619-805-5435
Del Sol has suspended operations as of 16JAN.
Congratulations to Makenna Murray who will be attending powerhouse Cowley Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas where she will continue her academic and volleyball journey.
Congratulations to Kira "Tiare" Cardejon who will be attending Mid America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas where she will be furthering her academic and volleyball career.
The Del Sol Training Philosophy
Here at Del Sol, establishing a positive culture of accountability and being open to learning is essential.
Understanding that there is never truly an absolute way to implement and impart skill sets, schemes and patterning, volleyball truly is an imperfect, unique and chaotic game, therefore we embrace training often in that fashion.
In doing so, we quickly arrive at the understanding that making mistakes is how you learn. The game is played at roughly 60% out of system so we strongly believe to be successful and give your team and players a chance to compete for points, the responsibility to train every player in every position and scenario - whether specific or general - falls upon coaching.
This will hopefully develop confident and well-rounded athletes and when called upon to perform (and to ideally to play 6 rotations) they will be able to do so without trepidation or fear of failure.
In summary – here at Del Sol our student-athletes are not pigeonholed into a specific position or rotation. We feel that this is a disservice and limits potential – which is what growth and teaching life lessons is all about.
Del Sol Volleyball Club
Originally formed and operated in San Diego from 2007-2011, and now based in Hawai'i, The Del Sol Volleyball Club is a private non-profit entity under Hawai'i Internal Revenue Code 501(c)3. Tax ID/EIN # 83-1006117.
By emphasizing the values of discipline, hard work, integrity, loyalty, and resiliency through competition, Del Sol Volleyball Club is dedicated to advancing the lives of girls through physical activity, sport, and teamwork.
Del Sol Volleyball Club is committed to helping young female student-athletes determine and attain challenging but achievable goals for their upcoming volleyball seasons whether it be for their high school or when entering their freshman year at a two or four-year college.
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Coach Chris Spalding
Coach Spalding was a three-sport scholar-athlete at Aptos High School in Santa Cruz County California, earning All Monterey Bay honors in football, basketball, and baseball from 1972 through 1975.
Coach Spalding was also a two-sport scholar-athlete at Graceland University. First on a football scholarship as an All-District free safety, strong safety, and kick returner then on an accompanying volleyball scholarship as an honorable mention setter for the back-to-back NAIA national championship teams in 1979 and 1980, led by Hall of Fame coach L. Rod Schall. While at GU, he was selected as the setter for the South Men's team during the U.S. Olympic Festival which was then called the National Sports Festival in 1979.
Coach Spalding continued to compete after earning his Bachelor Of Arts degree in Physical Education. He was an undrafted free agent in 1980 who signed with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, playing in three preseason games.
For the remainder of 1980 through 1982, Coach Spalding achieved four additional milestones. He became the youngest men's volleyball coach in NCAA volleyball history at that time, leading the 1980 UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs to a fourth-place finish in the California Collegiate League, which included defeating the #9 ranked Stanford Cardinal, knocking Stanford coach Don Shaw and his team out of the national rankings. He then became the A3 setter for the USA Junior National Team in 1981, known back then as the U23 team which competed in the NORCECA Championships in the Dominican Republic. During that same three-year span Coach Spalding coached the Santa Cruz Falcons Boys 17-1 club team and played beach volleyball earning an AA rating.
Professionally, Coach Spalding is a Certified Athletic Trainer, having earned his NATA/BOC certification in 1983 and interned for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1983 season. Thereafter, he traveled internationally with the USA Men's Volleyball National Team as part of their medical staff during the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, which captured their first-ever Olympic gold medal defeating Brazil in three straight sets. Three of the most heavily decorated players with 10 international gold medals and 3 international silver medals were on that team, Karch Kiraly, Steve Salmons, & Steve Timmons.
Coach Spalding's international journey has also included being the Chief Medical Officer for the Tongan National Olympic Committee from 1987 to 1995, a member of the American Samoan National Olympic Committee from 1997 to 2012, and a member of the Guam National Olympic Committee in 2016. His commitments with Tonga, American Samoa, and Guam has taken him to the Summer Olympiads in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), London (2012), & Rio (2016).
