Staff

Andrea Davis

President - MOD Volleyball

MOD holds a very special place in my heart. I founded what was originally Division 1 Volleyball Club back in 2007, and after stepping away for a few years to raise my young family, I’m beyond honored to return as President of the Club that has now evolved into MOD. To see how far this organization has come—and to now help lead it into its next chapter—is truly a full-circle moment for me.
 

I’ve always believed that youth sports are about so much more than training and competition. Yes, we care deeply about skill development, quality coaching, and competitive opportunities—but the bigger goal is to create meaningful experiences for both athletes and their families. I’ve lived that myself as a player, coach, club director, business owner, and most importantly, as a parent.
 

Some of the most powerful moments happen off the court: in the car rides home from practice, during travel weekends with teammates, or when kids learn how to speak up for themselves, navigate new relationships, and stretch beyond their comfort zones. These are the lessons that last a lifetime.

I’ve also had the privilege of being deeply connected to the collegiate game through my husband, Shane Davis, Head Coach of Loyola University Men’s Volleyball and a two-time NCAA National Champion. Together, our lives have been rooted in helping others grow—through volleyball and beyond. I’ve seen firsthand the impact that championship-level culture, standards, and habits can have on athletes, and I carry those insights with me into everything we do at MOD.
 

In leading the club, my focus is on delivering high-quality training, unmatched organization, and a club culture that values growth, connection, and family. I’m grateful to be here, and I look forward to working together to help our athletes grow as confident, capable, and compassionate young people.

Bobby Hughes

Girls Programming Director

Eunice An

Girls Youth Programming Director

I Graduated from Niles West High School as a 3 sport athlete.  I then attended Oakton Community College and played NJCAA Volleyball.  I had the privilege to serve as team captain, and earned multiple All Tournament and All Conference awards throughout my time there.

I closed out my playing career for Robert Morris University and then began coaching with Maine South High School and Skyline Volleyball Club.  While working with Skyline I served as an Asst. Director and helped to start a youth program there.  I then continued on to coach with Division 1 VBC (now MOD), and now coach at Niles West High School for both the boys and girls Junior Varsity Team.

I have coached just about all age groups, and have refined my coaching philosophy through the time spent with each program. I emphasize working together as a family and developing a good work ethic at a young age.   I firmly believe that playing sports at a young age helps to build confidence and character!

I love my role and focus on the development of our youngest athletes. I will continue to create new opportunities for our MOD Minis and help them to discover and grow their love for the sport!

Coaching Experience

• 2015-2017: Coach at Maine South High School
• 2015-2019: Skyline Volleyball Club, Asst. Director
• 2017-2019: Coach for girls volleyball at Niles West High School
  • Won conference in 2017, 2018, & 2019
• 2018-2019: Coach for boys volleyball at Niles West High School
  • Won conference in 2018
• 2019-Present: MOD full-time Staff member

Blake Orlov

Boys Programming Director

I am a passionate and dedicated volleyball director and coach from the Chicagoland area. I have been a part of the volleyball community for 22 years and am always striving to perform at the highest level.

Prior to MOD, I was the founder/owner of the Chicago Bounce Volleyball Club from 2005 to 2021, where my leadership and coaching prowess led teams to numerous accomplishments. Bounce consistently performed at the highest level with several runner-up finishes at AAU Nationals and a thrilling National Championship victory in the 18s division in 2021!
My coaching journey also led me to Deerfield High School, where I served as the Varsity Girls Coach for three incredible years from 2017-2019. It was an amazing experience where I helped guide the team from the bottom of the conference to the top, showcasing our training, resilience and hard work.

I have been a Director with MOD since 2022 and am currently the Boys Programming Director, overseeing all boys programming with our Boys High School Director. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to develop young athletes and foster a love for the game. My path and career has produced success at every level, and my goal is to inspire and mentor the next generation of volleyball players by helping them reach their full potential both on and off the court.

