Meet our Team

PRESIDENT

Samantha began her volleyball career playing for the Stars during her high school years. In 2018 she returned to the sport by coaching at Stars and Collingwood School during the high school season. Samantha is an NCCP Development coach (formally Level 1). In 2020 she was appointed to the Stars Board of Directors and in 2023 appointed as President. Outside of volleyball, Samantha works in operations at a real estate developer. Samantha is very excited to be with Stars after benefitting herself from years of coaches volunteering their time and effort to impact lives through the power of sport.

VICE-PRESIDENT & U16 HEAD COACH

Laura began coaching with the Stars in 2014, but has been coaching volleyball at various levels since 2009. During the school season, she head coaches the Junior Girls team at St. Thomas Aquinas. Laura played club and school volleyball on the North Shore until grade 12, and from 2020-2023 played post-secondary volleyball at CBC as a serve receive libero. Through her years coaching and college volleyball experience, she brings a vast knowledge of strategies and techniques to teach her players.

Laura is passionate about the sport and eager to challenge players to unlock their potential and try new things, while making new friends and having some fun along the way. When not on the court, she is a certified web and graphic designer and has been working for VenueKings.com, a ticket broker on the North Shore,

PAST-PRESIDENT

Sandy has been with the Stars from the start, and has coached U14 and U15 as well as the Youth League. She has coached Elementary school grades 6 and 7, and at Handsworth Secondary school, grades 8 through 10. In her younger days, Sandy was an avid volleyball enthusiast playing indoor and outdoor ball, predominantly beach doubles and triples. More recently, she has taken part in outdoor (recreational level) 6s. In her spare time, she enjoys Irish dancing and step dance.

DIRECTOR & U14 HEAD COACH

Karen has been coaching with the Stars since 2010. She has coached girls' volleyball on the North Shore, both high school teams and club teams, for 15 years. Since 2010 she has coached at Handsworth. Karen played volleyball in high school, for UBC in 1979 to 1984 (mostly Junior Varsity, but also some Varsity) and then women's club volleyball, followed by many years of co-ed rec ball. She is NCCP certified as an Advanced Development Coach (formerly Level 2).

Karen is passionate about the importance of team sport to teenage girls and is thrilled to be able to coach with the wonderful coaching and club admin team at the North Shore Stars. Karen has two grown daughters who also coach with the Stars from time to time. When she is not on the volleyball court, you can find Karen practicing construction law as a partner at Dentons Canada LLP.

DIRECTOR

Abigail has been involved with Stars since 2016 after her daughter was first selected for the U14 team. In her high school and university days, Abigail was a volleyball enthusiast and played on numerous teams both at school and in the community. More recently she coached the Windsor High School Girls Bantam Team in 2016 and the Girls Juvenile Team in 2017. Abigail currently sits on the Stars Volleyball Club Board, which she been on since 2018. Abigail is a lawyer by profession, a Partner at Harper Grey LL, working mainly in Health and Insurance Law.

DIRECTOR

Rebecca has been involved with coaching volleyball since 2013 at Handsworth Secondary School, Stars Volleyball Club, and Team BC Summer Games. She played volleyball in North Vancouver for her high school team at Handsworth and on club teams. She went on to study Health Science and play volleyball for the varsity team at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. Rebecca is currently a registered nurse at Lions Gate Hospital. Her role is assisting Stars Volleyball Club with administrative duties and coaching development.

U15 HEAD COACH

David began coaching with Stars in 2022 as well as at Handsworth Secondary. David played high school volleyball in Calgary then continued onto adult indoor and beach leagues when he moved to Vancouver. As the dad of a teenage girl multi-sport athlete, David is a big believer in the power of athletics to positively shape personal development. He is also committed to incorporating analytics into his coaching philosophy. David also bring coaching experience from other sports, such as girls basketball at Handsworth and girls field hockey with the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club.

U14 ASSISTANT COACH

Natalie grew up on the North Shore and played volleyball through high school and recreationally during her four years at McGill University. She is a NCCP Level 1 certified coach and has been coaching with the Stars since 2013. Natalie also coaches at Handsworth Secondary Schoo1!

U16 ASSISTANT COACH

Ryan started his coaching career with the Stars in 2022. During the high school season he assists the St. Thomas Aquinas junior girls team. Ryan's own volleyball journey began in high school at Kelowna Secondary School as well as the Kelowna Volleyball Club, where he played as a middle and then as a setter. He went on to obtain a degree while playing USPORT volleyball for the varsity team at Nipissing University in Ontario. His experiences as both a player and a coach have given him a well-rounded perspective on the sport, where he hopes to help young players achieve their goals.

U15 ASSISTANT COACH

Emma began playing club volleyball with the Stars at U14 and has been with the club ever since. She has been coaching on the North Shore since 2018 at both Windsor and Stars. Emma graduated from Windsor in 2021 where she played as a middle blocker. She is currently studying at BCIT and is excited to be helping out at Stars for another season!

U16 ASSISTANT COACH

Sophia played club and school volleyball on the North Shore all through high school. Post-graduation, Sophia went on to study at UBC and began coaching with the Stars in 2020.

U15 ASSISTANT COACH

Jessie has been playing Volleyball since she was 10 years old. She played for 5 years at Notre Dame Regional Secondary and for the North Shore Stars her grade 9 and 10 club season. She returned to Stars as a coach in 2022 and is excited to continue. Off the court Jessie works for an engineering firm on the North Shore.

U14 ASSISTANT COACH

Jenny is returning to Stars after a 5-year hiatus as she completed her degree in Athletic Therapy from Camosun College. She played for Stars all through high school and began coaching in 2017. Jenny now works with athletes treating and rehabbing injuries, as well as performing emergency care on the court or field. She has kept up with volleyball recreationally in her time away and is excited to come back to Stars, where it all started.

U14 JUNIOR COACH

Karina is a grade 11 student at Handsworth Secondary School where she plays as a middle blocker on the Senior Girls Volleyball team. Karina is in her third year of school volleyball and she has played two years of club volleyball with BCO where she won a provincial title as a 14U player. Karina is a multisport athlete having played fastpitch softball and soccer and she spent this year as an assistant coach with the grade 8 girls volleyball team at Handsworth. She loves working with younger players and is excited to coach with the Stars this season.

U15 ASSISTANT COACH

Sarah began playing volleyball at 10 years old and played on the North Shore until a major injury ended her career. She began managing and coaching volleyball teams in High School and joined the Stars coaching team in 2018. Her coaching journey continued throughout her undergraduate degree at StFX in Nova Scotia, where she completed a BSC in Human Kinetics and was an assistant coach for a local club. She has rejoined the Stars team for this season before continuing to pursue her education in Physiotherapy in the U.K. Sarah has also recently begun playing recreational volleyball again and is very excited to get back into playing and coaching on the North Shore.