Coach Bio’s

Ben Ta is a former varsity volleyball athlete at Capilano University and the University of British Columbia. Ben has been previously involved in coaching beach and indoor volleyball for youth, adults, and high performance athletes for many years. His experiences include assisting the senior women’s national team in 2017 alongside SFU head coach Gina Schmidt, assistant coaching for Team B.C. in 2018, working at the VCCE Academy in North Vancouver, and coaching various clubs and camps for Volleyball BC and other organizations prior to completing his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from UBC in 2022. Ben has been an assistant coach with the SFU women’s varsity team for 8 years and has also spent time coaching with Capilano University’s Men’s and Women’s volleyball programs. 

Dr. Ben is currently a practicing dentist and is an owner at an office in Port Coquitlam called Elemental Dental. Ben has a passion for the development of youth volleyball in BC and comes to Powerwest for the first year as our Lead Development Coordinator, helping coach and mentor our 12/13/14U athletes and coaches! Welcome To Powerwest Ben!!

Mike is a Trained Advanced Development Coach, and has a long history of playing competitive sports, including volleyball, ultimate, football, and soccer.   Mike combines passion for coaching volleyball with strong analytical skills to help Powerwest teams achieve their best performances. 
Mike re-started Powerwest in 2019 to fill the huge gap in demand for volleyball on the North Shore building the club from 1 team to 9 teams in the up-coming season. Mike remains involved with the club as club president, and a powerwest 12/13u co-coach!

Sophia comes to us from Toronto, Ontario where she played for the well known Leaside Volleyball and Titans Volleyball club. Sophia now studies Economics and International Relations at UBC, while continuing to pursue her passions for volleyball helping mentor and coach developing athletes. Sophia is a certified development coach and will join Powerwest again for her 3rd season!

Nnya is currently an outside hitter for CAPU Womens volleyball, where she is studying Sciences in her 5th year. Nnya has been a key developmental coach on the north shore over the past 3 few years, coaching for the North Vancouver Academy and various Powerwest teams from 13 to 18u. Nnya comes to the North Shore from Naniamo, BC where she was an all-star player at Dover Bay High school.

Mackenzie Grew up in small town Idaho, where she played high school and competitive club volleyball, being awarded High School MVP 2011 (4A inland empire league). Mackenzie attended undergraduate at Northeastern University in Boston, and graduate school at UBC Sauder. Mackenzie now works as a fulltime business consultant at Boyden, Vancouver, while continuing to encourage, teach and inspire developing athletes on the north shore. Mackenzie brings considerable knowledge as a setter herself, as well as understanding team dynamics and what it takes to succeed at all levels. We are excited to have Mackenzie back for a 3rd straight season with Powerwest!

Aimee attended Sutherland Secondary School in North Vancouver and spent 4 years playing for BCO Volleyball Club from 2015-2019.

After high school Aimee moved on to play for the Capilano University Women’s Volleyball team and is currently in her fifth year as a right-side hitter for the Blues. At Cap U, Aimee is working towards a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology.

Aimee has previously coached for Seaside Volleyball Club and West Vancouver Academy at the u14 and u17 levels. We are grateful Aimee is now returning to Powerwest for her 3rd consecutive year!

Annika grew up in Delta, BC, playing club volleyball with Seaside. She is going into her third year on the Capilano University women’s volleyball team while pursuing a degree in biology. Annika was a late bloomer to volleyball, helping her understand what it takes to succeed at the highest level in both university and club ball. Annika is now in her 4th year with CAPU Women’s volleyball, solidifying her dominance as a starting right side hitter for the successful PACWEST program.

Annika has more than 5 years of club coaching experience, and we cant wait to have her back to be a part of the Powerwest team for her 3rd consecutive year!

Maya is returning to powerwest again for her 2nd season as head coach of the 15U White team! Maya was born in North Vancouver, BC attending Sutherland secondary school. Maya played for various clubs throughout the lower mainland.

Maya has completed her 5th year at CAPU as an outside hitter, obtaining her degree in communications. She is a well seasoned development coach, now residing in North Vancouver continuing to pursue her passions for volleyball and youth development by coaching for the North Vancouver Academy, & Powerwest 15U white!

Austyn Soolsma has been coaching volleyball for over 14 years in the Fraser Valley and Lower Mainland, building on a lifelong passion for the sport. She has worked with athletes of all ages, from grassroots development programs to provincial-level competition with Team BC initiatives such as the Summer Games and BC Cup.

Most recently, Austyn coached an 18U team to a 4th place finish at the BC Provincial Championships. She is currently a coach with REP North Vancouver and has served as an Assistant Coach at Capilano University since 2024.

Austyn is committed to creating opportunities for athletes to grow, succeed, and reach their potential. She is proud to be part of a club that prioritizes athletes and their development above all else.

