NC Volleyball Academy

"Families beware. Bait and switch. When we first came to this club a few years ago, they were nice and friendly. It's been downhill since. Poor business practices and questionable ethics have become increasingly prevalent. Think you're trying out for open positions on a team? Think again. Academy gives out early offers weeks and months before tryouts and doesn't disclose. You only find out through the grapevine when families disclose to one another. So, you're really only trying out for 2 maybe 3 open spots on a team of which none may be the position you seek. Families have a right to know the facts before they pay money and make plans to try out. Academy uses bullying and pressure tactics. For example, we witnessed a coach repeatedly throw balls at girls during practice. Yet another Academy business practice that I've had reported to me by multiple families these past few years is that of threats. Families have been threatened that if they leave or consider another club, they are not welcomed back. At first, I didn't believe it, but after hearing from multiple families these past few years, I now believe it's true. The coaching staff are “hit or miss.” We’ve had a good coach or two in the past, but this past season was bad. The coaches were ineffective and clearly did not know how to coach teenage girls. There were times I wondered who was more mature, my teenage daughter or the coach. The coaches were petty, inconsistent, and clearly had favorites. For example, girls that weren’t a favorite were benched for things that favorites (who would do the exact same thing) received no repercussion. Academy cares more about winning than they care about developing players. The coaches didn’t “coach.” Instead, they criticized, belittled and dictated. I should disclose that my daughter was one of the “favorites.” Regardless, I believe what I saw to be poor coaching and poor leadership. When I raised my concern with club leadership, I was basically ignored and dismissed. I concluded that Academy doesn’t deserve my daughter, my money, or my time. I don’t want my daughter around these questionable ethics and such immature coaches."

"Thorough coaching and teaching and outstanding positive energy and team spirit. Love the top level organization and overall good vibe of girl power at the place. I also really appreciate this club's commitment to diversity on many levels. It shows not only in the players but also in the coaching staff. The top level training distinguishes this club, in addition to their professionalism and their commitment to diversity."

"Great location for kids to learn volleyball. The coaches are friendly and knowledgeable. This my daughter's first experience with volleyball club so we are both remaining open. The kids are encouraged to cheer each other on. They learn good sportsmanship. It's been only a week and I hope this feeling lasts."

"My daughter had played at this club a few years back she had a bad experience with the head coach but the assistant coach did well. We believe it's a good club as they have average coaches but the owner or front desk person gives you a vibe that we were not welcome there. He always look like he has a bad attitude and just not polite at all. My daughter wanted to go back to try again and didn't make it. Not sure why but hopefully it was because there were better players and not because of who we are."

"Ok, so this was a weird situation. This is supposedly one of the best clubs in the metro Raleigh area… but is it? Or is it just one of the largest clubs in our area? A distinct difference. Our daughter is a good player, some would say she could be a great player. She made NC Academy’s summer league ( their lowest level 16 team) That was ok, we all knew there was room for improvement. Isn’t that what perfecting and training for your sport is all about? Well, NC Academy offered their lowest coach for their lowest ranked 16 team. Coach Serita Williams. MY GOD, where in the world did they find this God awful woman?’!?!. Let me first state that our daughter is not our first student athlete- she’s our 3rd (the other two weee D1 athletes)and my husband and I were student athletes as well. We’ve never experienced this level of lack of professionalism. I would watch practices and see one, she didn’t even warm the girls up. There were no structured warm ups there was no conditioning like the other teams did, two-there were NO offers of correction on proper technique. There were plenty of scowls , huffs of frustration, and humiliating remarks made by Coach Serita Williams to young girls Three, Coach Serita Williams exhibited lack of interest in general to being the coach at all to these young girls. She seemed especially annoyed with my daughter and made no effort in disguising her childlike disdain for my 16 year old. My husband and I likened it to behavior a jealous middle school girl would have towards someone she envied. It was an odd and unexplainable tension. Coach Serita would purposely NOT speak to us(the parents) and seemed like she would make a point to boldly and loudly speak to the parents of our daughter’s team mates standing nearly shoulder to shoulder beside us. Weird energy. We began to feel that from the caliber of coach assigned to the lowest last minute summer team was just a money grab. But our daughter, lover of volleyball, and warrior of all challenges, brushed off the childish behavior of her coach and accepted it as yet another challenge to overcome and forged through the summer season. Sometimes frustrated beyond belief, sometimes crying from lack of understanding of how an adult could behave so poorly. At the Orlando tournaments Coach Serita was pulling her in and out of games for EVERY SINGLE mistake. I mean every single one. Our daughter would have a bad set.. OUT immediately!! No sideline coaching, no words at all, just childish scowls and eye rolling. She offered EVERY OTHER PLAYER OPPORTUNITIES to stay in and play through their errors, find their rhythm, but not our daughter. Coach Serita Williams eventually gave up on her losing team anyway. One game she told the outside hitter of the team “I’m done with y’all. You coach” and she sat down, crossed her arms and did not say a word to the team for the rest of the game.CHILDISH UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR. We had had enough at this point. We had watched horrible practices, saw no coaching, no conditioning, no corrections, witnessed rude behavior, spent time and money on a trip to Orlando, witnessed MORE unprofessional behavior. We called to complain upon our return to NC. We were to receive a call from one of the directors after her vacation, but never did. Our daughter, against our better judgement tried out for NC’s regular season. We knew she wouldn’t make it because we had reported Serita to her superiors and she likely told any of the interested coaches that she was “trouble”. She didn’t make it and all the other parents were surprised. We weren’t and actually we were glad she didn’t make the club. It was obvious to us that NC Volleyball Academy has no real handle on what their coaches are teaching or not teaching athletically or socially and there is no concern for professional decorum. She’s with a club now that is interested in developing a young player into a confident, professional, student athlete. Look at her . Doesn’t Coach Serita Williams look totally disinterested? Shame NC Academy Shame!"