
Tolis Koskinaris is the owner of Cyclones Volleyball and leads lesson plan development for all age groups at Cyclones. In coordination with Brian Zerfas, the 18u coach, Tolis oversees all recruitment at Cyclones Volleyball and works to find the right fit for every athlete in the program. For the past 14+ years, Tolis has coached the 14u age group. In 2016, Tolis’ 14Black team finished 6th overall within a very difficult GLPL Power League. In 2017, 14Black took overall 1st place at the Asics Junior Champs at Navy Pier.
Tolis is the boys’ varsity head volleyball coach at West Aurora High School in Aurora. He is also the women’s volleyball head coach at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Tolis works for USA High Performance, serving as a lead-evaluator during tryouts and as a pipeline coach throughout the summer. He previously assumed the role of boys' program coordinator at Saints Peter & Paul Middle School in Naperville.
Tolis helped establish the boys’ volleyball program at Waubonsie Valley High School in 1995-1996 and played on the inaugural team under Coach Al Lagger. After High School, Tolis worked at the College of DuPage for two years as an assistant volleyball coach, under Coach LuAnn Zimmick. That program went on to win two national championships. Tolis transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign in 1998 and played on the men's club volleyball team through 2001.
Lastly, Tolis credentials include USA Impact, CAP 1, CAP 2, and ASEP certifications.

Brian is a USAV CAP I & II certified coach, as well as Impact and Safe Sport certified.

Previously coaching with Downers Grove North’s girls program, this is my first year with Cyclones and I’m incredibly excited to be here! As a coach, I believe that by focusing on energy, positivity, and competition you create an environment where hard work naturally follows. Furthermore, I believe that for any team to be successful, it is key to balance optimizing individual talent with building team chemistry.
I grew up in Downers Grove, playing for Elite Force Volleyball Club and Downers Grove North High School from 2007-2011. I began my volleyball career as a setter and, after a timely growth spurt, transitioned into being an outside/right side hitter . After High School I was able to continue my volleyball career playing for Lakeland University, where I was fortunate enough to be a member of a Conference Championship Team.
Outside of Cyclones, I work in marketing, sail competitively, and compete in both beach and indoor tournaments.
I am SafeSport and IMPACT Certified.

Coach Kym McKay returned to the tri-city area in 2012. An alum of Batavia High School, Kym was a 2 sport athlete (volleyball and softball) for the Bulldogs. She earned 8 varsity letters and was honored as the school's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.
Kym continued her volleyball career at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL, but her career was cut short by several knee injuries. Though disappointed that her collegiate career never came to fruition, it was due to the injury that she was exposed to the coaching side of the sport she loved. Her college coach, Rich Luenemann, gave her a clipboard and it was the beginning of a wonderful mentorship that would mold Kym's future.
Throughout their collegiate tenures (Kym at Western Illinois University and Rich at Washington University-St. Louis), they shared coaching experiences, ideas, and antidotes. Kym learned extensively from Rich who retired in 2012 as a 3 time NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year and National Champion who ranks 6th all time in collegiate career coaching wins. He taught Kym many aspects of the game of volleyball, but most significantly, he engrained the importance of relationships while coaching. This formed one of the core elements of Kym's coaching philosophy.

As a player from 2000 - 2004, Grant Marlowe played at West Aurora High School, leading to a college career at Ohio State and then Lakeland College. Grant still plays at a high level in Summer Beach Tournaments and indoor USAV men's competitions.
Grant is IMPACT, ASEP, and SafeSport Certified.

Francisco Martinez has been with Cyclones Volleyball since 2014. He is a coach in both the girls' and boys' programs and has worked with all levels. Outside of Cyclones, Francisco has been the Oswego Boys Volleyball Varsity coach since 2019 and an assistant coach/technical coordinator for the College of DuPage Women's Volleyball Team since 2015. In addition, he served the role of a volunteer assistant coach at St. Joseph in Aurora from 2014-2017. Lastly, Francisco was a player from 2008-2011 at West Aurora High School.
Francisco preaches hard work and dedication to the sport and to the club. Francisco's enthusiasm at practice is noted by many, often being heard throughout the gym, motivating players to work hard and have fun.
Francisco is USA CAP 1, IMPACT and SafeSport Certified.

