Brennan Dean

Executive Indoor Director

Brennan Dean, M.A.
Brennan Dean is involved in youth volleyball at two of the most respected high school and club programs in the country. He is Varsity Head Coach of the Torrey Pines High School girls volleyball program, and is the owner and Executive Director of WAVE Volleyball Club in Del Mar, Ca. Brennan has been coaching since 2004, and currently coaches both boys and girls club teams in the WAVE program.

Brennan’s teams have garnered numerous California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) section championships and have consistently been nationally ranked at both the high school and club levels. Additionally, he has coached an abundance of players who have gone onto play at NCAA division 1 universities and as professional players overseas.

For his efforts at Torrey Pines High School, Brennan was named the 2015 CIF and California State Volleyball Coach of the Year. In 2019 his TPHS team won the Open Division of California State and was awarded National Champions and was the National High School Coach of the Year.

He was the recipient of the 2018 American Volleyball Coaches Association Club Director of the Year. Brennan currently is on multiple committees and boards related to national and regional volleyball.

Brennan holds a decade of professional counseling experience in the San Dieguito Union High School District. He has held the Head Counselor and at District Head Counselor positions during his service in the academic setting. Brennan’s expertise as a youth counselor and coach give him a unique perspective on interacting with athletes, encompassing today’s topic of the importance of connectivity and connection between coach and player.

Brennan is a San Diego native and an alumni of Chico State University and Point Loma Nazarene University. Brennan purchased WAVE Volleyball Club from Ed Machado in July 2012. He met his wife Kristen through coaching, and they created a non-profit that creates opportunity for kids to play volleyball where volleyball isn't easily accessible in the United States. Their non-profit also helps kids play club volleyball all across the country. Brennan and Kristen have a daughter named Harper and a son named Cal, and they love to travel, camp, and hang out with their dog when not on the court.

Matt Olson

Executive Beach Director

Matt Grew up in Cardiff and attended La Costa Canyon High School. After earning league MVP honors at Grossmont Junior College in San Diego, Matt then played 3 years at the University of Arizona. He was The Mountain region MVP in 2002 and won National Collegiate Club Championships in 2002 (All-Tournament 1st team) and 2003. Matt was the co-head coach (2001-2003) for the Arizona Women’s Club Team. In his senior year at Arizona, Matt was a manager for Dave Rubio’s University of Arizona Women’s Division One Volleyball team during the 2003/2004 season. Matt graduated Cum Laude from the University of Arizona in 2004, earning a BS in Physical Education.

Matt was a Head coach for the Wave 13’s in 2006. He assisted Ed Machado for two seasons (2006/2007) at LCC where the team won back-to-back CIF championships and finished 3rd in the state in their 2007 Season. Matt directed/coordinated the Wave Boys program for 3 seasons (2006-2009) before taking a year off to pursue his professional beach volleyball career. The 2011 AVP season marked Matt’s 8th season as a pro beach volleyball player. Some of Matt’s AVP highlights include finishing 2nd in the Hermosa Beach Open in 2007, Matt and partner Kevin Wong won the 2008 Belmar, NJ Open and the duo finished 2nd last year in the 2009 Manhattan Beach Open. In addition to traveling around the US on the domestic AVP tour Matt has competed professionally in multiple countries including Mexico, Australia, China, New Caledonia and Columbia.

Coaching Highlights:
2001-2003 University of Arizona Women’s Club Team Co-Head Coach
2003-2004 University of Arizona Div. I Team Manager (Dave Rubio – Head Coach)
2005-2006 WAVE Volleyball’s 13’s Head Coach
2005-2007 La Costa Canyon Women’s Varsity Assistant Coach (Ed Machado – Head Coach)
Back to back CIF Championships
3rd in the state in 2007
2006-2009 WAVE Volleyball’s Boys Director/Coordinator
2010-2014 WAVE Volleyball Associate Director & Director of Operations
2012-Present WAVE Beach Executive Director

