About

Volleyball is a popular sport in American schools, and many deaf and hard of hearing athletes continue to play in clubs or leagues beyond university. The US sent a team to the 1969 Summer Games when volleyball was first inducted as a Deaflympic sport, and has sent a volleyball team to every Summer Games since.

Established in 1981, USA Deaf Volleyball (USADVB) has produced some of the world’s best deaf volleyball teams. The USADVB is committed to the development of volleyball players and organizes year-round training programs and local, regional, and national volleyball tournaments. National teams represent the US in the PanAm games, international indoor and beach deaf volleyball championships, and at the Deaflympics.

USADVB is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and an affiliate under USA Deaf Sports Federation, a multiple-sport organization of the U.S. Olympic Committee. All donations to USADVB are tax-exempt.

Executive Director: Pia Marie Paulone

Pia Marie Paulone brings a rare combination of lived experience in Deaf athletics and proven leadership to her role as Executive Director of USA Deaf Volleyball, an organization she knows not as an outsider, but as one of its own.
A three-time Deaflympian (2005, 2009, 2013) and two-time World Championship competitor (2008, 2012), Pia Marie represented the United States as a member of the USA Deaf Women’s Volleyball team for nearly a decade. She is a member of the Gallaudet University Athletics Hall of Fame and has remained connected to the sport as a coach at the summer, high school, and collegiate levels.
Professionally, Pia Marie serves as Enrollment Marketing Director at Gallaudet University, where she leads strategic enrollment marketing efforts spanning print and digital communications and targeted outreach to prospective students, families, and key decision makers. Her prior service as Chair of the Rocky Mountain Deaf School Board of Directors reflects her commitment to community-driven leadership, where she helped steward a multi-million dollar budget, guided a five-year strategic planning process, and negotiated a charter renewal that secured the school’s future with full district support.
As Executive Director, Pia Marie is committed to elevating USA Deaf Volleyball’s visibility, building the partnerships that drive fiscal growth, and ensuring that Deaf volleyball players have a home and a place to develop their skills. Above all, she is dedicated to keeping USA Deaf Volleyball competitive on the world stage.

Indoor National Teams Director: Cory Behm

Cory has been involved in the Deaflympics picture since 2006 as a member of the USA Men’s Deaf Soccer team. Upon transitioning over to volleyball in 2010, he has been zealous in learning and playing volleyball. He contributed to the Men’s Volleyball team from 2010 to 2017 before switching over as an assistant coach for the Women’s National team. Cory has worked as an assistant coach at Gallaudet University and his experience in logistics planning and establishing expectations for the Women’s Volleyball team  will be valuable in transitioning into leading the Indoor National Teams. Cory’s main goals are to work on the logistics and reduce the financial burden, allowing players to play and coaches to coach.

Beach Program Director: Laurie Achin

Laurie brings over ten years of experience in volleyball as both a player and a coach. She began her collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky University before transferring to Gallaudet University, where she finished her playing career and earned a place in Gallaudet Athletics’ Hall of Fame for her outstanding achievements.

Her international career started at the 2001 Deaflympics in Rome, Italy, where she helped the women’s team secure a silver medal. She went on to earn a bronze medal at the 2005 Deaflympics in Melbourne, Australia. Transitioning to beach volleyball, Laurie placed fifth at the 2009 Deaflympics in Taipei, Taiwan. Most recently, she led both the men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams to the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan.

 

Laurie is excited to continue leading USADVB’s Beach Program, with a focus on building a stronger foundation, recruiting more athletes, and elevating the program to the next level.

UGA Spotlight Article  

Community Relations: Alison O’Hara

Alison knows how important it is to develop skill sets and knowledge of the game at a young age for a successful long-term volleyball career as she played volleyball for over a decade and was a member of the 2013 Deaf National Women’s Team. Professionally, she has dedicated the last six years of her career to working with deaf/hard of hearing youth in both educational and recreational settings. Her love for the game has driven her to return to USADVB with the goal to further build on the programs in place for the deaf/hard of hearing youth. Her end goal is to strengthen a pipeline for the USADVB National Teams including indoors and beach. She looks forward to expanding the youth program to serve both girls and boys, placing an emphasis on creating an inclusive space for all identities and communication modes.

Volleyball Operations Coordinator: Ben Campman

Ben is currently the assistant coach for the Gallaudet University women’s volleyball team and the head coach for the men’s volleyball team. His journey with Gallaudet began as a Graduate Assistant coach, and he has since taken on larger roles within the program.

In 2022, he graduated from the University of Connecticut with degrees in American Sign Language and Statistics and immediately applied to Gallaudet to immerse himself in the Deaf community. After his first season in Buff and Blue, he traveled with other Gallaudet coaches to the AVCA National Coaching Convention in Omaha, further fueling his passion for coaching and volleyball development.