During that same time, Coach Spalding's domestic commitments have included being the head trainer at Menlo College from 1990 to 1994, serving as an ATC/PTA at Stanford University from 1994 through 2001, and directing the Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Department for Naval Special Warfare Group EIGHT, which is a branch of SOCOM and the Navy SEALs from 2001 to present day.
Coach Spalding also returned to coaching girls volleyball at the club and high school levels in 2007, followed by earning his USA Volleyball IMPACT coaching certification in 2009 and his USAV CAP II certification in 2014.
His California tenure included the Mission Bay Starlings 14's team and the Bridge 17-1 team in 2007, the Del Sol 18's team from 2008 to 2011, and the Coast 16's and 18's teams from 2012 to 2013. Coach Spalding was the head coach at Hilltop High School from 2007 to 2011 and Otay Ranch High School from 2012 to 2013.
His Hawaii tenure included the Ka Ulukoa 15's and 16's teams from 2016 to 2017. Coach Spalding was the head boys coach at Radford High School in 2014, head girls coach at Kailua High School from 2014 to 2015, assistant coach with Le Jardin Academy for the girls and boys programs from 2015 to 2017 and was the head coach at Sacred Hearts Academy from 2021-2022.
In his free time, Coach Spalding enjoys visiting the North Shore, traveling internationally, and driving the Pacific Coast Highway on the California coast while listening to the greatest hits from the 1970s and 1980s.
Club Volleyball's Surreptitious Five
There Are No Secrets
1. Club Directors Protect You ~ Every club director is well aware that you want to play with better players. The issue for club directors and you are that if club directors grant you your wish, it will affect your playing time on the weekend. Club directors and coaches seek to “gap” players when forming teams. They attempt to not pair players who are a lot better and they do not want players who are not good enough. Parents have a different view on this subject. Defer to the judgment of the club director and coach. This is what they do best.
2. Club Volleyball Is Set Up For Your Team To Lose ~ Parents think they can buy their way on to a good team and that the team will win most of their matches. No. Question: If you are on a good team, who do you think you are going to play against? Answer: Other good teams. Which means you are not going to win every match. Question: Even if you do win, who are you going to play in the next bracket or round? Answer: Even better teams. Club directors and coaches get e-mails, phone calls, and text messages about this very issue. Playing against better teams is what it is all about. Win or lose, learn from your mistakes and move on.
3. The Top Teams At Major Clubs Have Already Been Decided ~ Have you ever been to a tryout and notice that a "combination" of players have already been selected to play together? This is not a coincidence. Club directors actively recruit players 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. The number one team at major clubs, for the most part, have already been decided - unless a surprise comes in the door at tryouts. Some of the top clubs are engaged in financial bidding wars over some of the top players. Club directors will work to lock up the two best outside hitters and one solid setter. These players alone will bring in other top players as the word spreads quickly
4. Do Not Worry About Playing For Your High School Coach’s Club ~ Many high school coaches will "recommend" that you play for a certain club to guide you into “appropriate” instruction. Sound familiar? Why do you think so many clubs have the high school coaches on their payroll? The reality is a high school coach does not care what club you choose. If you are good, they are going to play you during your high school season. It is ludicrous to believe otherwise. High school coaches do not wake up and think of ways of making their team worse. They are in it to win. If you are part of the winning equation, you will get your opportunity.
5. Be Careful Of Clubs That Play Up The “College Scholarship” Angle ~ Are you playing volleyball with the hopes of getting an athletic scholarship? According to the NCAA, only 2.3% of high school girls actually get an athletic scholarship - another 1.6% go to Division III schools which offer no athletic scholarship. The reason you play volleyball is the girls on your club team are the girls you want your daughter to be around two to four times per week. If you are one of the fortunate ones that actually get to play collegiate volleyball, then do this: Utilize the sport of volleyball to get into a school that you would not normally get into and earn your college degree.
Del Sol Volleyball Club
Get in touch with Del Sol Volleyball Club.
P.O. Box 1331 Pearl City, HI 96782
619.805.5435