Playing Highlights:
2000-Present Beach Volleyball Professional (AVP Tour)
National top 40 individual ranking or better from 2004-Present!
Competed in 134 professional domestic events with:
83 top 10 finishes
34 top 5 finishes
2008 AVP Belmar Open Champion (Partner Kevin Wong)
2011 AVP Championships Huntington Beach Champion (Partner Matt Prosser)
50th all time prize money earner with $271,305.00 to date
Cover of Volleyball Magazine: August 2009
Cover of DIG Magazine: 2011 #5
Competed professionally in Mexico, New Caledonia, Australia and China

Indoor Player Highlights:
1997 CIF Champion (La Costa Canyon)
1998 CIF Champion (La Costa Canyon)
League MVP and Team Captain
2002 NIRSA National Champion (University of Arizona)
All Tournament 1st Team honors
2003 NIRSA National Champion (University of Arizona)

Watch Matt's Beach Highlights Here

Doug Forsyth

Director of Facilities

Kristen Dean

Programs & Finance Director

Jed Stotsenberg

Boys Director

JJed has been with WAVE since 2007 and the Boy’s Associate Director since 2009. He brings over 20 years coaching experience at the high school, club, college, professional and international levels. Before WAVE Jed started his coaching career as the Varsity Assistant for Boy’s League Champion Serra High School in 1996. He spent several years with Seaside and Coast Volleyball Club, taking two 5th place finishes with the boys in the 15 Open and 18 Open divisions while also coaching at the local/regional levels with the Coast girls. When playing professionally overseas he had the opportunity to work with the Swiss Youth National Girls teams and coached a Division 3 Swiss men’s team to top of the league.

After finishing his indoor playing career Jed returned to San Diego to pursue a job in finance and sales although still coaching part-time. In 2007 he became a full-time coach working on the girls and boys side at WAVE and in 2009 took over as Boy’s Director while also becoming the Head Men’s Volleyball Coach at San Diego City College where he coach 2 seasons and still has the best record in school history. While at WAVE Jed has coached a numerous Open level boys and girls teams and has numerous players that went on to play at the highest levels in college, National team and professionally. Some recent WAVE highlights 2016 Boy’s 15U Open Boy’s Junior Nationals Qualifier, 2015 Boys Junior National Championship 16U Gold Medal, 2015 16U Boy’s Classic 5th place, 2014 15U BJNC Open Qualifier, 2014 14U GJNC Open Qualifier, 2013 BJNC 16U Bronze Medal.

Jed has also been with the La Costa Canyon High School Men’s Varsity since 2013. In 2013 the Mavericks won CIF Div 2 Championship and went to the Finals of the State SoCal Regional Championship. In 2014 the they won the first ever Open CIF championship and made it to the Semi-finals of the State SoCal Regionals. In 2015 they won a Div 1 CIF championship.

On the beach Stotsenberg has worked with many professional player and youth players at WAVE. His highlights coming from coaching the number five AVP team of Matt Olson and Kevin Wong during the 2009 season, helping the team to the Manhattan Beach Open Finals and multiple semi-finals. Then During the 2010 AVP season Jed helped train the top women’s team of Dianne DeNecochea and Brittany Hochevar.

Jed’s playing experience started in his hometown of Kirkland, Washington. At the club level he won two state and regional championships and attended two Junior Olympics at the 18 Open Level. After high school he moved to San Diego and was the starting setter at Mesa College his Freshman year and the starting setter/team captain at Grossmont College his Sophomore year. While earning an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts, Jed helped the Griffins to a 3rd place finish in the PCC and 5th in the state. He was recruited to San Diego State University and played on the last NCAA Division 1 team and started at the Setter and Outside Hitter positions. Jed finished his stint at SDSU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing in 2001. After college he signed professional contracts with Division 1 VC Bottrop 90 in Germany as a Libero and in his second year with Nati League A Kanti Baden in Switzerland as a Setter. On the beach Jed earned his AAA CBVA rating, played in AVP Qualifiers and has had the opportunity to play professional international tournaments. Jed is also a CHEK Certified Level 1 Holistic Lifestyle Coach and NCFS Certified Personal Trainer. When not in the gym Jed can be found spending time with his wife Kristen and son Noa, surfing local breaks in North San Diego and playing beach volleyball.

