MEET THE COACHES
Get to know our talented coaches, each with unique expertise in volleyball, fundamentals, strategy, and player development. They inspire out players everyday to be the best version of themselves.
Club Director | Coach
Wayne Scott, a native of Jamaica, developed a deep love for volleyball on the country's beautiful beaches. He honed his skills representing Jamaica on the junior and senior national teams from 1999 to 2001.
In 2006, Scott relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where he embarked on a successful career in education. He dedicated 12 years to coaching high school volleyball at John Burroughs School before transitioning to middle school, where he has continued to inspire young athletes for the past eight years.
Scott's passion for the sport extended beyond the classroom. He maintained an active playing career, achieving notable success, including a second-place finish with the Technique Volleyball Club at the USAV Men's Indoor Nationals in 2013. He also represented Jamaica on the international stage, competing in the early rounds of Olympic beach volleyball qualifying from 2011 to 2012.
Driven by a desire to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for aspiring young players, Scott founded Finesse Volleyball Academy in 2017. He believes in fostering a love for the game in all players, regardless of their experience level.
When not coaching, Scott dedicates his time to nurturing the physical and cognitive development of elementary school students as a physical education teacher. He strongly believes in the importance of early exposure to physical activity and enjoys introducing young children to the joys of movement.
Scott remains committed to supporting volleyball athletes throughout the St. Louis area, offering guidance and encouragement to players at all levels, regardless of their club affiliation. He finds immense satisfaction in helping young athletes achieve their personal goals on and off the court.
Scott cherishes the close-knit community fostered within Finesse Volleyball Academy, where coaches and athletes alike are encouraged, engaged, and supportive of one another.
Wayne Scott
Erica Scott
Assistant Club Director | Coach
Hannah Carey
Marketing Director | 16-2 Head Coach
Coach Carey brings a wealth of knowledge to the club after coaching at the junior, high school and college levels. She began her volleyball career at 13 years old at Ashcombe Volleyball club in England. Her team saw 3 national championships in her junior career and she also competed for the England Junior Women's National team. She was a part of the Great Britain Ambition program in 2012 for the London Olympics narrowly missing out on an Olympic team spot. She signed to play at Missouri Baptist University in 2012. Carey was a starting right side for indoor all 4 years and a top team player for MBU's sand program. Her senior year saw the NAIA National Championship, eventually seceding to Columbia College.
She coached at Missouri Baptist University for the JV indoor team and the Sand program. She continued this path making a move to McKendree University for two years, where she aided in the beginning of their sand program in DII. Carey has been coaching sand for numerous years as an assistant coach at Jaja Beach Volleyball Club. She has seen multiple successes with these juniors; and many have signed with top DI schools across the country.
Carey is excited to be back indoors coaching and has high standards to see these athletes grow both on and off the court. Her main focus includes teaching young athletes how to be great players, but also how to help their community and be leaders in a great sport.
She continues to compete in adult volleyball both indoor and sand, and has seen 2 USAV National competitions for indoor placing 5th and 9th in the country.
Jason Cox
14-1 Asst. Coach | 16-1 Head Coach
17-1 Head Coach
Coach Cox is a dedicated educator and coach with over 20 years of experience inspiring young minds and athletes to excel both on and off the court. Currently serving as a Middle School Principal, Coach Cox brings a unique blend of leadership, mentorship, and a lifelong passion for volleyball to his work with students and players.
A two-time USAV Men’s National Champion, Coach Cox led Technique Volleyball Club (St. Louis) to victory in Dallas (2002) and Summit Volleyball Club (Chicago) to triumph in Atlanta (2008). Additionally, he coached a Finesse 16U team to a Nike MidEast Qualifier Championship and a 3rd place finish at AAU Nationals. His experience also includes competing for multiple seasons on the EVP sand volleyball tour, highlighting his versatility and dedication to the sport.
