denise sargent

CEO & Master Coach
Coached all levels of high school; over 15 years in AAU volleyball; Current Varsity Volleyball Coach at LCN High School
​25+ years overall coaching experience. 2019 Macomb County Coach of the Year

Pam Starnes

Club Director

Sue parski

Club Treasurer
AAU and high school coaching experience at LCN High School and player

erika baril

Club Coordinator

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Chris Blair

​As Fraser Rambler graduate, Chris has worn many hats in his sports career. Three years as a baseball umpire 84-87. Little league coach 87-90. Cheer/tumbling gymnastic coach 93-2006. He was recruited by a friend, Denise Sargent to umpire girls softball from 06-09 then chosen to join Crank It Volleyball’s coaching staff in 2009, where he remains and is one of our most enthusiastic coaches. Chris coached club volleyball athletes from the novice level to the elite level and also had 6 years high school varsity volleyball coaching experience (2014-2019) at South Lake High School. While coaching Varsity Volleyball, he won 3 district titles, a regional title and was division BCD ‘Coach of the Year (2016 & 2018). He was also the assistant coach at Lutheran High North in 2020-21 alongside Jessica Lancaster, where they won districts in 2020. Chris is a registered MHSAA and club volleyball official. Volleyball is a passion of his and every year the excitement to teach and be a positive role model in young athlete’s lives grows stronger for Chris. He is married to wife Sandie of 30 years, and enjoys fishing, kayaking and most outdoor activities. 

Megan Haas

Megan has been coaching volleyball since 2014. She first started out at Michigan Volleyball Academy in Grand Rapids, MI where she coached in the national/elite program and was a lead coach for the high school regional program. After four years in Grand Rapids, she returned to the East side of the state. The 2022 season will be her third season with Crank It Volleyball Club. She coaches Elite teams for Crank It and is also the varsity head coach at L’Anse Creuse High School. Megan graduated from Lakeview High School in 2014 and Grand Valley State University in 2018 with a degree in mathematics and elementary education. She is currently a fifth-grade teacher in Lake Shore Public Schools.

Missy Rissman

​Missy grew up in Utica and graduated from Utica High School. She has been the freshman volleyball coach there since 2010. She was also a varsity player and thoroughly enjoys keeping up the Chieftain traditions! Missy has been a part of the Crank It family since 2013. Coaching at Crank It has been such a joy for her. She feels honored to be able to encourage and support Crank It players in the awesome sport of volleyball. Missy is also a fourth-grade teacher in Warren Consolidated Schools. She will be entering her 24th year of teaching this fall (2021). She has been married to her husband Chris for 20 years and they have four children: Abigail, Sydney, Caston, and Leo. Abigail and Sydney are a part of the Crank It family as well. Abigail went on to play at the college level and absolutely loves it. Her Crank It experience was filled with lots of support, growth, and determination. Missy and her family love spending time together in Gulf Shores, AL with friends and family vacationing or cheering each other on at a football, basketball, or volleyball game.

Jessie Lancaster

Jessie was a 3-sport athlete in high school (basketball, volleyball, softball) and started coaching JV volleyball in 1997, club volleyball in 1998, and then moved up to coach the varsity level in 1999. Since that early beginning, she has coached many years of varsity, club, and 4 years of middle school volleyball tucked in there too. She is the Varsity Head Coach at Lutheran North in Macomb. She's been the Coach of the Year of her conference multiple times and Coach of the Year of Macomb County 3 times (2002, 2004, 2019). Jessie started with Crank It as an assistant coach and especially loved working with Chris Blair. She coaches Elite teams at Crank It as well as being available for private training sessions. Jessie has degrees from Oakland University and Kettering University in Engineering and Management and has worked for Ford Motor Company for 25 years. She is married to husband Steve, and has 2 daughters, Kaylee and Rachel

Kirsten Wakely

​Kirsten has over 10 years of High School coaching experience and has coached club volleyball for over 5 years. She played college sports and still is an active player. Kirsten is currently the Assistant Varsity volleyball coach at Regina High school. Her love, passion and knowledge of the game brings a high level of energy to the kids and to the club. Not only does she focus on the skill of the game, but she is also a mentor to her players. Kirsten is a mother of a volleyball player herself, so she understands the needs of young athletes. “It’s more than just a game. It’s about teamwork, respect, understanding and integrity”. Kirsten works for General Motors, graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University and in her free time, she loves spending time with her daughter, boyfriend Mike and family. She loves boating, volleyball, and the Detroit Tigers!

