st. albert WOLVERINES VOLLEYBALL COACHES
u15 women's - head coach stephen womack/Assistant coach marianne womack
Marianne and Stephen Womack are both teachers who have loved volleyball since they were in Junior High. They both grew up in small towns (Marianne in Boyle; Stephen in Drayton Valley), played for their respective High School teams, and drove into the big city to play for club programs (Marianne, St.Albert’s Air Attack; Stephen, NAVC). Stephen went on to play volleyball at MacEwan University where he captained his team to the National semi-final. Afterwards, Marianne and Stephen played co-ed together (with the “Orville Reden-blockers” in the Millwoods Co-Ed league) before having children and putting a pause on their playing careers. Both of them are now focused on fostering the next generation of volleyball players, including their own children; this year, the young members of the Womack family will be playing club volleyball at the U17, U15, and U14 levels.
Currently, Marianne is coaching the Senior Girls Volleyball team as well as the Junior Boys Volleyball team at Four Winds Public School.
Stephen has been coaching for nearly 20 years at the High School level and has coached both Boys and Girls Senior volleyball. He currently coaches at Bellerose Composite High School.
U14 MEN's - HEAD COACH ANATOLE NYKOLYSHYN
Anatole is excited to be a part of the St. Albert Wolverines Volleyball Club for the second year. His philosophy focuses on the development of young athletes through the game of volleyball. With a passion for volleyball that began in grade 6 (by winning the York County Championship in Ontario), he continued his success playing High School Volleyball at West Kildonan Collegiate reaching semi-finals in the provincials in the province of Manitoba in grades 11 and 12. The love for the game kept him on the court for the next 30+ years where he played high level men’s and co-ed volleyball in both Winnipeg and Edmonton.
Anatole previously coached club volleyball in Spruce Grove and St Albert. In the shortened COVID season in St. Albert, as Head Coach of the U13 Men’s team, the team worked hard and finished strong in their only appearance at Premier #1, capturing 4th place overall. As the coach of the U14 men’s team in St. Albert, he spent the entire year developing players on the court as games weren’t allowed.
During his time in Spruce Grove in 2023 as a co-coach, Anatole prioritized defense and passing, and emphasized proper hitting and blocking techniques, which helped lead the Ravens 1U16 Men’s team to win 2 gold medals, one in Red Deer at the Alberta Provincials (Division 3) and the other at Premier #3 Tournament.
He also ran a number of youth volleyball skills camps while coaching in St Albert. These volleyball camps are essential in the development of young athletes. His focus on skill development and footwork with his teams can be seen today as many of these players are having a lot of success on the court with their respective high school and club volleyball teams.
Anatole has also gained a lot of experience coaching boys fastball and baseball in St Albert for a number of years.
As a professional, Anatole has carved out a successful career in assisting families and business owners plan for their retirement, working as a Certified Financial Planner with Freedom 55 Financial for over 20 years and now has started his own financial planning firm, L&R Family Wealth Advisory Inc. This takes years of dedication, a commitment and passion to a long-term dream and continued hard work. Successful athletes need the same kind of work ethic to reach their goals!
Anatole is looking forward to continuing to develop young athletes in the city of St. Albert for years to come.
U14 MEN's - Assistant coach dereck Porret
Dereck Porret is excited to be returning to coach with the St. Albert Wolverines this year. He will be an assistant coach for the U14 Men’s team. He has assistant coached for a number of years in club ranging from U13 to U16 boys as well as Junior and Senior Men’s in High School. His goal each season is to ensure the athletes have the best season they possibly can in terms of growth and enjoyment as well as trying to equip them with all of the tools they need to see success in their future endeavors in this sport.
Dereck is an avid fan of professional volleyball and it is what normally occupies his time when he’s not practicing or coaching the sport. He is assistant coaching the Senior Men’s volleyball team at Memorial Composite High School.
u14 men's - assistant coach troy bruce
Coach Troy brings a wealth of experience and passion for the game of volleyball to the Wolverines Volleyball Club. He is returning for his second year of coaching with the Wolverines. He has dedicated his coaching career to developing athletes both on and off the court.
Troy started playing volleyball in grade seven in Barrhead where he spent most of his youth. After High School, he transitioned into a collegiate career. Troy is a former Lakeland Rustler and NAIT Ooks Alumni. He played a variety of positions, including left side, right side and middle. After college, Troy played high level co-ed and men’s leagues for over 15 years. He has transitioned into coaching, eager to inspire the next generation of players to reach their full potential.
In addition to technical skills, Troy focuses on building strong relationships with players and parents, encouraging open communication and a positive team culture. He believes that every player has unique strengths and works tirelessly to help each individual grow, both as a competitor and as a person.
U14 women's - head coach natasha hampton
Natasha Hampton is excited to coach for the Wolverines Volleyball Club for her second consecutive year. Last year she was the Head Coach for the U13 Women’s team. She started her volleyball journey in small-town Saskatchewan in grade 5. These strong early years focused on development and skills leading to 5 years of club experience and her playing on the Senior High School volleyball team for Grade 9, 10, 11 and 12 where they were provincial champions for all four years. Playing both club and high school she has won countless tournaments and titles. She went on the play volleyball at SIAST where she was named female athlete of the year for both her volleyball and soccer performance. This passion for the game has led her to continue in the sport for 20 + years. She has played high-level co-ed and ladies volleyball in the Calgary and Edmonton area.
Natasha was involved with coaching in the junior high school program in Airdrie, AB before relocating to the Edmonton area. She also has experience coaching her own children in soccer. Her children went on to play hockey and high-level softball, giving her a lot of experience in the elite sports world.
In her professional life Natasha is the lead dental assistant instructor at Reeves College. This experience with leading people through their post secondary education and helping them grow and reach their goals gives her the knowledge and insight to make her an excellent coach.
Natasha believes in development of players both on and off the court and building a program that values athletes as people. She is looking forward to helping develop the Wolverine’s Volleyball Program in the St Albert Area.
U13 Women's - head coach brooke ringuette
u13 men's coach - Mellisa Larouche
Mellisa is a teacher and is excited to be a part of the Wolverines Club this year. She is passionate about volleyball at all levels with university and high school levels ranking high on her list as she loves to watch and support former students as they do what they love. She comes to the club with extensive coaching experience and a passion for fostering the development of young athletes. Her goals are always to ensure players are enjoying their experience while also pushing beyond what they believed possible.
Mellisa has been coaching volleyball at the junior high level for a number of years. She has built a program where students are valued on and off the court. They are challenged, learn the importance of fundamentals, and the importance of teamwork. Her prior coaching experience branches out to soccer, basketball, badminton, hockey and baseball with junior highs and for her own children.
She is currently coaching both the Junior and Senior Boys Volleyball teams at Namao School.
FALL CAMP LEADER - tegan gansauge
Tegan’s passion for Volleyball started in grade 7 where he fell in love with the game. He went on to play 6 successful years of school and Club volleyball. He has a passion for providing tools and techniques for athletes to grow their skills and volleyball abilities. His coaching philosophy focuses on learning the proper fundamentals techniques of the game and building from a good foundation. He looks forward to continuing to equip players with the skills required to play the ever evolving game of volleyball and eventually coaching his own team once he completes his University Degree. He is presently pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Alberta.