Aleesha Carlson started coaching with Cyclones in 2016. She has coached a variety of youth levels from 12u-14u, and is currently serving as the 14 Black coach at Aurora. As a 14u coach, the goal is to prepare athletes for the high school level, so that they can make and be successful on their teams.
In high school, Aleesha was a starting outside/middle as a sophomore and captain of both my school and club teams as a senior. She started club at Cyclones her Junior year and loved every second. In addition to coaching at Cyclones, she is the head varsity coach at her alma mater, Somonauk High School. She loves being back as a coach at both of the places she learned to love the game. Outside of volleyball, Aleesha is a special education teacher at Boulder Hill Elementary School in Oswego SD308. She is passionate about helping young people grow into successful adults in all areas of life.
Aleesha is both IMPACT and SafeSport certified.

Collin Harrison is a first year coach here at Cyclones Volleyball. Collin played at Oswego East High School from 2015-2018, and he played at Cyclones Volleyball for 3 years as well. As an outside hitter, Collin helped lead the Oswego East boys program to a record setting year. Collin is very passionate about the sport as well as Cyclones. He wants to better the player’s skill and knowledge of the sport. He is currently studying to be a firefighter and a Paramedic at Waubonsee Community College.
Collin is IMPACT and SafeSport Certified.

Mallory is in her third year coaching at Cyclones (fourth year overall). She is currently coaching 16 Black and 14 Silver. She has experience at the 15u age level as well. She played nine years of club volleyball and continued her career at Waubonsee Community College and Dominican University. Mallory has experience playing multiple positions throughout her career. However, she finds her passion in all things passing. Her goal is to always have athletes ending the season with a more complex understanding of the game and themselves as an athlete.
Outside of coaching club volleyball, she currently assistant coaches at Waubonsee Community College, where just last year they made it to the NJCAA Nationals in West Virginia. She is currently studying for two Master’s degrees: MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and MS in Sport and Human Performance Psychology. She hopes to use these degrees to help athletes improve upon their mental skills in their sport.
Mallory comes from a very volleyball-oriented family and hopes to help other athletes develop a strong relationship with the sport. She is passionate about mental health and continues to coach her teams from a holistic perspective.
She is IMPACT and SafeSport Certified.

Allison brings a great combination of player and coaching experience to Cyclones. She has been a member of the Cyclones family for the past 6 years. She played for Cyclones as a 15u, 16u and 17u player and then transitioned to coaching. She has coached a variety of levels including 12u and 16u her first year; 14u her second year; and she is currently coaching 17u.
She started playing volleyball in middle school and continued her passion for the sport through her high school years. She started as a setter and then began playing libero/defensive specialist throughout high school. After her senior year, she made the tough decision to hang up her playing shoes and began a coaching career with Cyclones. She has always loved the game and is honored to now help others fall in love with the sport. Her ultimate goal is for her players to get to the next level and continue their passion for the sport for as long as possible.
Outside of volleyball, she has worked for the Oswegoland Park District for five years where she worked with their athletics department and is currently a leader in their before/after school children’s program and their summer camp program. She is currently a junior at North Central College where she is majoring in elementary education and minoring in psychology. She hopes to be a third grade teacher near the Oswego School District after graduation.
Allison believes the combination of hard work, competitive spirit while also having fun allows players to thrive in practice, in games and will also benefit them later in life.


In his seventh year coaching volleyball at Cyclones, Mikey is currently coaching 15 Black after four successful seasons with 16 Black and two with 15 Green. Over his tenure, he has coached players that have gone on to have successful volleyball careers, acquiring many different local and national awards at the high school and collegiate level. Mikey’s teams have achieved many levels of success in winning matches, improving as players, and having fun throughout the season.
As a coach, Mikey’s believes the most important things for success are to want to get better and to have fun doing it. Winning is important, but not the only goal. Mikey believes winning is a function of the hard work and dedication put into practice time. His coaching style challenges players to improve mentally as volleyball players as well as develop better technical skills.
As a player, Mikey was unanimously selected to the All-Conference team in the DVC his senior. He went on to play club volleyball at NIU. He started and played middle all four years. During his time, NIU was consistently one of the best club teams in the nation achieving a national rank as high as 7th. Currently, Mikey still plays on an adult team that competes at A level at nationals.
Mikey is married to his wife, Allison, and has a daughter, Brooklyn, and a son, Emmett. Currently, he is a high school math teacher at Somonauk High School.