Louis Richard

Boys High School Director

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and started playing volleyball when I was 11 years old. It quickly became my favorite sport, and I knew I wanted to pursue playing at the highest level possible. Along the way to achieving my goal, I was able to be a part of some amazing programs and had incredible coaches as mentors.

Growing up, I played club volleyball for Manhattan Beach Surf and through my career achieved three 5th place finishes and one Bronze medal at Nationals. I was also a team member of the USA Beach Volleyball National pipeline through high school and competed in multiple international tournaments including the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China and the 2013 & 2014 World Championships in Porto, Portugal. I went on to play 5 years of collegiate volleyball at Long Beach State where I was coached by former Olympic coaches and players who helped us win back to back NCAA D1 National Championships in 2018 & 2019. After college I moved to Denmark to play professionally and had reached my goal of being apart of the pinnacle of the sport that I love.

After playing overseas, I moved to Chicago where I was the volunteer Assistant Coach for Northwestern University for the 2021 & 2022 season. Through this relationship, I became a part of MOD! I coached with MOD for one season before continuing to a full-time club role with Mission Volleyball as their Director of Operations from 2022-2024.

I am very excited to be back at MOD and can’t wait to hit the ground running! I have been coaching for 10+ years and have helped many athletes accomplish their dreams to play collegiate volleyball at every level. I believe my passion for the game and high-level knowledge will continue to push the MOD programming forward to its most competitive seasons yet!

Kirstine (KJ) Jensen

Supplemental Programming Director

I am from Aurora, IL and have been playing and coaching competitive volleyball since I was 13 years old. I was fortunate to earn a scholarship to play volleyball in college where I competed for Ohio State and played on a team that made it to the Final Four! I spent most of my time as an outside hitter but have also been trained and competed as a middle and a right side.

I spent over 17 years coaching collegiately at Ohio University, Florida State, Northern Illinois and Northwestern, and this is my fifth year working full time in the club volleyball scene. In addition to coaching 13 Blue I also lead the 12s Elite and Regional Gyms, and work with Eunice to develop and run all Youth Programming for MOD Volleyball.

I have a 7-year old son, Jaxen who loves being in the gym and an incredibly supportive husband, Tim who supports me in doing what I love even though it takes me away from home many evenings and weekends. I feel very fortunate that I get to do what I LOVE for a living. Volleyball has been such a big and positive part of my life and I love the opportunity to be part of that in your child’s life.

Coaching Experience

Northwestern University: Evanston, IL

• Associate Head Volleyball Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, May 2012 – December 2015
• Assistant Volleyball Coach, February 2009 – May 2012

Northern Illinois University: DeKalb, IL

• Associate Head Volleyball Coach, April 2008 – February 2009
• Assistant Volleyball Coach, Northern Illinois University, March 2005 – April 2008

Florida State University: Tallahassee, FL

• Assistant Volleyball Coach, April 2003-January 2005

Ohio University: Athens, OH

• Assistant Volleyball Coach, May 2000 – April 2002

Related Professional Experience

• Assistant Coach, Club Fusion Volleyball, 2005 – 2008
• USA Volleyball High Performance A2 program, Summer 2012
• Club Director and Coach, Ohio Juniors, 2000-2002
• Volunteer Assistant Volleyball Coach, Northern Illinois University, 1997-2000
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Exercise and Physical Education, Northern Illinois University, 1998-2000

Derek Jensen

Founder

Hello MOD Squad! As an founder of the club, my core belief is that you can be compassionate AND competitive at the same time. We work hard to instill the belief that winning is a result rather than a goal – development is at the heart of everything we do.  Communication and building the complete athlete are always my first priorities.

My path to MOD began at Loyola University of Chicago, where I played on the DI mens team and earned my Masters of Business Administration. This mix of education and athletics created the comprehensive view I hold of club sports. Though I found my way onto the court occasionally at Loyola, I pride myself on the three years I spent as captain – creating a culture that I like to claim led to back to back National Championships!