Kaitlin is returning for her third year coaching with Powerwest! She is originally from Ponoka, Alberta and competed for the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack where she obtained her Undergraduate Degree in Psychology.

She is now a professional beach volleyball athlete competing on the Beach Volleyball World Tour, bringing endless wisdom and value to our athletes both on and off the court!

Taygen MAcgregor grew up in Langley, BC and is a valued CAPU Volleyball alum where she payed 4 years as a Middle Blocker, while pursuing her degree in Sciences.

Taygen comes to Powerwest for her 2nd year in a row to Co-Coach with Natalie Rourke at Powerwest 16U Blue!

Taygen is passionate about making strong connections with athletes in the community while being a positive role model and supporter throughout their time as an athlete. Welcome back Taygen!!

Natalie Rourke come to Vancouver from Beaverlodge, Alberta where she played club at DCVC, Dawson Creek. Natalie, is now a fourth year starting middle blocker at Capilano University.

We are so excited to have Natalie back at Powerwest for her 3rd consecutive season! Natalie has proven herself as a tremendously valuable development coach for Powerwest in both beach and indoor programs. Her and Taygen will team up again to coach out Powerhouse 16U Blue team!

Juliana grew up in North Vancouver, BC playing high school volleyball for STA. Juliana played for multiple North Shore Clubs throughout her development years, and now resides in Vancouver where she attends The University of British Columbia pursuing her degree in Economics.

Juliana is from renowned powerhouse volleyball country Brazil, and remains involved with volleyball for the love of competition and sport. Juliana demonstrates major success at athlete development and growth, helping create high level athletes within our program. We are so grateful to welcome her back for a 3rd year with Powerwest!!

Natalie was a decorated club athlete in Manitoba where she was the #2 ranked high school player, and a AAAA provincial all star while captaining her team. She also competed with the Team Manitoba, winning gold at the Canada Games in 2021. Natalie was also named to the Canada West conference All Rookie team in 2022. Now, she is currently is her senior year at SFU as the starting right side, while pursuing a degree in criminology and political science.

Natalie is passionate about mentoring developing athletes, as well as creating environments that foster positive early experiences in sport. We are so excited to welcome her back to her second year coaching with Powerwest!

Sue is an experienced and dedicated volleyball coach with a strong track record across club, provincial, and post-secondary levels. She spent eight years running a volleyball club in Maple Ridge and has served as head coach for the Ducks Volleyball Club. In addition, she has coached with both 604 Volleyball Club and BCO, contributing to athlete development across the Lower Mainland.

Beyond club volleyball, Sue has played a key role in Team BC programs. She has led the Ignite program, coached multiple medal-winning teams at the BC Summer Games (indoor and beach), and served as an assistant coach for Team BC’s U16 team.

Over the past three years, Sue has coached at Capilano University and was appointed head coach of the women’s volleyball team in January. She has also been running and coaching the REP North Vancouver program for the past four years. With two of her three children having played post-secondary volleyball in both the U.S. and Canada, Sue brings a deep understanding of the student-athlete experience. She continues to grow in her coaching journey and is currently working towards completing her Level 3 coaching certification.

We are SO excited to welcome Sue this year as our Powerwest Club Director!! Sue will be in charge of athlete development, coach mentorship and more!

Samantha Ellis joins Powerwest for her 4th straight year as a Co-Coach of the 18u White team! Sam grew up in North Vancouver, BC and played indoor volleyball for The University of Victoria. Sam is a certified development coach and has worked with athletes of all ages for many years, currently the head coach of the Argyle Sr. Girls team.

Sam knows how to develope high level atbletes and people, and is passionate about athlete development and personal growth through sport. We are lucky to have Sams wisdom back with us again for another year!

Devon returns to powerwest for her 4th straight year as the 18U Head Coach, where she will transition her role from previous Technical Director to now Program Coordinator, as well as offering university recruiting guidance to Powerwest athletes.

Devon is a full time training professional beach volleyball player and coach, as well as a co-founder at The Beach Co, Vancouvers premier beach volleyball training program. Devon grew up on the Sunshine Coast of BC, while spending her younger years commuting to play for Thunder & Sideout Beach Clubs, as well as indoor for BCO volleyball club in 2012-2013.

Devon continued to play varsity indoor volleyball at SFU studying Education and Kinesiology, then completing her masters at The University of Alabama, Birmingham in Human Communications Management. Devon competed for the NCAA div I beach volleyball program at UAB, where she then returned as an assistant coach until she was selected for The Team Canada Beach National team in 2019.

Devon now resides in Vancouver where she has returned to SFU as an assistant coach, as well as coaching various developing high performance programs throughout the lower mainland. Devon can also be reached through her personal webpage at devonmay.ca.