to LOVB Atlanta. During his illustrious career, he’s led teams to an Italian Serie A1 title, two CEV Cup titles, the Italian Cup, and three A2 championships. The Italian native has won four Best Coach awards – one in Serie A1, three in Serie A2 – and also led the Czech National Team to a European League title in 2012.

Most recently, he spent parts of four seasons leading clubs in the world’s top league, Serie A1 of Italy. He took over Il Bisonte Firenze midway through the 2022/23 season and remained through the end of 2023/24. Then he transferred to Volley Bergamo, reaching the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup in 2024/25 and winning the Trofeo Mimmo Fusco early in 2025/26.

Under Parisi’s tutelage from 2004-15, Unendo Yamamay Busto Arsizio (UYBA) had its best run of success in club history. During the 2011/12 season, UYBA Volley won its sole league and Italian Cup titles, and he also coached the squad to its first and second CEV Cup championships (2009/10, 2011/12). Parisi also led the squad to the CEV Champions League semifinals twice, reaching the title match in 2014/15. 

In addition to his time in Italy, Parisi has led club teams in Romania, Greece, France, and Azerbaijan. 

An accomplished  leader on the international and collegiate stage, Morales joins Madison after serving as an assistant for LOVB Nebraska in 2026. His extensive background includes leading national teams during major tournament runs, a  successful tenure revitalizing a collegiate volleyball team and a decade-long career competing as a professional.

Fernando took over as head coach of the South Korean Women’s National Team in March 2024 and led the team during its 2024 Volleyball Nations League campaign. He has further international coaching experience after leading Puerto Rico to a string of strong international finishes: silver at the 2021 NORCECA Championship, silver at the 2023 Pan American Cup, silver at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games and bronze at the 2022 FIVB Challenger Cup. Under his guidance, Puerto Rico advanced to the second round of the 2022 FIVB Women’s World Championship and maintained a top-20 FIVB world ranking.

Collegiately, Fernando led the Evansville Purple Aces to three Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship matches, secured their first postseason appearance since the early 1980s and directed the program to its first 20-win season since 1988. He developed multiple MVC award-winners, including Giulia Cardona, who led the nation in kills and points and became the first Purple Aces player to earn MVC Player of the Year, and Alondra Vazquez, who set program records and earned First Team All-MVC and All-Region honors.

He brings nearly two decades of national and international playing experience, both indoor and beach. Fernando's individual honors include multiple Best Setter and Best Server awards in Puerto Rico, MVP distinctions and All-Star selections. He led his native Puerto Rico to a silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Qualifier, participation in the 2007 World Cup and podium finishes at NORCECA and Pan-Am tournaments.

Paulo Coco takes the helm of LOVB Miami after two years leading LOVB Atlanta. In 2025, he earned Coach of the Year honors after Atlanta posted the league's best record at 13-3, and the club finished second in the 2026 regular season standings. Atlanta’s two-year regular season record of 24-12 under Coco was best in the league.

Before LOVB, he coached in Brazil and Spain, winning five Brazilian Superliga titles and the 2023/24 Brazilian Cup. He’s also served as assistant coach of the Brazilian National team since 2003, winning gold at the Beijing and London Olympics as well as silver in Tokyo. He has also won three World Championship silver medals and two bronze medals with Brazil.

Sanja Tomašević is a former Serbian National Team member with extensive NCAA and professional coaching experience. She most recently spent two seasons with VakıfBank in Türkiye. Under her tutelage, VakıfBank won the Sultanlar Ligi title and reached the Champions League semifinal round earlier this year. During the 2023/24 campaign, the squad finished third in league play and the Turkish Cup while advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals. Prior to her pro experience, Sanja served as head coach at Arizona State University from 2016 to 2022 after serving as an assistant for one season. She also was an assistant at The University of Miami and The University of Texas at San Antonio. An opposite hitter, Sanja played professionally from 2006-2012. She won three league titles – one in Switzerland, two in Greece – and represented Serbia in Olympic qualifying and at the junior levels. She played college volleyball at the University of Washington and helped the Huskies win the 2005 NCAA Division I championship.

A world-class player and championship-winning coach, Tama has made her mark at both the international and national levels. As an assistant coach, she found success at Allianz Stuttgart in German Bundesliga, where they won the first-ever Bundesliga title, and with the US Women’s National team, where they won three FIVB VNL titles, Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and Olympic silver at Paris 2024. Tama is the head coach of LOVB Salt Lake.

Annemarie Hickey enters her first season as an assistant coach for LOVB Madison, bringing advanced training expertise and data-driven strategy to the court after serving as Director of Volleyball Operations in the team’s inaugural year. She spent eight seasons on staff at the University of Wisconsin, rising to assistant coach while helping guide the Badgers to five Big Ten titles, eight NCAA tournament appearances, and the 2021 national championship. Annemarie led scouting and performance analysis at Wisconsin and has contributed to both the U.S. Women’s National Team and Collegiate National Team. A 2022 AVCA Thirty Under 30 honoree, she is regarded as one of volleyball’s top emerging coaching talents.

Fikret Ceylan joins LOVB Houston with over a decade of coaching experience at the highest levels. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Ceylan served as an assistant coach for powerhouse clubs including VakıfBank SK, where he contributed to multiple World Club Championships, CEV Champions League titles and Turkish League victories. Ceylan’s international résumé also includes assistant coaching roles with the French and South Korean national teams. His expertise in performance analysis and scouting, combined with advanced proficiency in tools like Data Volley, VolleyStation, and Volleymetrics, has made him a key contributor to medal-winning teams across Europe and Asia. A graduate of Marmara University’s School of Physical Education and Sports, Ceylan holds a Level 4 coaching certification from the Turkish Volleyball Federation and brings a championship mindset, international insight, and passion for player development to LOVB Houston.