Professionally, before entering the club scene, I spent my career working in the Operations and Marketing field for the Sport and Social Club and the Chicago Bears. I learned the importance of communication, connection, and organization at the highest level. It was an honor to work for companies that lead the country in their respective fields. I made the move to D1 (now MOD) in 2016 to support Shane and Andrea Davis as the club grew. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Playing & Coaching Experience

• Growing up in the West Suburbs of Chicago, Derek played Outside Hitter for SPVB from age 11-18. His team was consistently ranked top 5 in the country, taking 2nd at the 2003 USAV Nationals and 5th in 2004 and 2005 while earning three All-American awards. He also set for his High School team, which definitely wasn’t as good as his club team…
• 2005-2009: Libero for Loyola University Chicago Men’s Volleyball Team
• 2006-2009: Captain of LUMVB, 4 times MIVA Academic All-Conference
• 2010: Graduated from Loyola University with Masters in Business Administration
• 2010: Graduate Assistant for Loyola Mens Volleyball
• 2010-2014: Marketing and League Development Manager at Chicago Sport and Social Club
• 2014/2015: Fan Marketing and Research for Chicago Bears
• 2007-current: Division1/MOD VBC Head Coach
• 2015-2017: Dominican University Men’s Volleyball Assistant Coach
• 2017 NCAA Elite Eight appearance for Dominican
• 2018-present: Junior Volleyball Association Board of Directors

Karen Sonders

Founder

Welcome, MOD athletes and families! I first began my coaching career 19 years ago, and have been fortunate to experience a very exciting journey through the world of sports.  My favorite quote has always been “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – I believe, with what we are building together at MOD, I have the opportunity to live out that mantra every day.  With my focus being on development and training, I am able to connect with our athletes and coaches to share my passion. I am so grateful for all of the formative experiences I’ve shared with teammates, friends, and co-workers through club volleyball, and providing those same opportunities to the next generation of young volleyball players remains one of the main driving factors towards bettering our own club and community.

I grew up in Crystal Lake, IL where I competed for Sky High volleyball club and Crystal Lake Central High School. I was a three-year varsity starter on a team ranked in the top ten in the state all three years. In my time at Crystal Lake Central, I set a school record for most kills in a season, was an FVC all-conference selection, all-area selection, and Chicago Tribune all-state special mention as a setter and outside hitter. During my club career as a player, I have won the Northern Lights Qualifier in the 16 Open division and placed 2nd in the Northeast Qualifier in the 18 Open. My team finished in 8th in the 18 Open of USA Jr. Nationals her senior season. I went on to accept a full-scholarship to play for Michigan Tech University (1998-2001), where I completed my BS in biomedical engineering. I played both outside and right side hitter, and was named MVP during my sophomore year. A 3-time All-GLIAC selection, I finished my tenure as the school’s season and career leader in digs.

I founded Wildcat Jrs. VBC in 2007, beginning with five teams ages U12-U14. Through it’s continued success, the club grew to twenty seven teams between U11-U18 and became established as a premier club of the North Shore and Chicagoland area. Now MOD, our program continues a strong tradition of developing well-rounded volleyball student athletes who are community-minded.

I currently reside in North Carolina with my husband Dave and our two young daughters, Quinn and Macie.

Coaching Experience

• 2000-2002: Head Varsity Coach at Chassell Township High School in Michigan, Conference Coach of the Year honors
• 2003-2006: Director of Operations, University of Wisconsin Madison Women’s Volleyball staff, 2 NCAA Elite Eight appearances
• Development Director with Wisconsin Power Volleyball
• 2003: Club Director at the Fusion Volleyball Academy in Crystal Lake, IL
• 2006: Asst. Coach at Northwestern University.
• 2007: Founded Wildcat Jrs. VBC
• 2008-2020: Director of Wildcat Jrs. & a slew of additional administrative roles

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS