Volleyball Coaches

Zachary Shaver – Head Coach

Zach Shaver is entering his 5th season as head coach at Yavapai College, taking over the Roughrider program on April 1st, 2013. As head coach at Yavapai College Shaver has led the team to a 74-45 overall record and a .622 winning percentage.

Under Shaver’s guidance the Roughriders again qualified for the post season in 2016. The team was the #2 seed in the District B playoffs and lost in the semifinals. The Roughriders finished 18-11 overall and 11-5 in the ACCAC which was good enough for 3rd place. The season was highlighted by 3 Roughriders earning All-ACCAC honors. Both Jordan Tilley and Iva Alebic were selected to the 1st team and Kaitlyn Yost was Honorable Mention. Jordan Tilley also brought home ACCAC Setter of the Year honors.

Yavapai had a record setting season in 2015 which was Shavers 3rd season at the helm. The team finished with an overall record of 22-8 while winning the program’s first ever Region 1 / District C Championship. The championship qualified the team for the NJCAA DI National Championship Tournament which was held in Casper, WY. It was the Roughriders first ever trip to the 16 team National Championship Tournament. Yavapai also finished 2015 with a 9-0 record against their ACCAC DI opponents. Several Roughriders dominated the individual awards in 2015 including being named ACCAC DI Player of the Week 7 out of the 9 weeks. Sophomore middle blocker Paige Hamilton earned ACCAC Honorable Mention and freshman setter Jordan Tilley earned ACCAC All-Conference 2nd team as well as NJCAA Region 1 All-Region DI honors. The year was capped off with freshman outside hitter Iva Alebic being named to the NJCAA DI All-American 2nd team, NJCAA Region 1 All-Region DI team, All-ACCAC 1st Team, as well as a Pinnacle Award (4.00 GPA) winner.

In 2014 the team had an overall record of 16-12 and an ACCAC record of 8-8. The team narrowly missed out in the Region 1 playoffs only because of their final match loss to Central Arizona College. Under Shaver’s guidance freshman setter Kayle Park earned ACCAC DI and NJCAA DI National Player of the Week honors in September. In October Sophomore middle blocker Braxton Fenter also earned ACCAC DI Player of the Week.

In Shaver’s inaugural season (2013) he guided the team to an overall record of 18-14. The team got off to a blistering start in the ACCAC with a 6-0 record to start conference play. Two athletes from the 2013 squad earned All-Conference honors. Sophomore outside hitter Casey Johnson was voted to the All-ACCAC 2nd team (and All-Region 1 first team) and freshman middle blocker Braxton Fenter was voted to the All-ACCAC honorable mention team.

Prior to Yavapai, Shaver spent 7 years as head coach at NCAA DII Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There he guided the Crimson Hawks to 20-win seasons in 2 of the last three years.

His best season at IUP came in 2010, when the Crimson Hawks finished with a record of 21-11 and a trip to the NCAA tournament for the second time during his time there.

Under his guidance, six different players were selected to All PSAC Team honors. His team also excelled in academics earning the AVCA Team Academic Award for five consecutive years with the team GPA never below 3.40.

While in Pennsylvania, Shaver was selected by the Keystone Region Volleyball Association to be the head coach of the region’s High Performance Girls’ Select Team in the summer of 2009. The team traveled to Fort Lauderdale, FL, and earned a silver medal at the USAV High Performance Championships. Shaver’s team completed the five-day tournament with their only loss coming in the championship match to Southern California. Shaver and assistant Shay Moreno were then chosen to lead the KRVA High Performance Girls’ Select Team in the 2010 championships in Wisconsin Dells where they earned a bronze medal.

Prior to IUP, Shaver spent 4 years at Texas State, where he served as an assistant coach under the guidance of head coach Karen Chisum (the 6th winningest active head coach in NCAA DI). He was part of a coaching staff that turned around the fortunes of the Texas State volleyball program. After going 10-21 in 2002, the Bobcats had a record of 67-29 from 2003-05, won the Southland Conference title and played in the NCAA Division I tournament in 2004 and 2005.

Before heading to Texas State, Shaver was an assistant coach at California State University-Chico, from January to December 2000. He was interim head coach at Chico State from December 2000 to the following April.

Shaver was also the men’s club team head coach at Chico State from 1998-01 and the women’s club team head coach in 2002. He led his squads to ninth place finishes at the NIRSA national championship tournament in 3 consecutive years, including the men’s team in 2000 and 2001 and the women’s squad in 2002.

Shaver earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from California State University-Chico in 2002 and received his master’s degree in sport and recreation management from Texas State in 2006.

Shaver was a three-year setter on the men’s club volleyball team during his time at Chico State.

Zach Shaver and his wife, Sandra, are the proud parents of Nicole, Matthew and Brandon.

Jennifer Van Vleet- Assistant Coach

Jennifer is entering her first season as the Roughrider’s assistant volleyball coach.

Van Vleet comes to Yavapai after spending the last year as the Assistant Volleyball Coach at her alma mater, University of Northwestern Ohio. Jennifer has also served as the Graduate Assistant for Student-Athlete Advising and Eligibility since 2015. Her duties with the Racers included recruiting, middle blocker training, equipment, team travel, and grade checks. As the GA for Student-Athlete Advising and Eligibility, she assisted with new student orientation, athletic eligibility, weekly academic progress, and was the manager of the athletics book library.

Jennifer is originally from Edon, Ohio and spent her collegiate career at University of Northwestern Ohio (2011-2014) where she played as a right side hitter, middle blocker, and outside hitter. She finished in the top 10 all-time for the Racers in career Block Solos, Block Assists, and Total Blocks. Jennifer earned Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) All-Academic Team in 2013 and 2014. In 2014 Jennifer was also a Daktronics-NAIA Volleyball Scholar-Athlete and Co-Team Captain.

Jennifer has earned an Associate Degree of Applied Business in Sports Marketing and Management, a Bachelors of Science Degree in Specialized Studies Focusing in Business Administration, and a Master’s of Business Administration.

Jennifer is the daughter of Lisa and Kevin Van Vleet. She has a twin sister named Reba Van Vleet and a brother named Jared Van Vleet who is a collegiate wrestler at the University of Findlay (NCAA DII).