meet the Hype Nation Team: the people who make these events happen.
Coach Troy Helton has been tremendously successful in coaching the sport of volleyball both at the High School and Club Levels. Not only has he built winning (and enduring) programs at each of the 4 High Schools he has been associated with over the past 12 years, but he also serves as director of the 3rd largest club in the Southern Region – Ethos Volleyball Club – a club that he founded in 2010 while teaching High School Math.
Coach Helton’s love for the game is evident in the way he coaches. He is meticulous about practice preparation, scouting, and seeks to learn everything about the sport of volleyball. Not only does he serve as Director of Ethos Volleyball Club but he is also the founder & current Director of the Tennessee Volleyball Association – an organization that provides coaching clinics, skills camps, and satellite camps across the State of Tennessee.
Troy has been running tournaments now for the past 10 years and partners with clubs all over the country. He prides himself on doing right by the clubs he works with, the players, coaches, referees, and spectators who attend the events. He works hard to ensure that the facility staff always enjoys having his tournament staff on-site as well.
Andy has been coaching collegiately for 12 years. Most recently Andy has been the Head Coach at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX. The Bulldogs won the 2019 NJCAA Division 1 National Championship with a 31-0 record. Cavins was NJCAA Division 1 National Coach of the Year and also recruited and coached the NJCAA National Player of the Year.
Prior to Navarro, Andy was the Head Coach at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky for eight seasons. He is the all-time winningest LWC and during his 8yrs had a record of 272-38 including 8 consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances with two NAIA Fab Fours, four straight national quarterfinal appearances, and one National Championship in 2017.
In addition to LWC, Cavins has coached for Dallas Summit & Union Volleyball Club for the last eight seasons and has consistently coached Top 50 nationally-ranked teams according to PrepVolleyball. His 2012 (17 open), 2014 (17 open), 2015 (17 open), and 2016 (18 open) all qualified for the USAV National Championship.
Cavins has been running and assisting with sanctioned USAV and JVA events since 2009 throughout the country including events in the North Texas Region, Pioneer Region, Southern Region, Carolina Region, Ohio Valley Region, and So Cal Region.
Ashley Whittaker has led a variety of sports, recreation, events and fitness branding and marketing campaigns, strategies, and special projects since 2008. Since joining the company in 2016, Ashley leads corporate marketing and business development for both SFA & SFM helping to achieve year-over-year sales goals and sustained growth for the firms. Ashley also leads the SFM Facility Marketing department which leads the brand development, marketing strategy, reporting and execution oversight, and graphic design for the SFM Network portfolio and limited-term marketing projects. This team’s experience spans 10 states in businesses ranging from small local aquatic facilities, to ninja gyms, public parks, and sports tourism destinations. In 2019, Ashley led the brand logo & identify, email nurture campaign development, and overall launch of the SFM Network identity and campaign.
Volleyball teams from several states traveled to Chicago to experience the Windy City Challenge in Bedford Park. The 2-day event was held at the Wintrust