Michael SaieR

Michael graduated from Warren Woods Tower, attended Macomb Community College, and then went on to pursue a career in law enforcement. Michael recently retired from the force and is now enjoying his passion for volleyball actively participating in high school and club coaching. Michael is the assistant varsity coach at LCN and also coaches Elite teams with Crank It. He has several years of coaching experience and has played volleyball for over 30 years. His time on the court as a veteran player has given him the ability to thoroughly see and understand the game and to provide hands-on experience when coaching. Michael believes that sports can be fun while also providing life skills such as integrity, self-esteem, and comradery, which will excel young athletes far beyond the game itself.

Alicia Fresch

Alicia graduated from Roseville High School, attended Wayne State University and is currently a Marketing Manager. She started her coaching career while still a junior in high school in 2009 as a volunteer-coach for her local rec-league where she was a head coach of girls ranging in age from 4th-6th grade. After two years of this she learned mentoring and sharing the love of the game was her passion. Before the end of her senior year in high school, where she served as a varsity setter and captain, Roseville had hired her to come back as the freshman volleyball coach. Since then, Alicia has had numerous different coaching positions at various clubs and high schools. Before joining the Crank it Family in 2018, Alicia previously coached for Dynasty Volleyball Club and Next Generation Volleyball Club where she had local to elite teams with ages ranging from 12-18 and has won multiple tournaments. Her high school coaching experience includes time as a head Freshmen and JV coach as well as a Varsity Assistant at multiple high schools including Roseville High School, Lakeview High School and Rochester High School. She also has planned and led camps for all ages and helped run the youth programs at multiple high schools. Her specialty skill is setting and has recently served for local high school programs as an outside setting coach. Now with over 10 years of volleyball coaching experience she continues her passion at Crank It Volleyball Club. Alicia believes in educating her players in the game and is always attending conferences and researching to expand her volleyball knowledge to help lead her team to become the best athletes they can be. She looks at every player like they are her own little sister (who is actually also a Crank It coach) and loves nothing more than the “aha” moment a player gets when new skills click for the first time. She has a slight obsession with her dog Tito and was recently married to her longtime boyfriend on October 2, 2021 which was their 11 year anniversary. 

Joe Media

Joe graduated from Henry Ford High School and received his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University.  He has been working in research (drug discovery) for Wayne State and now Henry Ford Health System since graduating.  Joe always had a passion for sports growing up and was able to pass this along to his daughter in the various sports she wanted to try.  Whether it was just being a “helper” Dad or being one of the coaches, he always wanted to help the girls learn how to play the games the way they should be played.  Joe has spent time coaching in the CYO (3 years), AAU (8 years) and at the high school (1 year - Freshman).  He has been married to his wife Julie for 25 years and they have 1 daughter, Jordyn, who attends and plays volleyball at Alma college.  If Jordyn would not have been lucky enough to continue playing the game, we all love, Joe would have stayed on with LCN and continued as the coach of the Freshman team instead of wanting to travel around the State to see her play.  Working with the girls and teaching them not only lessons on the floor, but lessons in life, is something that is very important to Joe.  Coaching is much more than what happens between the lines or on the court.

Troy Parsell

​Troy graduated from Unionville Sebewaing Area High School, went on to college at Delta, Ferris State University and Central Michigan University. Troy has a teaching degree and has a builder’s license. He is an Engineering Manager working in the automotive industry and has been employed at Hutchinson Body Sealing for the past 26 years.  Troy has been a club coach at Crank It for various age groups the past 9 years. He is also the Varsity Volleyball Coach at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School.  In his first 2 seasons at Cardinal Mooney, the team won the District Championship. In 2020 and 2021, they were division champions in the Catholic High School League (CHSL) and Troy was named Coach of the Year in the CHSL in 2020.  Troy has been married to his wife, Rosa, for 28 years and they have two daughters, Emily, and Grace. In Troy’s free time, he enjoys working on construction projects, golfing, and boating with his family.

Susan Hill

Susan is a graduate of South Lake High School where she played volleyball, basketball and softball. She has coached at the CYO level for 8 years going to the final four with St. Joan of Arc the last 3 seasons and has coached for Crank It VBC for 8 years at various levels. Susan earned her degree in Education from Wayne State University and then after teaching for a few years, decided to obtain her nursing degree and became a Registered Nurse. She has two children, Adam who attends Lawrence Tech University for Biomedical Engineering and Allie who is a senior this year and has played for Crank It VBC for 8 years. She plans to go on to play at the collegiate level and earn her nursing degree. Susan has a lot of passion for the game of volleyball and loves to share it with her team. Her focus is mental toughness and shaping athletes to be disciplined to work towards their goals both on and off the court.

