CLUB DIRECTOR / PRESIDENT / HEAD COACH / COLLEGE RECRUITING COORDINATOR

My name is Lil Puckett and I am the Club Director of Missouri Volleyball Academy, MOVA. This is my 22 years coaching volleyball. I started coaching volleyball because of my daughter. Her passion was contagious and we grew even closer because of this sport. I grew up playing softball, but once I was introduced to volleyball, I got hooked! Coaching volleyball quickly became my safe place.

I want to share my passion for volleyball with every girl who walks through this door! I love each and every girl I coach. My teams become a part of my family. Starting MOVA truly changed my life. Initially, we were few, but we made a pact to be a family. This is now our 11th year and I strongly believe we have upheld our pact.

I have very high expectations for each member of our club. They give 100% during every practice and tournament, they trust me and trust each other. Inclusion and team harmony is encouraged throughout the season. I push my girls to become better volleyball players and respectable young ladies.

The coaches at MOVA are incredible teachers and exceptional motivators. I have watched them grow as individuals, coaches, and essential members of our MOVA family. Our coaches support each other on and off the court! When I walk through a qualifier or large tournament and see one of my teams playing, it brings me great joy. Most of the time, there's another MOVA team watching and supporting their MOVA family of players and coaches. It truly warms my heart to know that my coaches genuinely care for each other and ALL of the girls in the club, not just the ones on their teams.

I'm very excited for the future of MOVA! The coaches, players, and parents of our MOVA family love volleyball and love each other. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” ~1 Corinthians 13:7

MOVA is one of God's many blessings and I am truly thankful to Him for guiding this club in the right direction, and bringing me close to incredible players and their supportive families.

At MOVA, we are one big family led by God Almighty. We are his servants to guide our children to the path of love, family and faith!!!

ASSISTANT CLUB DIRECTOR / HEAD COACH / CLUB RECRUITING ASSOCIATE

I've been coaching for over a decade in the Gateway Region and very blessed to be a part of the MOVA family.  Lil and I make a great team! She's a fantastic teacher and an energized student of the game of volleyball. Working with her is a great joy on and off the court!

Coaching is my calling, my passion. It is something I hold deep in my heart. I take great pride (and much joy!) in teaching the kids in our program to become better volleyball players on the court and better people in life. 

One of my favorite things about coaching for MOVA is my connection to my fellow coaches. They are truly family. We have a lot of fun together sharing our knowledge of the game and passion for coaching.

My goal is to prepare my kids to play at the highest level of our sport. It's what the MOVA program is all about.

ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR

My name is Grace Miller. I am the assistant administrator for MOVA. I have immense love for the game. I've played at Forest Park Community College. I was also a member, and played for the US Volleyball Association Club and leagues thereafter.

I’ve made my son love volleyball as well.  He started his volleyball training with MOVA My son Christian is MOVAMADE!!!  He started playing for the club at the age of 12, with great training from MOVA,  Christian has turned out to be a great volleyball player!!!

COACH

COACH

Hi, I’m Briley Jo Thomas. I am currently attending MIssouri Baptist University, where I am a setter on the women’s volleyball team. My major is radiological science and technology. My love for volleyball began in 4th grade while playing on a local community center team. As my competitive/mental game developed to equal my love for the game, I traveled almost 2 hours north to begin playing on a St.Louis club team. During my time playing club ball, I had the opportunity to play for some amazing coaches. These coaches not only helped develop my skills as a player. They also helped develop my confidence and character at a very influenceable age. For which I will forever be thankful.

My decision to coach is based on the positive lasting impact my coaches had on me. My hope is to provide players the same encouragement, confidence,guidance and friendship I received during my club volleyball years. It is also kind-of a bonus I get to coach alongside one of the coaches who encouraged me and had the biggest impact on me as a player and a person….Broderick, Coach B…. I’m looking forward to an exciting MOVA season!!!!

COACH

Matt will be coaching our u11 and u12 Gold teams. In addition to coaching for us, Matt has served as the head boys volleyball coach at Ft Zumwalt west High school for five years and has been the Varsity assistant girls coach at West for the last three seasons. Matt decided to coach and bring his daughters to Mova because of the family environment and the high importance Mova puts on character development of the athletes, coaches, and parents. Winning is important, but it should never be put above integrity, sportsmanship, and skill and character development.

