Coaches

---

Coach Harrold is the club director as well as a coach. She started coaching varsity volleyball in 2000. Starting at Marshall High School as the head coach, she built the program from five wins in the first season to winning three NCMC Conference titles in a row. At Cameron High School, her team won districts, and at Liberty North, the Eagles won their first Suburban Conference title. Now at Lawson, she has coached the Cardinals to district and KCI titles, a 4th place finish at State, and an Elite 8 appearance. She has 22 years head coaching experience, run a club and coached club for 15+ years, and has also been a registered official for 10 years. 

Coaching Philosophy:  * Play Right * Play Hard * Have Fun *

Contact:  northstormvbc@gmail.com

Coach Kat Riley is a successful pharmacist, specializing in infectious diseases and teaching at the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Pharmacy. She has returned to her volleyball roots and established herself as a solid coach. Kat was a standout libero in high school, showing an uncommon work ethic and heart in all her play. Kat is entering her ninth year of coaching club, has coached youth camps, assisted Coach Becky Harrold in summer camps, and has been the JV coach at Smithville High School. 

Coaching philosophy:   

Focus on what you can control, encourage your teammates and dig in deep when things get hard. 

Be the best player FOR the team 

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." - GK Chesterton

Contact:  kmbg33@gmail.com

Coach Addison Simpkins graduated from Lawson in 2019 and helped lead her team to a  District Championship title. Additionally, Coach Addison has experience  working with a Division One college volleyball program as a student  manager learning  different coaching techniques and skills. Addison  currently works as a behavioral health case manager at University  Health, and is in graduate school at UMKC obtaining her Masters in  Counseling to become a therapist. This is Coach Addison’s sixth season  with North Storm, where she has coached all age groups. Coach Addison  enjoys building up the self-esteem of players, and modeling skills that  will take players beyond the court. Her coaching philosophy includes  playing with intensity, being eager to learn and improve, and having  resiliency.  

Coaching Philosophy:   “I want my players to understand that skill is only half of the game.  The other half, and maybe the most important part of playing volleyball  is having a calm and collected mind. I try to teach athletes that  having a tough mentality and ability to move forward is what makes a  player successful.” 

Contact:  addy.simpkins@gmail.com

Coach Ellie Miller was born and raised in Lawson, MO, graduating in 2021. She played volleyball from 5th grade to 12th grade under Coach Harrold. She was an All Conference and All District Setter, holding records in both assists and serving at Lawson High School. She used her strong leadership and knowledge of the game to lead her team to two District titles in 2018 and 2020 and Lawson’s first State appearance in 2020. She is currently attending the University of Central Missouri and studying speech pathology. Ellie is very passionate about coaching young girls and bringing her passion and knowledge of the game to North Storm. Her love of the game shows through her attitude and energy she has on and off the court. Ellie is also a MSHSSA official. 

Coaching Philosophy: *Team > Me *Hustle *Good Work Ethic *Hard Work *Good Attitude *Respect *Have Fun!!!

Contact:  elliebrooke32@gmail.com

Coach Heather Johnson, a Carrollton native, now lives in Lawson with  her husband, Austin, and two kids. Heather loves the game of volleyball  and loves to be on the court coaching or playing. As a player, Heather  played for Carrollton High School and Element Club  Volleyball. She was  an All-Conference and All-District middle blocker, and her club team  qualified for Nationals in 2004. She then played one season of  collegiate volleyball for Missouri Western State University in 2006. She  credits club volleyball for helping her develop into the athlete that  she was and for giving her a love for the game! She is excited to help  give young athletes the same great experience and memories while  teaching skills and values that extend on and off the volleyball court.  Heather coached one year of club volleyball before starting a family and  is entering her third year of coaching for North Storm. Professionally,  Heather works as an accountant from home.

Coaching Philosophy:   Strive to take each individual athlete’s strengths and abilities and  develop them into a cohesive team that continues to learn, grow,  compete, and have fun! Celebrate small successes and understand that the  lessons learned on the volleyball court will serve these young athletes  well into life even after they hang up their volleyball uniform for the  last time.