Coach Cox’s coaching philosophy centers on more than just technical skill development. He emphasizes helping players deepen their understanding of themselves while building mental strategies to navigate adversity and excel under pressure. By fostering strong foundational skills and mental resilience, Coach Cox prepares his athletes to face challenges both on the court and in life with confidence and poise.
As a father to two daughters who play for Finesse Volleyball Academy, Coach Cox takes pride in passing along his passion for volleyball and mentoring athletes to become the best versions of their future selves. Whether in the classroom or on the court, his commitment to empowering young leaders and athletes is unwavering.
Michelle Dineen
17-2 Head Coach
Symone Carter
16-2 Asst. Coach
Symone began her coaching journey as an assistant coach for Palm Beach Juniors in 2010 and 2011, then Impact Volleyball Academy in 2012 and 2013 seasons. She put her coaching career on pause until 2019 while completing her Doctoral of Physical Therapy (DPT) and SLU-SSM Physical Therapy Orthopedic Residency.
Symone returned to coaching this season as the assistant coach for FVA 16-2 with Coach Hannah Carey. With a history of playing
volleyball in college for Palm Beach State and Warner University,
Symone brings her unique experience as a setter and libero to her
coaching and has continued to play competitive adult volleyball.
Chandler Murdock
15-1 Asst. Coach | 18-1 Asst. Coach
Mary Fox
11-1 Asst. Coach | 10 and 11U Coach
My first club coaching gig was as an assistant coach for a 13-4 team in 1999. Now I coach my daughter’s team (FVA 11-1) as well as other youth teams at Finesse. Clubs I’ve coached for include: St. Louis Metro, Midwest Select, TESL, H2, and Finesse. I have also coached for CYC programs at such schools as Seven Holy Founders, Visitation, and St. Catherine Laboure. Some of my favorite experiences I have had as a coach include winning the Asics National Championship in Chicago, coaching a team that played in both the USAV National Championships in Reno and the AAU National Championships at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in one summer, winning CYC City/County while coaching parochial boys, and attending the University of Illinois’s summer camp as a guest coach and meeting Kevin Hambly.
Ray Rowland
14-4 Head Coach | 15-2 Head Coach
I first became involved with junior volleyball through my daughter in 2015 as a parent. It was all new to me and I was very intrigued with the way the sport had changed from when I was a child and even through my military service. It was faster, had rules that I never knew about, and to my surprise, rules were different between volleyball organizations. My first 2 years were frustrating as a parent due to the lack of experienced coaches, not because they weren’t available, but because I was not educated in the sport myself. Thanks to some parents of the girls on my daughter’s team, we met Wayne Scott!
Not only did this man teach our girls how to play, but he made himself available to me to answer my questions and teach me also. So that’s when my volleyball coaching career began. So, in October of 2017, Coach Wayne began to teach me along with the girls. I would practice my newfound knowledge with my daughter. I’m sure she appreciated that.
I have enjoyed this opportunity of the last several years of learning and helping hundreds of young girls learn how to play and grow into strong volleyball ladies. I enjoy being able to help other coaches with their teams and enjoy when they have time to help me with mine. I try to make myself available to the parents as much as I do to the girls to help both develop. Not only is this my nature, but it is the way I was taught to teach, both by the military and Finesse Volleyball Academy coaching staff.
Emily King
13-1 Asst. Coach | 14-2 Head Coach
Terri Kennedy
Asst Coach 11-1 | 10U & 11U Dev Asst. Coach
Coach Terri is a seasoned volleyball coach with over 15 years of experience, specializing in coaching girls ages 10-13. She is deeply committed to skill development and cultivating strong teamwork among her players. Notable achievements include winning the 13U Girls Asics Jr. National Championships in 2018, qualifying for USAV’s Jr. National Championships 6 times, and attending the AAU Girls Jr. National Championships 3 times. While winning is always a goal, Terri believes fostering a genuine love for the game is far more important. Her coaching approach ensures each player grows both as an athlete and as a team member, making volleyball a positive and rewarding experience.
