Coaching Staff @ Lava VC - Los Angeles Volleyball Academy

COACHING STAFF @ LAVA VENTURA

Our staff features exceptional people: teachers, educators, mentors, positive thinkers, and experienced volleyball minds. Our coaches share a deep passion for volleyball and view athletics as a vehicle by which many of life's lessons can be learned. We encourage you to read about our people, both here at LAVA Ventura ("VC") and also our LAVA staff as a whole.

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Email Kim Machnic - Ventura Director

KIM MACHNIC
CLUB DIRECTOR

Formerly of Blue Crush Volleyball Club in Ventura, long-time Ventura County coaching fixture Kim took the reins of Lava Ventura in June of 2021, bringing her distinct brand of enthusiasm and coaching acumen to her role as leader. Kim stated goal in coaching is "for love of the game, for the children, and for the community" and she infuses that passion for volleyball and the families and athletes she works with into everything she does.

(email) kimmachnic.lava@gmail.com
(cell) 805-701-9792

Read More About Our Director, Kim Machnic

Kim has been involved as a player or coach with the sport of volleyball for more than forty years. She coached multiple levels of youth and juniors club and high school volleyball over a coaching that spans fifteen years. and was the Founder and Director of the successful and respected Blue Crush Volleyball Club prior to joining Lava Ventura.

Kim has coached at the youth, juniors, high school, and collegiate level and brings sharp technical coaching skills, passion, and enthusiasm to her role as coach, teacher, and mentor.

More Fun Facts About Kim

MY HOMETOWN: Oxnard, CA

BEFORE LAVA: Kim was the Founder and Director of Blue Crush Volleyball Club. Establish in 2013, the club was formed for the love of the game, for the children, and the community. Kim also has a full-time job at Anthem.

COACHING BACKGROUND: Kim has been coaching volleyball for the last fifteen years. It all started in 2006 when her daughters started playing volleyball in Junior High; Kim volunteered to be the 7^th/8^th grade coach. A year later, she started coaching club and has been doing so ever since (pre-covid). Kim joined LAVA June 2021 and was most recently an Assistant Coach at Ventura College.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: After watching a volleyball match her freshman year in high school, she decided she wanted to give it a try. She tried out her sophomore year, made the JV team and was a starter her first year and has been hooked ever since Day 1. Kim has been playing over the last 40 years. She continues to play in tournaments in Simi Valley, Pasadena, San Diego, Palm Desert, Nevada, and Utah (placing 3rd in the Huntsman game in 2018).

FUN FACT: She has been volunteering at a Corgi “QBSDR” Rehabilitation (behavioral/medically challenged dogs) Center in Aton for almost 2 years; currently fostering (soon to adopt) a corgi in a wheelchair from QBSDR.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Love banana ice cream with almonds 😊

JUNIOR MOSONES

Long-time girls club volleyball coach Junior Mosones is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the Ventura County area with deep ties to the local volleyball community. He is well-known as one of the finest technical coaches in the area and returns once again to Lava Ventura for the coming season.

Read More About Rebecca Sexton

Rebecca has helped run indoor and beach programs at the high school level, as well as multiple middle school and high school high-level indoor and beach camps. A relatively recent addition to the coaching ranks, she has swiftly made her mark on the athletes under her care and on the leadership of Lava Ventura. She is a very impressive up-and-coming coach and we expect great things of Rebecca!

More Fun Facts About Rebecca

HOMETOWN: Camarillo, CA

BEFORE LAVA/SMBC: I was going to school and playing volleyball in Tennessee. I received my BA in Business Management and was working at Enterprise before moving back to California.

COACHING BACKGROUND: I started officially coaching in 2020. I am currently the JV coach at St. Bonaventure High School. Last year. I helped run the beach program at St. Bonaventure and assisted with the Lava Ventura 15's team. In college, I helped run middle school and high school elite camps.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Rebecca started playing volleyball my freshman year at Adolfo Camarillo High School. She started off as an opposite, but really wanted to become a setter so she played club at California Heat Volleyball Club for three years and then at Ventura County Volleyball Club (VCVC, now Lava Ventura) for one year. During that time in high school, Rebecca received the Pursuing Victory with Honor award, Most Valuable Player, Most Important Player, and Leader of the Year. After graduating high school, she went to play at Moorpark College for two years, and was named Most Valuable Player and First Team All-Conference her sophomore year. After Moorpark, Rebecca transferred to play Division II volleyball at Union University in Jackson, TN.

FUN FACT: My first job was at Subway.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Falling asleep on the couch.