Thomas Pfeifer

Tom attended Bishop Gallagher High School where he experienced a state championship run as a football player and was the Captain of the Baseball Team.
He coached Varsity Volleyball at Roseville High School for 3 years and is the Varsity Volleyball Coach at Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores now.  Tom has been coaching at Lakeview High School for 22 years and has taken the Huskies to multiple division championships and 6 city championships for 6 years in a row. He has made it to multiple District finals, including the 2021 season. Tom has years of experience in travel volleyball where he has served as a Master Coach and Macomb County Supervisor at another Club organization before making the move to Crank It in 2019. Tom has coached many club level teams and currently coaches Elite teams at Crank It.
 
Tom is a retired Roseville Police Officer and currently a Sheriffs Deputy in the area. With over 24 years of Law Enforcement experience, much of that serving youth programs, Tom understands the differences in each and every athlete he trains, and believes sports help create the individual as life progresses.  "My job is simple, to motivate and push each player to be better each and every day. Sports are the gateway to lifelong lessons that will enhance each athlete physically, mentally, and emotionally.” 

caitlin lapratt

Caitlin is a Utica High School graduate and has been coaching in the UCS school district for about 20 years. She is the varsity coach at Eisenhower HS. Caitlin was named Macomb County D1 coach of the year (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020). She is a 4th grade teacher at Notre Dame Prep. Her husband Jeff is also a teacher and the varsity coach at Utica HS. They have two children (Vincenzo and Mia) who are multi-sport athletes in the same district, which means one day they could all be competing against each other!  She is excitingly shares her passion for volleyball and loves being a part of the Crank It family!

sydney hebel

Sydney is a L’Anse Creuse High School graduate and a Wayne State University graduate with a BA in Education. Sydney works in DPSCD as an Adapted PE teacher which also involved being a Special Olympics, Unified Sports, and Young Athletes coach. She has been coaching volleyball since 2016 in the Anchor Bay and L’Anse Creuse districts as well as at Crank It VBC. She played varsity college soccer at Roosevelt University in Chicago as a goalkeeper then followed by playing club soccer and volleyball at Wayne State. Her love and passion for sports since a very young age has quickly transferred into the love and dedication to coaching. Working with kids in an athletic setting is what she sees herself doing for the long run. She likes to have fun and make the season exciting and interesting while also being goal and skill orientated. Her focus is on creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience on the court so that the players can focus on what it means to be a good athlete and teammate. She hopes to continue building athletes who are disciplined and encouraging, to teach them commitment and dedication, and help them to have an all-around positive experience.

Bella Fresch

Bella graduated from Lakeview High School in 2017. She is now attending Macomb Community College studying for her Associates of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology. Since graduating, she has coached multiple club level teams and is now an Elite level coach for Crank It. Bella has high school volleyball coaching experience; she was the head coach of the freshmen team, as well as the varsity defensive coach at Lakeview High School and is now head coach of the JV volleyball team for Lakeview. Her passion for volleyball started at a young age, you will find her older sister Alicia on this page whom is the one to credit for the start of Bella’s love of the game. Having her sister as her coach for multiple seasons, as well as coaching alongside her, has passed down the knowledge and skill to be able to make a team work like a family. Although unable to play college ball due to a rotator cuff injury, she has worked with former college athletes in the coaching field and knows how to fuel her teams with the motivation and drive to get them there. Bella’s favorite part about coaching is seeing her teams evolve and progress together throughout the season. She believes team chemistry can make or break a team, which is why she enjoys creating a positive, comfortable atmosphere for her girls to truly grow and reach the levels of success we all wish for. Bella likes to have fun with her teams while also being 100% determined to see improvement and growth within her players.

​Kate Martorana

Kate grew up in Warren and graduated from Center Line High School in 2009. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Oakland University in 2014 and works for a health insurance company as a claims analyzer while currently working on becoming a high school teacher. She has been coaching high school volleyball for twelve years at Center Line. She started coaching the freshman team for two years, coached the JV team for four years, and has been the varsity coach for six years where she has coached the Panthers to three consecutive conference championships and earned coach of the year in 2019, 2020, and 2021. She brings her love of volleyball to the Crank It family. She loves traveling, warm weather, and cuddling up with a good book. Her free time is spent with her friends, family, and her rescue dog Luca. 

Mike Urban

Mike graduated from Lake Shore High School and received his associate degree in Electrical Engineering from Macomb Community College. He loves all things related to hockey and has continued to play goalie in adult recreational leagues for the past 28 years. He is married to his wife Heather for almost 22 years, and they have three daughters Nevaeh, Avery and Evelyn.  Avery and Evelyn have both played for Crank It Volleyball Club. When Mike’s daughter Avery started playing volleyball for Crank It, he discovered a passion and love for the game of volleyball. There are so many aspects about volleyball that I love including the practices, all day tournaments, the team chants and encouragement. Mike has helped and learned from several coaches throughout the past 5 years with Crank It and became an assistant coach previous to becoming the head coach he is now.