Melissa Overman
Head Coach 13-1 | Asst. Coach 14-2
I grew up in Ohio and played high school and club volleyball all 4 years. My Senior year of high school my team finished 8th in the state. I was an assistant coach with my mom for 2 years while in high school. Then I took some time off for college until I started coaching again in the 2013-2014 club season. I have coached travel volleyball for 8 of the last 10 years. I have coached ages 12-16s. I love teaching players the sport of volleyball and helping them become the best they can be on and off the court.
Alicia Schuh
Head Coach 14-3 | 12-1 Practice Coach
Alicia is a native to St. Louis, growing up in Brentwood. She married her high school sweetheart, Daniel, after graduating from Southeast Missouri State University. Her love for education led her to a career in teaching fourth grade for four years. She has also taught 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. Schuh also attained her Masters in Education and innovation at Webster University.
Schuh went on to coach for two high school girls volleyball teams; Brentwood and Ladue. Her coaching didn't end there, as she hopped around to two other clubs before finding Finesse. She hopes to continue her passion for coaching here at FVA, and like her teaching career, wants to create a positive learning environment and help athletes realize their importance both on and off the court.
Jennifer Lam-Ambler
Asst. Coach 14-3 | head Coach 12-1
Coach Jen has been playing volleyball since Middle School growing up in Canada. She went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy here at WashU where she met her husband and then had four kids together. She recently got back into coaching when her two eldest daughters started playing volleyball. She has since coached recreationally, for Wydown middle School and for Finesse the past 2 years. With her expertise in movement and physical conditioning, Coach Jen is dedicated to developing young players by improving their volleyball skills, unlocking their full potential and developing strong teamwork and communication skills. Coach Jen wants to emphasize the importance of sportsmanship, leadership, and growth mindset to help athletes succeed on the court and as individuals.
Kyle Kaiser
Asst. Coach 17-3
Tiffany Kaiser
Head Coach 17-2
Frank Buggs
Asst. Coach 17-1
Victoria Amsler
Asst. Coach 11-1
I am assisting with Mary and Terri 11s! I have been coaching with them for 3 seasons now and love the impact I can make on the younger volleyball players on and off the court!
Kassidy Phillips
Practice Coach 14-4 & 15-2
Kassidy grew up playing volleyball as a result of having two older siblings that also played. She has played a mix between playing as a middle blocker and a six-rotation outside attacker throughout her volleyball career. Kassidy played her first volleyball game in second grade as a defensive specialist for her older sister’s seventh-grade grade school team. She then started playing club volleyball in fourth grade and continued playing through 18u and college.
Throughout her club years, she contributed to her team’s success in finishing third in 13u USAV Nationals at the American division and winning a total of three USAV Qualifiers at the American division.
Kassidy attended Washington High School and was a varsity starter all four of her years. She was the team’s Rookie of the Year her freshman year, made the All-Conference team all four years, made the All-District team her sophomore, junior, and senior years, the First Team All-Area team her junior and senior years, was a KPLW Athlete of the Week her junior and senior years, and was the Conference Co-Player of the Year her senior year.
Kassidy continued playing volleyball at the NAIA division of collegiate volleyball at William Woods University, where she received a degree in Accounting, a degree in Business Administration, and a Master’s in Business Administration. Throughout her collegiate years, she made the AMC All-Tournament 2nd team her junior year, AMC All-Tournament 1st team her senior year, was an AMC Attacker of the Week her senior year, and was first in team kills her junior and senior years.
Kassidy began coaching club teams in 2020 with Franklin County United. She has since been assisting in coaching club teams ranging from 14u-18u. Kassidy started assisting in coaching practices for Fineese in 2024.
CONTACT
Questionsâ€? ‬Feel free to reach out to Club Director Wayne Scottâ€.‬
Tel: (918)230-1402 Email: finesse.vba@gmail.com