Coach Kris Gullatt has been coaching girl's volleyball in Ventura County for 18 years. He is a graduate of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA where he played as a setter. Kris was captain of the Westmont team his Junior and Senior year in college. After college he returned back to his alma mater high school, Nordoff, to help with the boys and girls Programs. He reunited with his College teammate Goerge Hees in 2005 to help coach the Boys and Girls at Oaks Christian High School. Kris coached at Oaks Christian for 8 years where he helped the Boys to 3 CIF Championships and the Girls from a CIF Div 3A program to 1A and a CIF Final. Kris left Oaks to become the Head Coach at Foothill Tech HS where he lead FT to the CIF Finals and State Semis. Kris started Rise Volleyball Club in Thousand Oaks in 2013 and brought Rise to Ventura in 2015. Since that time Rise has grown to have over 25 teams including a Boys Program. He has also worked hard to develop the Rise Ventura Facility and make it a home for Volleyball athletes and other athletes alike. Currently Coach Kris is the Head Coach at Villanova Prep.

Kris Gullatt

Club Director / Founder

2023/24 Coach - 17 National / Rise Beach / Rise Swells Program and Head of Rise Rec League Program

Kristin began her playing career at Channel Islands Volleyball Club. She went on to be a 2 year starter on the Buena High Indoor team and also played on the Ventura College team as an opposite. Kristin is also the wife of Club Director Kris Gullatt and helps with the day to day operations of the club. Her main responsibility is the organization and running of our Swells Programs and Mini Swells Program. She also coaches a Swells team along with managing those coaches and tournaments.

Kristin Gullatt

Co-Director / Swells

Eric has been coaching volleyball for the past 14 years. Currently he is the Head Varsity Coach at Buena High School. Eric has been at Buena for the past 13 years. He has been coaching club volleyball for the past 14 years. He graduated from Buena High School where he played all 4 years. He then went on to Cal Lutheran University where he graduated with a degree in Criminology.

"I'm excited to be coaching at Rise! I am looking forward to working with our talented coaching staff and having a great season!"

Eric Valdivia

2023/24 Season

Head Coach 15 NATIONAL and 18 NATIONAL

Marketa’s experience with volleyball began at young age, joining a year round volleyball club as a 10 year old in the Czech Republic - her home country in Europe. Marketa played in a National League through her teens and in college she was recruited to play two seasons for a team in Germany. As much as she loves indoor volleyball Marketa spends her free time mostly playing beach volleyball which became her favorite shortly after coming to USA in 1995. With her passion for the sport and being a teacher with a Master Degree in Physical Education it was natural for Marketa to become a volleyball coach, loving to teach the skills and values of this sport to the youth. Marketa began as a middle school volleyball coach in Pacific Palisades, later in Oxnard and Ventura, helping the school teams to reach several Championship titles in the local volleyball league. Marketa had been a coach of 12u teams at ACEZ VBC in Oxnard for 6 years, after joining Rise VBC Ventura in the fall of 2015  she enjoyed coaching a talented group of girls in Swells 13s and coached her 14s team last year to end the season in the Gold Division of SCVA having moved up 3 divisions from where her team started! Talk about "Rising Up"!! 

Marketa Huelskamp

HEAD DIRECTOR 

RISE SWELLS PROGRAM

Coach Mike Hertenstein is a legacy coach in our area. Mike has ben coaching in Ventura for over 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to our program. Specializing in coaching the younger age groups he creates a fun environment where kids develop quickly and foster their forever love of the game!

Mike Hertenstein

Head Coach 14 Regional

Coach Adell has been with Rise for 3 seasons. She is the 13-1 Coach is the Head JV Coach at Foothill Tech HS. She now will be heading up the 15 Regional team as well. 

Adell Oliveras

Head Coach 13 -1 and 15 regional

In Stephens words - “I was introduced to volleyball by both my sisters at the age of 7 years old and the rest was history. I played for LBC aka HBC as a setter in 2003 where the team won gold in 18s JO's open. From high school the transition to the next level was college. I played as a setter at PUC in northern California, had the opportunity to train at the University of Hawaii and assist with coaching. I've had the opportunity to coach both mens and woman's at Pacific Union College. I was the Head Coach for the mens program and Associate Head Coach for the woman's program. From coaching at the college level I had the opportunity to coach at The Branson School in Marin, Ca where we have 5 State championship wins in 6 years for Division V. I have helped many student athletes move to the next level. I am looking forward to coaching at Rise Volleyball Club and bringing the skills given to me and passing them on to the future of volleyball. “ 

Stephen is the Varsity Coach at Camarillo High School where he is in his first year. Stephen coached with the Rise Thousand Oaks program where he Head Coached a 15s team on the Girls side and Head Coached the Boys 16s team who received a bid for the Open Division at junior Nationals. His Boys team finished the season as one of the top 20 ranked Boys teams in Southern California. Last year he coached as an assistant with Coach Kris Gullatt's 16s team. Stephen also coached the 18s Boys team. 

Stephen Zavala

Revolving Skills Coach

Clinician Coach

COACH DAVE BENEDIK

HEAD COACH FOOTHILL TECH HIGH SCHOOL

BIO COMING SOON

Dave Benedik

COACH JORDAN STILES