March 24, 2025
Lake County American Athletic Club Volleyball Earns Historic Bid to USAV National Tournament
By Kyle Coppola
Lake County American Athletic Club Volleyball Earns Historic Bid to USAV National Tournament
MOUNT DORA, Fla. — The Lake County American Athletic Club Volleyball team has made history, securing a bid to the prestigious USA Volleyball (USAV) National Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, this April. It marks the first time a team comprised entirely of Lake County athletes has qualified for the elite competition.
Head coach Alicia Wintersdorf made the announcement, met with an eruption of cheers from the team. The girls, many of whom have trained together for years, are thrilled for the opportunity to compete on a national stage.
(American Athletic Club’s 18U Program was announced as a Bid Winner for the USA Volleyball Nationals.)
“This is a dream come true for these girls,” Wintersdorf said. “They’ve put in the work, they’ve battled some of the best teams in the region, and now they get to showcase their talent against the nation’s top competition.”
The team has also received high-profile support from Corey Warner, Executive of Lake Jem Farms in Mount Dora. Warner is working to ensure the trip is fully funded for the athletes’ parents, easing financial burdens so families can focus on supporting their daughters. Warner has a history of investing in local volleyball, having recently provided a beach volleyball facility free of charge to Lake-Sumter State College.
(Legendary USA Volleyball player and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Karch Kiraly coached the lcoal American Athletic Club team this past weekend. It was a thrill for everyone.)
Adding to the team’s excitement, they had the rare opportunity to train under legendary U.S. Men’s Olympic Volleyball coach Karch Kiraly. A three-time Olympic gold medalist as a player and a gold medal-winning coach from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kiraly spent a day working with the girls, sharing his expertise and inspiring the young athletes.
The USAV National Tournament is one of the premier youth volleyball events in the country, drawing top teams from across the nation. We are very excited for this team and want to extend our congratulations to everyone involved! What an opportunity!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
