Chris Sullivan

As founder and club director, Chris Sullivan brings over a decade’s worth of coaching experience, knowledge and connections to The NYC Volleyball. As a coach he specializes in player development and mindset training, which helps athletes not only increase their volleyball IQ, but also their mental preparation in overcoming adversity both on and off the court.

As a player…Chris grew up in Southern California and played for La Canada High School where he was a four year varsity letter winner, two year team captain and helped lead his team to their first league title in school history. He played his entire club career for Santa Monica Beach Club (SMBC) where his teams had three top 5 finishes at the Junior Olympic Boys Championship, including two bronze medals (2006, 2008). After high school, Chris received a scholarship to play Division 1 men’s volleyball at the University of the Pacific where he double majored in Film Production and English.

Coaching In California…After graduating in 2012, Chris returned to Southern California where he coached boys and girls volleyball at his alma mater, La Canada. There, he led the boys to a Rio Hondo league title in 2015 and the girls to one in 2017. He coached club volleyball from 2012-2018 at San Gabriel Elite Volleyball Club (SG Elite) where he had boys and girls teams qualify for the USAV National Championships in the Open division and his 2018 girls 17’s team won the Triple Crown Invitational, which is considered the most difficult and most competitive tournament in the country. While working there, SG Elite ranked perennially as one of the best clubs in the country.

In England…In 2018 Chris moved to Colchester, England to play, coach, and earn his Masters Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Essex. While abroad, the team he played on (University of Essex Blades) won the BUCS National Championship (first time in the school’s history) and the team he coached, Tendring, a semi-pro women’s club team at England’s highest level won its first-ever National Volleyball League Championship.

In New York…After earning his Masters and returning stateside, Chris was recruited to become the Assistant Club Director of Brooklyn Elite Volleyball (BEV) and assistant coach at Poly Prep Country Day School. At Poly he helped coach the girls varsity squad to three straight NYSAIS championships. At BEV, Chris coached every age group from 12’s to 18’s and his 2022 17’s team finished 3rd at the NIKE Boston Volleyball Festival. Chris left Poly in 2023 to join the Division 1 coaching staff at Fordham University. In his first year he helped the team start the season with a school record 7 straight wins and finished with the schools first winning record since 2008 and an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Quarterfinals appearance.

Story
This is not a love at first sight story. This story begins with a very tall, lanky thirteen-year-old with asthma standing in a hot gym cursing his parents for forcing him to be there. He was a “basketball player”, why would he play volleyball? Well that angsty teenager couldn’t admit what the grown man can over 20 years later, his parents were right. From that dark, dusty, dungeon of a gym grew a passion that is still burning. It’s taken him around the world and allowed him to meet some of the greatest people, but it hasn’t always been rainbows and sunshine.

There were the injuries, the devastating losses, the lost confidence, the mental hurdles and the elusive gold medal. But with failure, he learned; he grew. His freshman year of college nearly broke him and made his love for the sport waiver, taught him resilience and that it’s okay to ask for help. The knee injuries and major surgery that sidelined him for half a year allowed him to see the game through a different lens and consider coaching down the road. And when that gold medal finally came it made every sprint, every injury, every struggle and every late night or early morning workout worth it.

This isn’t a special story. It’s a human one. It’s not exciting, but it’s honest. It’s a passion for playing this game that started in that not so little boy all those years ago, that has grown into a love for teaching the next generation and helping them achieve their goals. It’s gratitude for the lessons of the past and excitement for the future. It’s why we believe the best is yet to come.