Madi Fields

Director of Operations & Apparel

Madi is a California native and grew up in Vista. She began her volleyball career at the young age of 8. Madi played for multiple north county clubs before she landed at WAVE in 2011. During her 5 years at WAVE, her team won multiple qualifiers and SCVA regional championships. In 2013, her team won a silver medal in the 13 American Division. From ages 14-17 her team qualified for nationals in the Open division. Their finishes include:

14 Open - 11th Place
15 Open - 3rd Place
16 Open - 9th Place
17 Open - 13th Place

Madi graduated from Mission Vista High School in 2016 where she was a 4 year letter-winner. She continued her volleyball career at the University of Wyoming where she was the starting libero all 4 years. Madi left her mark as UW’s All-Time Digs Leader with 1773 digs. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a minor in Communications. She will be using these skills in her role as the Director of Operations & Apparel here at WAVE.

Kevin Hodge

Indoor Director of Recruiting

Kevin Hodge has been with the WAVE Family since 2015. He has been coaching since 2003 at both the college and the club levels. Kevin is considered as one of the top coaches in the region and has coached many athletes that have moved onto the highest level of our sport. Technique and process are his focus in the gym, whether it is a practice or individual training session. Positivity and problem solving are a large part of his teaching and training method.

Kevin attended and competed for Penn State University (1998-2002) at the Division I level. During his time there he was named to the EIVA All-Tournament Team (2001) and helped guide his team to four consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances. Upon finishing his eligibility, Kevin joined the Women's Volleyball Program at Penn State as a Volunteer Assistant Coach (2003-2005) to learn from one of volleyball's legendary coaches, Russ Rose. During his three seasons with the Nittany Lions the team won three Big Ten Conference Titles (2003, 2004, 2005). From there Kevin went on to become an assistant coach for the Women's Volleyball Team at the University of Cincinnati (2006).

While in Cincinnati Kevin also coached club volleyball at Team Z (2007-2008), guiding his team to a 3rd place finish at the inaugural JVDA Tournament. He then moved out to Southern California, where he has continued his career as a club coach and as an assistant director.

Cole Mortland

DIRECTOR OF BOYS' RECRUITMENT

Cole Mortland began his coaching career for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club in 2012, and concluded his time there in 2019 after seven seasons. During his time with Balboa Bay, he was a coach for four national championship teams: 15 Open in 2014, 18 Open in 2016, 18 Open in 2017, and 16 Open in 2019, as well as one bronze medal in 18 Open in 2015. Over the course of his seven seasons with Balboa Bay, Cole trained 18 USAV BJNC All-Americans & helped send over 25 players to play collegiate volleyball.

For 2013 and 2014 high school seasons, Cole served as the assistant coach for the Laguna Beach Boys Volleyball varsity team. During his time with the Breakers, he helped guide the team to two Orange Coast League championships as well as a D-III state championship in 2014.

Cole has also served as a coach and evaluator in the USA Volleyball High Performance pipeline.

Cole believes in the critical importance of mastering the fundamentals. He also believes that lessons of hard work and teamwork learned in the gym can and should be applied to the real world. Cole is a strong believer that the personal connections made through the game of volleyball are what make coaching truly rewarding.

Personally, Cole played as a setter for Epic Volleyball Club from 2003 to 2008. He was coached by fellow WAVE coach Darrell Dilmore during his senior season, winning a silver medal in the 18 Open Division at the 2008 USAV BJNC. Cole was named an All-American at the tournament.

Cole played for Mt. Carmel High School from 2005 to 2008, serving as starting setter on varsity for his last three seasons. At Mt. Carmel, Cole was a three-time first team All-CIF selection. In his senior season, Cole served as captain and led his team to a CIF San Diego Section DII Championship.