Maya Aboya

Maya grew up in Center Line, MI, where she graduated from Center Line High School. One year out of High School she heard of the school in need of a Freshman Coach, and with her knowledge and dedication to the sport, she became the Freshman Coach in 2015l. She is currently finishing her bachelor’s degree in HR management and works full time at Rocket Mortgage. Her favorite part about being a coach is seeing her players develop over time. She is super competitive and is goal oriented.  Maya can identify where growth is desired and what goals need to be met.

Sam Cunha

Sam grew up in St. Clair Shores and attended Lakeview High school. In the spring of 2021, she graduated with her bachelors from The University of Detroit Mercy. She is striving to be a dentist while currently applying to dental schools. In her gap year she has coached the freshman team at L'Anse Creuse High School and is an elementary math specialist at MMSA. Sam has played volleyball since she was in fifth grade and continued to play club volleyball throughout college. Sam loves anything outdoors and active including snowboarding, working out, and camping

Lisa Schulte

Lisa grew up in Warren and graduated from Lincoln High School where she played volleyball and softball. Her love for volleyball continued as she started coaching at Lincoln Middle School 2 short years after graduating, for both the 7th and 8th grade teams. After twelve seasons at Lincoln, Lisa added coaching 5th - 8th grade CYO volleyball at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic School. She was able to coach both schools together for over 6 years since one was winter season and one was fall. When all volleyball seasons moved to fall, Lisa retired from Lincoln after 18 years. She has continued to coach and grow the program at St. Isaac Jogues for twelve years. She expanded the program to include her own volleyball camp for grades 4-8 from 2010-2018. Her love and passion for the game is something she proudly shares with both her players and her own daughters. Lisa has spent over 30 years in a volleyball gym as a player, coach, and a parent. Both of her daughters played many years on travel teams, helping to give her knowledge and experience from both a parent's and coach’s point of view. Lisa enjoys spending time with her husband of 22 years and two daughters, Jaclyn and Meghan. She enjoys anything outside including the beach, walks, and chasing any sunset she can. Coaching and teaching is her true passion, and she believes in not only teaching volleyball but also the merits of teamwork both on and off the court. She loves to see every girl succeed and improve at their own level. Her coaching motto is “do better than YOU did yesterday!"

Meghan Schulte

Meghan was a multi-sport athlete while attending Lanse Creuse High School. She played basketball, soccer, was on the dance team, and of course, volleyball. She is a current student at Macomb Community College, studying exercise science. Meghan has been in the volleyball industry for many years because of her mom, Lisa, who coached middle school volleyball at Lincoln and St. Isaac Jogues where she also attended and played. Meghan played club volleyball at Michigan Elite for 4 years throughout high school and was the libero for her high school team. She is currently working as a manager for Texas Roadhouse and during the high school volleyball season, she is the Anchor Bay freshman volleyball coach. When she is not coaching, Meghan is hanging out with her friends, traveling, and shopping.

Jaclyn Schulte

Jackie grew up in Clinton Township and graduated from L’Anse Creuse High School. She has played volleyball throughout middle school and high school.  She has been an assistant coach at St. Isaac Jogues for 4 years coaching middle school volleyball. Jackie currently works at Texas Roadhouse and for fun enjoys the fall weather and all the activities that come with the season. Jackie played for Crank It during her high school career and is so excited to be part of the coaching staff now.

Brittany Crank
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Brittany has been coaching with Crank it since 2019. Volleyball has always been a passion of hers ever since she started playing in 7th grade. She still finds time to this day to play whether it be indoor or sand volleyball. Brittany took her passion, and knowledge from over the years and taught her daughter how to play, which is what led her to get back into coaching. Her goals as a coach are to teach the girls the fundamentals of this sport, mental aspect, positive attitudes on and off the court, cheering teammates on, and most importantly to have fun!

Cindy Phelan

Cindy Phelan was a graduate from St. Clement High School in 1997 and played basketball, volleyball, and softball for the Crusaders. Cindy attended Wayne State University and received her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health. She also played 4 years at 3rd base for the Tartar's softball team. Cindy has been teaching Physical Education in Utica Community Schools for 20 years and also has a master’s degree in Education from Marygrove College.  She coached 8th and 9th grade volleyball for Jeannette Junior High for 9 years and 4 years of JV softball at various high schools before having to stop to take care of her three children, Casey, Kiley, and Mick. All three kids are active in travel/AAU sports (softball, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and football) and weekends are full of practices and travel and Cindy wouldn't want it any other way

Jessica Szczesny

Kristy Morrow