Alicia Karver Hired to Coach Volleyball at Cañada College

Karver was a member of the CSU San Bernardino team that finished second nationally in 2008-09.

Alicia Karver, a former assistant coach at Sierra College in Rocklin, has been hired to rebuild the Cañada College volleyball program.

Karver spent three seasons as the first assistant at Sierra, winning a Northern California championship during her tenure. She was also a successful college player, winning conference titles at San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton and winning two conference titles and finishing second in the nation at California State University San Bernardino.

Karver is a 2005 graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Stockton where she played four years earning first-team all-area three times.

Most recently, she’s been coaching Mercy High School in Burlingame, which finished 20-12 in 2012. That record was good for a three-way split of the West Bay Athletic League Skyline Division title.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” she said. “I enjoy coaching at the community college level. I played at a community college and I’ve coached at a community college so I know that’s where I want to be.”

Karver said she understands the situation many community college athletes face. “When I finished high school, I was burned out and I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said. “I had been playing high school and club volleyball for years. It wasn’t until I started playing at Delta that I fell in love with the game again.”

Once the volleyball season starts, Karver said she’ll be attending local high school matches to introduce them to the Cañada program. She’ll have her eye out for talent but, more importantly, she wants commitment. “I can teach them the skills,” she said. “I need athletes who are committed and excited to help build this program.”

She describes her coaching style as “tough but positive” and she’ll emphasize strength and conditioning in conjunction with the primary volleyball skills of serving and passing. Karver works as a strength and conditioning coach and earned her master’s in kinesiology from Sacramento State.

Karver is also interested in having an impact on her players beyond volleyball. “I want to help them transfer to universities,” she said. “My experience at Delta was instrumental in helping me earn a college degree.”