In college, Cole played club volleyball for UC Berkeley from 2008 to 2012, serving as captain his senior year. He was a first team all-NCCVL selection in 2012 and helped lead his team to a silver medal at the 2012 NCVF National Championships. At the conclusion of his senior season, Cole was named Runner-Up for Cal Club Sports Male Athlete of the Year.

Cole holds a BA from University of California, Berkeley and a MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He currently works full-time in commercial real estate as a member of the marketing team at CBRE.

Mike Placek

Beach College Recruitment Coordinator

Mike was a graduate of Torrey Pines High School where he lettered in tennis and volleyball. He was a beach volleyball national champion in 16U as a 14 year old, and earned his A Rating when he was just 13 years old. Mike was also the #1 ranked tennis player in Southern California in 16 and under and earned a tennis scholarship to UCSB. While at UCSB he was awarded on the All Big West Conference Team 3 times and was also on the Big West All Academic Team his Senior Year.

Following college in 2004, Mike began his professional beach volleyball and coaching career. He has finished as high as third place in AVP and USA Volleyball in tournaments in 2008 and 2012. In 2010 and 2011, Mike had the opportunity to represent Czech Republic in international events and competed all over Europe. He won an Exhibition in Lille, France and had two main draw FIVB World Tour finishes in Prague, Czech Republic and The Hague, Netherlands. Mike was a top ranked player on the National Volleyball League Pro Tour.

Mike also is an active and experienced trainer. He holds certifications in the Egoscue Method focusing on postural alignment and injury prevention, and has formally directed the Egoscue Method Clinic (Chicago, Illinois). He has provided training services locally with Libafit, Full Spectrum Training, and provided personal training. Mike has a wide range of experience training clientele from age 7 to 85, and has clients of all athletic abilities from youth athletes, through collegiate and ranked professionals. In 2021, Mike was named AVCA Beach Coach of the Year.

Mike started coaching at WAVE in 2009 and lives in Encinitas with his wife Stephanie, his daughter Elle, his son Luke, and his dog Oppo.

CIndy Burns

Administrator & Travel Coordinator

Mel Strockis

Player Liaison

Melissa Adams grew up in La Jolla, California playing indoor and beach volleyball…WAVE alumni! In the early years she and her beach partner took 1st place at Doheny, they finished 4th place at CBVA Manahattan Beach their 1st year.

Adams graduated from Cathedral Catholic High School as a 2-time California State Volleyball Champion, received the coveted CIF Sportsmanship Award, earned The Coach Dick Serrano “Spirit of the Dons” Award and was named to the Union Tribune All-Academic Team. Mel was a 2-sport high school athlete (Volleyball and Water Polo). She was named Varsity Water Polo Most Valuable Defensive Player and made the Union Tribune All Academic Team. Adams earned her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a Minor in Sociology from Colorado State University. Additionally, she earned her Early Education teaching certificate from UCLA and graduated Suma Cum Laude.

Melissa began her WAVE coaching career in 2011 and has coached Girls JV VB at Santa Fe Christian High School, Girls Frosh VB at Torrey Pines High School and Girls Varsity VB at Cathedral Catholic High School. Currently, she is coaching Varsity at Torrey Pines High School. She has run and assisted with clinics & camps on the beach and in the tent. Adams LOVES volleyball! She truly lives to share her positive energy with every athlete who crosses her path.

Chloe Collins

Social Media Coordinator

Chloe joined our coaching staff in April 2017. Although, not a California native she grew up in Houston, Texas where she attended Cypress Woods High School and played club volleyball for Houston Juniors Volleyball Club.

Chloe continued her volleyball career at the University of Texas at Austin (2013-12016) where she helped the Longhorns to 3 Big12 Championships and 4 NCAA Final Fours. Throughout her career at Texas, Collins was a 2x AVCA All-American and earned Big12 Conference First Team honors. After graduating with a BA in Communication Studies in December 2016, Collins went off to play her first professional season in Spain and Finland.

Chloe hopes that she can bring her knowledge and skills of volleyball to help players grow on and off the court. Her goal is to be a reliable resource for athletes and provide open doors. Being new to San Diego, Chloe enjoys going to the beach, reading, and trying new foods.