COACH

Michelle will be coaching our u11 and u12 Gold teams. Michelle played volleyball for four years at the University of Alabama. In addition to her playing experience, she was the head girls volleyball coach at Ft Zumwalt West High School and has coached youth volleyball in St Louis area the last two years. Michelle decided to coach and bring her three daughters to Mova because Mova has similar values and philosophies of coaching as she does. Michelle believes in empowering children to reach for their full potential and is thankful that she gets to help in their development as players and most importantly as people.

COACH

My name is Kayleigh Fite, I’m 22 years old and just recently graduated from Central College with my bachelors degree in Sociology. At Central College I played volleyball for four years. I played in multiple different positions at the Varsity level including OH, RH, MH and Libero. My senior year (Spring, 2021) I was elected captain and helped lead my team to it’s best finish in conference since 2016, as well as being an All-Conference selection that season. I started playing volleyball when I was in third grade and I have been in love with the game ever since. I played for Trinity Catholic High School and started playing club for MOVA in 2015. Now that I’m done as a player, I’m excited to take on this new challenge of coaching. 

I chose to coach with MOVA because of the positive impact they had on me as a player and person. The coaches are so passionate about what they do and they care deeply for their players. MOVA quickly turned into a family. It is because of this I’m so excited to join the coaching staff and help players like me develop into incredible volleyball players and people. 

As a coach I expect that my players are committed to our team and willing to give their best every time we step into a gym. I also need for my players to have a growth mindset. I want to help my players grow and in order to do that I need them to believe that through their hard work and effort there is nothing they can’t accomplish. Lastly, I want my players to have fun and enjoy playing volleyball. I want my players to love playing for MOVA like I did. 

COACH

Hi, my name is Abby Grumich and I am 19 years old. I am a Sophomore at Fontbonne University where I am studying Elementary Education and playing Women’s Volleyball. I started playing volleyball when I was in third grade and picked up club when I was in 5th. I played high school volleyball for four years at Trinity Catholic High School. My 17s year I switch clubs and came to play at MOVA, where I finished out the last two seasons of my club career. Playing for MOVA will always be something I will remember and be grateful for. 

I have always been very passionate about volleyball so I decided to come back and coach for MOVA because of the amazing experience I had here. The coaches here helped me become the player and person I am today and achieve all my goals and I can’t wait to help do that for the players now. I also love how everyone at MOVA is a family and we all have each others backs. My expectations are that every player is committed and willing to give it 110% every time we step in the gym. I also want the girls to have fun and enjoy playing for MOVA, while being competitive. 

COACH

I have been around volleyball ever since I was in 3rd grade. I played for for at Bishop Dubourg HS as both setter and Libero. Was recruited by MO Baptist University as a setter but quickly switched to Libero to help win 2 National Championships. Also, while in my 4 years college I decided to start coaching. I coached club 4 years (Boys), HS Boys and Girls for 3 years. Currently coaching at Notre Dame HS. 

MOVA is the next step in my journey for coaching volleyball. I chose to coach for MOVA because I can relate to what and how the coaches teach the team. 

COACH

Hello! My name is Karli Dean. I am currently a junior at UMSL, where I play on our volleyball team as a middle blocker, but I have been around the game for the last 14 years. As a player, I know that having a good foundation in every aspect is crucial, and I plan to aid in building that foundation for others. I believe that MOVA is great at building these foundation for others . I believe that MOVA is great at building these foundations while keeping the connections between coaches and players similar to that of a family , great for leaning on each other and 360 degree feedback .I'm extremely excited to help make a positive impact on future volleyball careers!

COACH

My name is Colin Seebeck. This will be my first year coaching volleyball officially. I have been playing volleyball for the past 10 years. I was on my high school varsity all 4 years as a setter and was captain for 3 of them, earning a multitude of awards throughout the years including, first team All-Conference, Academic All-state, and Second Team All- State. I spent my last 2 seasons of my club career at MOVA . I also spent my last 4 years in high school managing my schools Girls Varsity Volleyball Program . Assisting and occasionally coaching the lower level teams . I am currently playing mens volleyball at Missouri Baptist University as well as double majoring in Biology and healthcare Management while minoring in Spanish.