 

Now, as he transitions into working with USA Deaf Volleyball (USADVB), Ben is eager to continue growing in the sport while contributing to the Deaf volleyball community. He looks forward to the opportunities USADVB will provide in deepening his love for the game and making a lasting impact on Deaf athletes.

Finance Coordinator: Lynn Ray Boren

Lynn Ray Boren is a highly respected leader in deaf volleyball and a four-time Deaflympic Head Coach for the USA Women’s National Volleyball Team. He previously served as Executive Director, helping grow and strengthen USA Deaf Volleyball. A strong supporter of the Deaflympics, Lynn has attended nine consecutive Games-three as an athlete, five as a coach, and one as a team leader.

He currently serves as Head Coach of the women’s volleyball team and Assistant Athletic Director at Gallaudet University. Under his leadership, the program has seen consistent success, including conference titles and national tournament appearances.

 

With many years of experience and dedication to the sport, Lynn continues to mentor and inspire deaf and hard-of-hearing volleyball athletes and coaches across the United States.

 

Public Relations Coordinator: Emma Giuntoli

Emma is a dedicated volleyball coach and former collegiate athlete. She played as a setter for Gallaudet University’s volleyball team from 2018 to 2024, contributing to the team’s success with her skill and leadership. In Spring 2024, she graduated with a degree in Communication Studies and is now pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration.

Beyond her academic achievements, Emma has transitioned into coaching. She currently coaches high school volleyball at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD), where she continues to develop and mentor student-athletes. She also serves as the JV head coach for the Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) girls’ team and the head coach for the varsity boys’ volleyball team. In Summer 2025, she served as the head coach for the 15U USA Deaf Volleyball youth team, further expanding her impact on the next generation of athletes.

Her passion for the sport and commitment to developing young players continue to drive her coaching career. Emma also remains dedicated to competing at the highest level, aspiring to be part of USA Deaf Volleyball, where she hopes to make an impact both on and off the court.

Youth Program Coordinator: Kate Lindholm

Kate has been playing and coaching volleyball for over a decade. In 2021 she earned her bachelor’s degree in American Sign Language Interpreting from Bloomsburg University and always dreamt of being involved with USADVB. Kate has been coaching youth club volleyball since 2019, and in 2020 started coaching summer volleyball camps for Gold Medal Squared, which provides training to youth volleyball players across the country. In 2024, she was hired as the Head Volleyball Coach at Goucher College in Towson, MD. She is thrilled to be a part of this program and hopes to use her experiences to help promote and support USADVB.

Athlete Representatives

Women’s Indoors: Ella Gamble

Ella has been a member of the USA Deaf Volleyball (USADVB) Indoor Team since her senior year of high school in 2021. She began her collegiate volleyball career at Carson-Newman University before transferring to Gallaudet University to play 3 seasons with the Bison. She graduated in December 2025 with a degree in Physical Education and Recreation and a minor in Athletic Coaching. During her time at Gallaudet, she has seen much success both on and off the court. She learned American Sign Language (ASL) and embraced her Deaf identity, becoming deeply connected to the Deaf community. She has also spent two years coaching with the Gallaudet men’s volleyball team, further developing her leadership and passion for the sport. In addition to athletics, Ella has been actively involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Gallaudet and has contributed to Deaf ministry through sports. She is pursuing a career in volleyball coaching while continuing to compete as a member of the USA Deaf National Team.

Men’s Indoors: John Tatro

John grew up in Los Angeles, CA where he played club and beach volleyball through high school. After graduating, he attended the University of California – Berkeley where he played club indoor and beach volleyball serving as president for both. Since graduating, he has moved to New York City where he now resides and competes in the semi-professional Volleyball League of America (VLA). John joined the USA Deaf National Team in 2023 and has served as the captain of the team since being named to it.

Beach: Kaylie Beck

Kaylie has been a member of the USA Deaf Volleyball Program since 2018 and started Beach in 2021. She played Beach Volleyball collegiately at the Division 1 level for 4 years starting at University of Southern Mississippi and finishing at University of Louisiana Monroe. She earned her degree in Kinesiology Sports Management and got to spend a 5th year assistant coaching for her Beach team at University of Louisiana Monroe. She has been a youth club beach coach for 7+ years being at Synergy Beach (California) for 6 years and RPM Sand (Arizona) for the past year. Along with being a Coach she has also just been certified as a Personal Trainer and will be coaching clients online as well as in person in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is working on learning ASL so she can communicate more with her peers and teammates in the USA Deaf Organization.