As a 6th grader Kristina showed up at the request of her P.E. teacher to tryout for volleyball with Nike NW Jrs.  Not having an ounce of prior volleyball experience she showed up in jean shorts, keds, and ruffled socks.  She quickly learned that you did not want the white ball to hit the floor on your side of the net and, as a ballet dancer, the footwork was no problem and she found herself on the team.  She played at Nike NW Jrs from 6th grade through her Senior Year of high school.  One of the highlights was playing against April Ross’s team in a national finals match in front of thousands of spectators.  

 

Kristina accepted a full ride scholarship to play at Portland State University where she started all four years and played Outside Hitter/Libero.  After graduating she went on to coach for Nike NW Juniors from 2003-2005.  Then she took a LOOOOONG break from volleyball.

 

In 2016 her daughter Gabby wanted to tryout for a club team and after some research and potential “stocking” at the Beaverton Hoop during her son’s basketball practices, Kristina chose Athena as the ideal club for Gabby to develop as a whole athlete.  (On a side note, in 2016 if you had a complete stranger walk up behind you while you were serving and tell you to speed up your arm, she apologizes).  It was evident the Athena club culture had integrity and coaches that truly cared.  

 

Kristina hid as a spectator parent for a few club seasons. Then, she teamed up and coached with Lena Chan at Southridge High School for a season.  Next thing she knew she found herself back as a club coach ;)  This will be Kristina’s 4th season coaching Athena 12 Black. She says, “The attention span of 10-12 year olds…well they barely have one.  As most parents know in the home, you are often repeating the same information over and over. This is true of volleyball practices and games with this age group.  BUT there is nothing more rewarding than speaking life into these young hearts and seeing the tremendous growth that happens during every single practice.  The learning trajectory is steep at this age and it is so important to lay the right foundation as we get to help these girls build strong character, work ethic, and volleyball skills.”  
 

Kristina is also currently coaching at Westside Christian High School as an assistant on the Varsity team and is always happy to welcome Athena players to the program!