Coaches BIOS

We have one of the most dedicated , highly trained coaching staff of any club.
Read about our coaches and see for yourself. This is just a tentative list, as we are always seeking talented , motivated individuals to coach for our club. If you think your name would be a nice addition to our coaching staff you can send us an application.

Read about some of our great coaches below.

Becky Brooks- 12 Fortius
Bio Coming Soon

Sydney Suppa-13 Fortius

Bio Coming Soon

Laura Smith-14 Fortius Coach

Laura has played volleyball since she was 15 years old. She was a 2 year starter for Durant High School, where her team played in the FHSAA Final Four, the she transferred to Armwood High School her senior year. She played for Coach Mike Wyatt, where she was selected for the ALl County Team her senior season. She played club volleyball for the Synergy Volleyball Club for 4 years. She then received a scholarship to Florida College as a setter, where she lead her team to the 2010 NCCAA National Championships.

She has been coaching for Synergy Volleyball club for the past 3 years.

Volleyball Resume
USA IMPACT Certified
USA Volleyball CAP 1 - In Progress
Amateur Athletic Union Member Coach
American Volleyball Coaches Association
Synergy Volleyball Club - 3 Years

Erika Wigley-18 Fortius Assistant Coach
Bio Coming Soon

Jesse Ballinger

Coach Ballinger has been involved in the sport of volleyball for over 25 years. He has played both indoor and beach in all levels. He has been involved with Synergy Volleyball for 4 years , as Head Coach, and Director of Coaches.
After 14 ( yes, you are reading that correctly- 14 ) knee surgeries, he decided to hang up his gym shoes to begin his coaching career.

Volleyball Resume
USA IMPACT Certified
USA Volleyball CAP 1
USA Volleyball CAP 2 - In Progress
Amatuer Athletic Union Member Coach
American Volleyball Coaches Association
Synergy Volleyball Club - 4 Years

Karly Szczepanski- 15 Fortius Head Coach
Bio Coming Soon

Chelsea Albritton-14 Fortius Assistant Coach

Chelsea has played volleyball since she was 15 years old. She was a 2 year starter for Durant High School, where her team played in the FHSAA Final Four. She played for Coach Jeff Davis, where she was selected for the ALL County Team her senior season. She played club volleyball for the Synergy Volleyball Club for 4 years and is now a full time student at USF , studying elementary education.

She has been coaching for Synergy Volleyball club for the past 2 years.

Volleyball Resume
USA IMPACT Certified
USA Volleyball CAP 1 - In Progress
Amateur Athletic Union Member Coach
American Volleyball Coaches Association
Synergy Volleyball Club - 2 Years

Chelsea has played volleyball since she was 14 years old. She was a 4 year starter for Armwood High School, where her team played in the FHSAA Regionals . She played for Coach Mike Wyatt, where she was selected for the ALL County Team her senior season. She played club volleyball for Synergy Volleyball Club for 5 years and is now a graduate and full time teacher in Hillsborough County .

She has been coaching for Synergy Volleyball club for 4 year.

Volleyball Resume
USA IMPACT Certified
USA Volleyball CAP 1 - In Progress
Amateur Athletic Union Member Coach
American Volleyball Coaches Association
Synergy Volleyball Club - 4 Years

Katherine Ayers-18 Fortius Head Coach

Coach Ayres , originally from Cleveland Ohio, played as a starter all four years on the Rocky River High School varsity volleyball team. During her High School junior and senior year, she garnered All Conference Team accolades, and All State as a senior. While in high school she played club volleyball for Cleveland Volleyball Club ( CVC ) as a starting middle / right side.

She was then recruited to play collegiate volleyball for the Division 1 Belmont Bruins.

In 2005 she was nominated to IPFW All-Tournament Team, Bradley All-Tournament Team and Academic All-Conference.

In 2006 she made the Birmingham-Southern All-Tournament Team, First Team All-Atlantic Sun and the Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team. Her team won the Atlantic Sun Champions and a birth to the NCAA Tournament.

She leads as the third all time attacker at the Division 1 Belmont Bruins and 16th Atlantic Sun Conference history in hitting percentage (.305). She complied a very impressive 67 wins in three seasons as a collegiate athlete.

Volleyball Resume
USA IMPACT Certified
USA Volleyball CAP 1 - In Progress
Amatuer Athletic Union Member Coach
American Volleyball Coaches Association
Williams County Select Volleyball Club - 3 Years
Synergy Volleyball Club - 3 Years

Mike Wyatt-18 Fortius Assistant Coach

Coach Wyatt has been involved in sports and coaching for the last 30+ years. He is one of the people responsible for founding our club in 2003. He is the head coach of Armwood High School, where he has lead the Hawks to Regional and District Championships for many years. He will be assisting the club with running our leagues for our younger players all season long.

Volleyball Resume
USA IMPACT Certified
USA Volleyball CAP 1 - In Progress
Amateur Athletic Union Member Coach
American Volleyball Coaches Association
Positive Coaching Alliance - Double-Goal Certified Coach
Synergy Volleyball Club - 6 Years

Bryan Carver-Club Director and Leagues

Bryan has been involved in the sport of volleyball from a player to a coach for over 20 years. He is the former tournament director for the Bud Light Beach Professional Volleyball series where he oversaw a budget of over 2 million dollars and played and participated in over 28 professional beach tournaments annually. He has played with such greats as Sinjin Smith, Karch Kiraly, Liane Sato and Gabrielle Reece. After retiring from playing volleyball , he coached many years at the Elementary, Middle School and High School level and then began coaching for the Tampa Bay Juniors Volleyball Club 18 Black, with University of Tampa Associate Head Coach Jeff Lamm.

After transitioning to Synergy Volleyball Club , he had several years of great success with many teams. His most successful year was this year, taking his 17s team to an unprecedented 5 tournament wins in a single season. He also has been successful in a 100% placement rate over the last 6 year in placing every player in college with a volleyball scholarship.

Volleyball Resume
Board of Directors Member of USA Volleyball JAB
Member of the Junior Volleyball Directors Association
Member of American Volleyball Coaches Association
Member of the Amateur Athletic Union
IMPACT USA Volleyball Certified
USAV CAP 1 Certified
USAV CAP 2 Certification - In Progress
Positive Coaching Alliance - Double-Goal Certified Coach