Contact:  wearethejohnsons300@gmail.com

Coach Whitney Wilson is starting her 7th year with North Storm and is currently the Junior Varsity coach at Cameron High School. She graduated from Cameron in 2013 where she was a record setting All-Conference, District, and Regional Libero and played club for 6 years, traveling all over the country. She graduated from MWSU in 2017 with a degree in Health and Exercise Science. Whitney has coached all ages, ranging from elementary school to high school, andbrings high energy, competitive drive, and a positive attitude to all teams she coaches. She looks forward to sharing her passion and knowledge of the sport with a new wave of athletes and building players who are confident in themselves on and off the court.

Coaching Philosophy:  * Volleyball teaches athletes how to be resilient on the court and in life. 

* Always strive to improve. 

* Each point is earned with determination, hustle, and team cohesiveness.  

* Your team is your family. 

* Negativeattitude = negative team. 

* Play with passion and intensity, giving it your all every game.

Contact:  whitneywalser@gmail.com

Coach Grace Simpkins was a DS and libero at Lawson High School. After watching her sister become a successful coach the last several years, Grace has decided to try her hand at coaching, helping and learning the ropes from a veteran coach. Grace's expertise is in serving and passing.

Coaching Philosophy:  

Contact:  simpkinsgk@gmail.com

Coach Zora Whitt was born and raised in Gower, attending East Buchanan High School. She was a standout DS and later libero and was part of the East Buch Final 4 team. Zora was 1st Team All Conference and All District her senior year.  Zora went on to play at Iowa Central. She has now entered the coaching world. With her expertise in serving, passing, and defense, Zora will be part of raising up the next crop of volleyball players for our area.

Coaching Philosophy:  

Contact:  zorawhitt12@gmail.com

Coach Olivia Starr comes to us from Krugerville, Texas where she was a standout setter. She currently is a setter at William Jewell College. Olivia brings her expertise in setting and offensive systems to a veteran team as she joins North Storm VBC to start her coaching career. 

Coaching Philosophy:  

Contact:  oliviastarr05@icloud.com

Coach Maddie Stark graduated from Lawson High School where she was a middle that helped secure the first district title in 27 years. Maddie is currently an elementary teacher and coaches eighth grade volleyball at Lawson Middle School. Part of Maddie's past in athletics is learning to come back from an ACL tear, which pushed Maddie to be resilient and tough. She brings that mindset to the volleyball court and into building up strong young women. 

Philosophy:  "Success is determined by how you handle setbacks." 

Contact: starkm@lawsoncardinals.org

Coach Jenessa Kirkendoll North Storm alum Jenessa Kirkendoll is stepping  into a new role as one of our coaches! She grew up in the program,  spending her developmental years under some of our current veteran  coaches. Jenessa graduated from Cameron High School, where she was part  of building a competitive and successful volleyball program.

She started playing volleyball in third grade and has carried her  deep passion for the game ever since. Jenessa is currently attending  Kansas State University, where she’s pursuing her bachelor’s degree in  Elementary Education. She’s excited to give back to the club that helped  shape her and can’t wait to help the next generation of athletes grow  on and off the court!

Philosophy:  Jenessa believes in building confident, respectful, and hardworking  athletes both on and off the court. Her goal is to create a positive and  encouraging environment where players feel supported, challenged, and  inspired to grow—not just as athletes, but as individuals. She values  effort, teamwork, and a genuine love for the game above all else.

Contact:  jenessakirkendoll@gmail.com

Club is a great way to build a resumé for young coaches.

Good Coaching is a mix up of knowledge of fundamentals and systems with the ability to break those down into easily digestible chunks for young girls. It also includes psychology in order to push girls appropriately and build them up into strong women. Coaches must be able to plan, organize, and communicate. 

Contact Coach Harrold for information

***

Coaching - If interested in coaching, North Storm is always looking for coaches who are interested in building up young girls and strengthening volleyball north of Kansas City and in NW Missouri.