A three-time Olympian and two-time silver medalist (Beijing 2008, London 2012), Tayyiba Haneef-Park joined the Austin coaching staff ahead of the 2026 season, bringing elite international experience and a championship pedigree to the bench. Tayyiba has extensive coaching experience in the international game and with USA Volleyball. She joined the U.S. Women’s National Team as assistant in 2025 and has also guided the squad to podium finishes (Gold, 2019 NORCECA Champions Cup; Silver, 2023 NORCECA Pan American Cup; Silver, 2023 NORCECA Final 6). She’s also worked with the National Team Development Program and USAV’s Collegiate National Team, along with collegiate stints at Oregon and Arizona. More recently, she earned 2024 Coach of the Year honors in the Pro Volleyball Federation after leading the San Diego Mojo. As a player, Haneef-Park was a standout outside hitter for Long Beach State, earning AVCA First-Team All-America honors in 2001 while leading the 49ers to a national runner-up finish. She later captured two Olympic silver medals with Team USA and helped secure a World Grand Prix gold medal in 2012.

Alex Dunphy joins LOVB Salt Lake as an assistant coach after four seasons on staff at Stanford University, where she helped guide the Cardinal to multiple Pac-12 championships, one ACC Championship (2025), three consecutive NCAA Regional Final appearances from 2022–24, and one Sweet 16 appearance (2025). During her tenure, Stanford produced numerous AVCA All-Americans, conference award winners, and Academic All-Americans. Dunphy also brings extensive international and national team experience, most recently serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s U21 National Team that won gold at the 2024 NORCECA Continental Championship. Her coaching background includes stops at Auburn, USC, Minnesota, Pepperdine, and Miami, along with roles in multiple USA Volleyball National Team Development Program squads. A former USC student-athlete and NCAA champion, Dunphy adds elite-level experience and a deep volleyball pedigree to the LOVB Salt Lake staff.

Rob Browning enters his first season as assistant coach with LOVB Austin, bringing more than 25 years of collegiate and international coaching experience. Most recently, he served as assistant coach at NC State in February of 2025. Browning previously spent 20 seasons as the head coach at Saint Mary’s College of California, becoming the winningest coach in program history with five NCAA tournament appearances and the school’s first West Coast Conference championship in 2009. He also established Saint Mary’s’ beach volleyball program , producing multiple WCC award winners. On the international stage, Browning spent six years as an assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Team, working four Olympic Games, including the 2008 gold medal squad in Beijing. He also coached the U.S.Women’s National and Junior National Teams, winning gold at the 2019 Pan Am Cup and 2010 NORCECA Championship. Before his head coaching career, Browning was an assistant at BYU, helping the Cougars to the 1999 NCAA National Championship. A native of Newport Beach, California, he played collegiately at BYU and earned a degree in Spanish Translation with a minor in International Relations. He and his wife Michelle have two children, Madison and John.

A two-time Olympian, former U.S. Men’s National Team player and highly respected coaching leader, Sullivan was recently named head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team after a long stint in college volleyball. During his 14-season tenure as associate head coach at the University of Texas, he played an integral role in shaping one of the nation’s most dominant programs, contributing to three NCAA national championships and eight Final Four appearances. He has also contributed significantly to USA Volleyball in a variety of coaching roles, including serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team, which earned a fourth-place finish at the 2011 FIVB World Championship. He is also a key member of the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program (NTDP) Scouting Network for girls’ indoor volleyball, where he plays an active role in identifying and nurturing future U.S. National Team athletes. Sullivan boasts a distinguished international playing résumé and as a libero represented the United States at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

Hernández González brings both international and club coaching success to the Twin Cities. He has coached the French National Team the last two years, a role he’ll maintain during the LOVB Pro offseason, and led the squad to a quarterfinal berth in the 2025 FIVB World Championship. Hernández González also served as head coach for South Korea in 2022 and 2023 before leading them to an Olympic semifinal berth as an assistant in 2021. 

Hailing from Madrid, Hernández González also worked for the Spanish National Team for 12 years, first as team manager before becoming an assistant coach.

In addition to his international resume, Hernández González has led several top club squads. Most recently, he served as head coach of KS DevelopRes Rzeszów in Poland’s TAURON Liga. Before that, he was head coach at Neptunes de Nantes Volleyball in France, picking up a 2023/24 French Cup title and finishing second in league play both seasons. 

Hernández González also served as an assistant in two of the world’s biggest clubs VakifBank (Türkiye) and Savino Del Bene Scandicci (Italy), helping VakifBank win seven major titles in three seasons. In all, he’s coached for 20 seasons and worked in the sport for 26.

Well-versed in both the club and international game, Athanasopoulos has been the head coach of the Czechia National Team since 2019. He’s led the Czechs to two FIVB Challenger Cup medals, three European Golden League medals and two Volleyball Nations League berths, including in 2026.

In club play, Athanasopoulos’ teams have seen even more success. Most recently, he led   (Hungary) from 2021 to 2026. Under his tutelage, Vasas Óbuda won five consecutive Extraliga titles and four Hungarian Cups. The club also took third in the 2024-25 CEV Cup. 

Prior to his time in Hungary, Athanasopoulos coached Allianz MTV Stuttgart of Germany from 2017 to 2021, winning the Bundesliga in 2018-19 and adding two second-place finishes. He also served as assistant coach at Stuttgart, VK Agel Prostějov (Czechia) and Olympiakós (Greece). 

An Athens, Greece, native, Athanasopoulos played professionally at two Greek clubs: GS Kerateas (1999-2003) and Paniónios GS (2008-11).