COACH

I have a huge love of volleyball that started when I began playing in 1992. Since then, I have competed indoor and outdoor even played in several APV qualifiers in my 20s and 30s . In the 2000s I ran a beach volleyball organization called AOVA which later became the VAO , Club Cactus, point volleyball in Colorado, Brookline high school, Northeastern University Head Coach and then Newbury College Mens teams Assistant Coach the team was ranked #6 in the country for all D111 schools by the AVCA . I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with these young men.

COACH

I am a previous player for MOVA I graduated high school from fort zumwalt east in 2020 and I played setter and right side . I want to coach because I want to bestow what I have learned on and off the court to those of the generations to come. I want my players to not only become better people. I chose MOVA because they took great care of me as a player.

COACH

Hi my name is Natalie Witt, I'm 18 years old and I have been playing for MOVA since I was 10! I have now graduated and decided to take a gap year. I would not be the player I am today if it weren't for every single coach at MOVA pushing me to be the best I could, on and off the court . My decision to coach is based on the impact my coaches had on me. I want to provide players with the same confidence and strength my coaches provided me as I stepped on the court.

COACH

I have been playing volleyball for 14 years, and club volleyball for 10 years. I played college volleyball for 2 years at MacMurray college and then competitive club volleyball at SIUe. Currently, finishing school to become a nurse at SIUe. I previously played for Coach B. This will be my second year coaching volleyball. In my free time I play sand volleyball and play competitively in indoor leagues as well.

My coaching philosophy would be ''Excellence is not a singular habit.'' I like to win and have fun but do so in a way where players are constantly learning and improving.

COACH

As a seasoned coach with 13 years of experience, I have honed my skills in developing athletes to reach their full potential. With a keen attention to detail, I place a strong emphasis on technique and defensive/offensive strategies. My coaching philosophy is centered around fostering a strong work ethic, discipline, and teamwork among my players. I am dedicated to helping athletes improve their skills, reach their goals, and succeed both on and off the court. 

COACH

2024-2025 will be my second season at MOVA. I have a passion for coaching sports, particularly volleyball. For 6 years I coached girls’ club volleyball at Elite volleyball club. In addition to coaching, I was the club director from 2019 - 2023. From 2021 – 2023 I was the head boys’ volleyball coach at Christ Community Lutheran school where we won the city championship in 2022 & 2023. Before coaching club volleyball in St. Louis, I coached girls’ basketball (4 years) and boys’ basketball (6 years) at Christ Community Lutheran School. For 15 years I also played indoor adult club volleyball and everything outdoors from 2s, to 4s, to 6s.

The kids that play for me realize that I don’t just care about the team and our record; I also care about them as individuals. Since I believe that you get the best results with positive coaching, I am constantly using positive reinforcement to build good habits and techniques. I expect my team to come to practice each session looking to work hard so we can improve each and every practice. I want us to get better throughout the year, peak at nationals, and have a fun season the entire way. I am so looking forward to another successful season.

COACH

I began my volleyball journey at MOVA when I was 14 years old. I am so grateful to have learned the sport from such an amazing group of people I now call family! I played for MOVA for 5 years and was blessed with the opportunity to pursue volleyball at the collegiate level. I was granted a scholarship to play at Missouri Baptist University and won 2 National Volleyball Championship titles in 2020 and 2021! I have been an official MOVA coach for 2 years now and I believe that with determination, discipline, and a competitive hunger to win any player can compete at a high level. 

My coaching philosophy is to instill in my players the importance of challenging themselves to do the "hard" things that will ultimately make them better and finding joy in them. I will encourage them to think about their future goals as a player. I will challenge them to create their own future possibilities by pushing them to have great work ethic, attitudes and knowledge of the game. 

Why MOVA? There is truly no other club like us! The family aspect is something we pride ourselves on. Your child is not just a number pinned to a t-shirt! Ensuring our players are taken care of physically as well as mentally is a huge part of who we are. Their well-being is significant to us and our number one priority. We welcome all with open arms!

MOVA BOYS 17 GOLD COACH

MOVA 14 WHITE COACH

MOVA BLACK 17 BOYS COACH

MOVA BOYS 16 GOLD COACH

MOVA 14 BLACK & 11 GOLD COACH

MOVA BOYS 16 GOLD & 18 GOLD COACH

MOVA BOYS 17 WHITE COACH

MOVA 12 GOLD & 13 GOLD COACH

MOVA BOYS 12 GOLD COACH

MOVA 15 BLACK COACH