Volleyball is a passion of mine that I love to spread. It has been a big part of my life for the past 23 years and for 16 of those years I have been coaching, assisting, training, and officiating volleyball teams as well as, co-directing, and directing volleyball clubs. I have coached girls ages 9-22 in a variety of settings and have had a chance to watch, listen and work with some amazing mentors and coaches in the volleyball world. I am excited this year to be a part of Cyclones Volleyball Club and working with old friends.
Outside of the volleyball world, I am a Teacher, Wife, Mom, Daughter, and Sister. I have been a Special Education Teacher at Wheaton Warrenville South High School for the past 13 years, and have taught elementary summer school for 8 years. My husband Joe and I are happily married and we are so lucky to have a wonderful daughter Addison who is almost 5 and son Steven who is 2.5 years old.
Every year I encourage all of the girls and parents to come up and introduce yourselves to me and to communicate with me as much as needed if you have any questions or concerns. I am a very competitive person but like to maintain a positive and motivating atmosphere with my teams and parents. I believe being upfront, honest, approachable and consistent are key components when coaching to help nurture growth and love for the sport. Communication is very important and promoting this skill along with advocacy and camaraderie are keys to success when playing a team sport. Looking forward to spreading my passion for volleyball at Cyclones!!

Katie has coached at Cyclones East for the past 3 years. She played volleyball at Ultimate Volleyball Club from 14u to 17u and played at Michio Volleyball Club at 18u. Katie played 3 years of varsity volleyball and 4 years of beach volleyball during high school, and continued to play 3 years of collegiate volleyball at Elmhurst College as a setter. She was a captain her junior and senior year of high school, along with her junior year of college, and earned All-Conference her senior year of high school. Katie has coached ages 7-18 throughout the years of coaching teams and camps. She has a great passion for the game of volleyball, and wants to share that passion with other girls so they can have great success and possess love for the game. Aside from volleyball, Katie is an intern at Tip Top Training, a strength and conditioning program for young athletes. She is an Exercise Science major and will attend Governors State University graduate school this upcoming year to become a Physical Therapist.
I am IMPACT Certified.

This is Rachel’s first year coaching at Cyclones. She began playing indoor and sand volleyball in 7th grade at Team One Volleyball Club and then Sports Performance Volleyball Club her senior year of high school. That year, her club team took 3rd place at AAU Nationals where Rachel won the All-Star award. She continued on to play volleyball for two years at the collegiate level at Elmhurst College as a DS/Libero. She has coached kids from the ages of 4-18 throughout the past 3 years and is super excited to continue sharing her volleyball passion through coaching here at Cyclones. Outside of volleyball, Rachel is majoring in Human Resource Management with a minor in Spanish.
She is IMPACT and Safe Sport Certified.

Aisha Tan is a Cyclones Alumni and returning coach who has coached in the girls and boys program at all ages. As a player from 2006-2014 Aisha Tan played at St. Charles East High School as a defensive specialist for 4 years and was a member of the State Championship team in 2008. After high school, Aisha attended Auburn University where she was the Women’s Club president and coach leading the program to it's first nationals appearance. During her time at Auburn, Aisha trained D1 and Olympic athletes as a strength and conditioning coach.
She graduated Auburn with a degree in Sports Performance and Conditioning. Beyond volleyball, Aisha works in Sales for a Legal Services Firm.
Aisha is Impact & Safe Sport Certified.

I have been coaching at Cyclones Volleyball Club for five years, and the past two years I have been at Cyclones East. I was a player for Cyclones 13u through 18u, played three years of varsity volleyball at West Aurora High School, and continued my playing career at Elmhurst College as a setter. I have coached ages 5-14 throughout the years, and have been trained by many of the great coaches at the club. I was a captain and named to the All-Conference team my senior year of high school, am a recipient of the Green Heart Award for Cyclones, and have lead my college team in categories such as assists and aces the past two years. I have always been dedicated to the sport of volleyball and I love sharing my passion for the game through coaching. Being with Cyclones for almost ten years has made me into the player and coach I am today. Outside of volleyball, I attend Elmhurst College as a biology major and intend to go into ecological research.
I am IMPACT and SafeSport certified.