STEVE "YOSH" YOSHIMOTO
FOUNDING MEMBER - RETIRED

Steve "Yosh" Yoshimoto is one of the great volleyball community figures in Ventura County, having found immense success as a high school and club indoor and beach coach over many years of excellent service. Yosh was the founder of Ventura County Volleyball Club (VCVC), and after years of quality achievements joined forces with LAVA to form LAVA VC. In fall of 2020, Yosh hung up his clipboard and retired from coaching. We wish him all the best!

Read Our Tribute to Steve "Yosh" Yoshimoto . . .

LAVA BIDS A FOND FAREWELL TO ONE OF THE GREATS, STEVE "YOSH" YOSHIMOTO!

October 2020 - It was a bittersweet moment when the Los Angeles Volleyball Academy (LAVA) was sad, but proud to announce that Steve “Yosh” Yoshimoto was retiring as Director of LAVA VC and SMBC VC, based in Ventura County (Camarillo).

Yosh put together an exceptional career and dramatically impacted the boys and girls volleyball communities of Ventura County in recent years. Spanning decades, his coaching career took him from indoor to beach and back again, with significant high school experience – stints for both Boys and Girls at Camarillo High School, Head Varsity Girls at La Reina High School, and Head Varsity Girls at Buena High School – and club coaching experience.

In 2013, Yosh founded the Ventura County Volleyball Club (VCVC), the precursor to SMBC VC and LAVA VC, with its own two-court facility -- out of which VC still practices -- and both a boys and girls program, which were both highly respected in the club community and found instant success.

All three of Yosh's sons played for him, proving the bedrock upon which the exemplary SMBC VC program now stands: Evan Yoshimoto, Berkeley graduate, SBCC Men's Volleyball Team, USA HP Beach A1 Player, AAA Beach Rated; Owen Yoshimoto, Pepperdine Men's Volleyball Team, USA HP Beach A1 Player, AAA Beach Rated; and Matt Yoshimoto, Lewis Men's Volleyball Team, USA National Team Member, International Pro (Switzerland), USA HP Beach A1 Player, AAA Beach Rated. Matt and Owen have both coached for VC with Owen still significantly involved in the program, with plans to coach this coming season, while Matt will assuredly coach whenever he is not overseas playing professionally.

In 2018, Yosh spearheaded the merger of VCVC with the Los Angeles Volleyball Academy (LAVA), coupling the VCVC girls program with LAVA and the VCVC boys program with LAVA’s flagship boys program, the nationally known and highly regarded SMBC Boys Volleyball Club.

Based in Camarillo, LAVA VC Volleyball Club for Girls and SMBC VC Volleyball Club for Boys have been growing the game of volleyball in the area and offering exceptional travel team and non-travel programs to help serve the needs of the Camarillo and greater Ventura County volleyball community. The VC program operates out of the Bowman Center, its own exclusive, spacious two-court facility in the heart of the Camarillo outlets, located at 161 Plaza La Vista, Camarillo. The program fields eight to twelve boys and girls teams annually across the range of age divisions, as well as offers exciting and expanding youth and juniors non-travel training programs.

Yosh was succeeded as Director of LAVA VC by Brad Lyans.

We want to take one more moment to thank Yosh for his exceptional service to LAVA, SMBC, and the Ventura County volleyball community as a whole. We wish him all the best in his retirement and hope he will continue to stay in touch with our coaches, our athletes, and our program.

You’re the best, Yosh!

BRAD LYANS
MASTER COACH

Brad Lyans is one of the finest volleyball coaching minds in Southern California and the Head Coach of the Ventura College Women's Volleyball Program. Brad has built an impressive résumé with nearly two decades of coaching at the club and college levels. Brad is the Master Coach for Lava Ventura.

Read More About Our Master Coach, Brad Lyans

Brad first joined LAVA Co-Founders Nabil Mardini and Trevor Julian at SMBC Girls in 2006, working closely with both men as a club and collegiate coach. He has logged successful stints with both SMBC and LAVA, coaching numerous Adidas teams to Division One Gold contention and amassing a wealth of high finishes at national tournaments, highighted by a Gold Medal at the 2012 Volleyball Festival National Championships in Phoenix, Arizona.

Brad has also found immense success at the collegiate level, first as an Assistant Coach with Nabil at Pierce College before taking the helm of his own program at Ventura College, where he remains. Brad has logged multiple seasons as Head Coach of the Ventura College Women’s Indoor Team, not to mention Head Coach of the Ventura College Women’s Sand Volleyball Team, and has his Lady Pirates poised for significant successes in this season – and seasons to come – both on the court and on the sand.

Brad took the reins of LAVA Ventura and SMBC Ventura ("VC" for short) in November of 2020 and helped guide the program through the challenges of the pandemic. His exceptional knowledge of the Ventura County volleyball community and his passion for coaching and teaching young people became immediately apparent to all Ventura families.

We are thrilled therefore to have Brad step into the role of Master Coach of LAVA Ventura!

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