Atlantic Coast Volleyball Club
is here to grow the sport of beach volleyball.
We aim to develop the youth, community, and skills to excel at the highest level. We believe in sharing our passion and joy for the sport.
Coach Hand
Gretchen Hand is originally from St Louis Missouri. Coach Hand has worked with institutions from high school all the way to Division I NCAA developing programs and the sport of beach volleyball for UC Davis, Missouri State University, and most recently Cardinal Mooney Beach Volleyball.
Hand brings nearly 20 years of volleyball coaching experience at the high school, club, and collegiate levels. She worked two years at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., where she helped develop a beach program for the community and began a beach volleyball club at Wilson. Before that, she was the head volleyball varsity coach at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) High School.
Hand prepped at Hillsboro High School where she was volleyball team captain and earned all-conference, all-district and all-region distinction. She played collegiately at Jefferson College, New Orleans and the University of Missouri-St Louis. As an outside hitter and setter, she garnered all-conference honors in college while serving as a team-captain three of her four years. She graduated magna cum laude from UMSL with a bachelor's degree in education in 2002.
From 2001-2015, Hand transitioned into beach volleyball by playing professionally worldwide. She had main-draw finishes in the AVP (American Volleyball Professionals), the NVL (National Volleyball League), Corona Wide Open, the EVP (Extreme Volleyball Professionals) and the FIVB, competing across the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Ireland and Thailand.
Hand was coached by beach volleyball Olympians Liz Masakyan and Holly McPeak. After a shoulder injury and surgery, she transitioned to coaching and teaching student athletes to succeed.
Coach Hanson
Julia graduated with her BA in Psychology and Biomedical Sciences from Missouri State University. While attending school at MSU, she competed on their indoor and outdoor volleyball teams. Being pushed to perform at a high level allowed Julia to surpass what she thought were her physical and mental limits. Her passion for the game ultimately created a lifelong curiosity and deep appreciation for psychological and physiological well-being.
Building a solid perspective on fitness and well-being completely changed her life. Julia started coaching indoor and outdoor volleyball during college. She extended her love for coaching and started a training program that gave athletes an edge to their abilities. With a combined background in psychology and coaching, Julia is able to share her passion and curate programs specific to her clients’ needs. Her focus is on encouraging positive changes in perspective to enhance daily life.