TVA Directors Ronda Cluff and Erin Hellmuth

Erin Hellmuth, TVA Director and Lead Coach

erin@texasvolleyballacademy.com

Erin grew up in Lawrence, Kansas and began playing volleyball, basketball, tennis and track in middle school. During her high school years, Erin played volleyball and basketball. Erin won two state high school volleyball championships, experienced two undefeated seasons and a team national ranking of #7 in the country according to USA Today.

She went on to play volleyball for Baylor University where she was the starting middle blocker for four years and was the co-captain her junior and senior season. Erin still holds multiple school records including most matches played in a career, most blocks in a career, and most blocks in a season. She graduated from Baylor with a degree in social work and went on to complete her master’s in social work at UTA. Erin was on the Baylor University Athletic Director’s Honor Roll every semester. In 2002, Erin was one of 13 players named to Baylor Volleyball's 25th Anniversary Team.

After college, Erin co-founded Victory Volleyball Club in 1998. Victory was ranked one of the top 10 clubs in Texas during her last three seasons as director. During her tenure as club director she helped dozens of Victory athletes secure college volleyball scholarships and continues to help athletes and their families through the recruiting process today. Erin and Ronda Cluff founded Texas Volleyball Academy in the Fall of 2009.

Fun facts: Erin and her husband, Charley, have three children, Avery, Emily and Reiter. Avery plays volleyball for Oklahoma Baptist University and Emily plays volleyball for Texas A&M University. Both girls got their volleyball start at TVA and often coach in the TVA gym when home from college!

Ronda Cluff, TVA Director and Lead Coach

ronda@texasvolleyballacademy.com

Ronda attended Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona where she lettered in volleyball, basketball and softball and was named Most Athletic Girl of her senior class of 803 students. As a senior, her high leaping vertical and outstanding defensive play led her to be chosen 5A First Team – All Division and selected to the All State All-star team as an Outside Hitter. Ronda played club volleyball for two years with the Arizona Juniors (North) Volleyball Club and won major competitions in her area. Ronda attended the University of Arizona on an academic scholarship and graduated Magna cum Laude in 1993 with a degree in mathematics & education and a minor in deaf studies. While pursuing her academic goals, Ronda competed on the A level intramural women’s team and co-ed team as an outside hitter.

Ronda’s love of sports and teaching has inspired her to coach youth sports, including volleyball, softball and basketball for the past 18 years. Before making the decision to stay home with her first daughter, Hailey, Ronda coached volleyball and softball locally at Coppell High School. At Coppell, she coached the Freshmen A Volleyball Team and assisted with the varsity volleyball and softball teams. As the freshman coach, her volleyball success resulted in a district championship with an overwhelming record of 29-1 and first place finishes in all three Freshmen A tournaments.

In 1999, Ronda founded Texas Juniors DFW Volleyball Club. In 2007, Texas Juniors DFW merged to form Dallas Synergy Volleyball. She began her 12 year journey as a club director with 5 teams and led a staff of 10 coaches and grew to manage up to 19 teams and a staff of 36 coaches. Her teams competed consistently in the top 10 of the North Texas Region and had numerous appearances at the USAV Junior National Championships. Ronda has been instrumental in assisting her athletes in the collegiate recruiting process resulting in numerous scholarships. She has coached club volleyball at the 12U, 16U, 17U and 18U levels and assisted at all age levels.

Not only has Ronda had the opportunity to work summer camps with 2-time Olympic Middle Blocker, Ryan Millar, but Ronda has also been instrumental in helping over 1000 athletes develop proper fundamentals prior to the start of TVA.  She has accomplished this through club volleyball, private lessons, clinics and summer camps. In addition to coaching volleyball, Ronda has several years experience teaching high school mathematics. She has completed her Impact and CAP I coaching certification.

Ronda has been married to Eric for 23 years and has four children: Hailey, Dallin, Sydney, and Landon. They live in Flower Mound.

Our Transforming Story:

Changing the way we do youth volleyball…

“My daughter just made the 7th grade volleyball team and her first response was ‘I have to tell all my TVA coaches thank you!’ Her years at TVA were so impactful and gave her such a love for the game. We are very thankful for the instruction and relationship she had with each coach- just an amazing experience!”

— Jacci, mom of 7th grade athlete

For many years, Ronda and Erin enjoyed a growing friendship as they competed against one another as club directors and served on various committees together in the USA Volleyball North Texas Region.

Together, they decided to transform the way they teach youth volleyball. For the sake of youth and their families, they determined to maintain a high level of excellence in coaching while moving away from the busy schedule and the excessive financial commitment of club programs.

In the fall of 2009, they united their talents, energy and years of volleyball experience towards a new endeavor: Texas Volleyball Academy!  In their first twelve years, TVA has served over 4,000 different athletes. Many TVA athletes return and compete in multiple leagues.

Program Distinctions:
 

• Texas Volleyball Academy was developed by two coaches and former club directors. We also happen to be moms! We bring a unique approach to developing your young athlete. In our first twelve years, we have trained over 4,000 athletes!

   

• As experienced coaches and moms, we bring a unique approach to developing your young athlete. We pursue excellence in sport while protecting family relationships, schedules and time. We also consider your athlete as we would our own children.

• The curriculum we have developed includes workouts that are designed for each age group that build from week to week. We use different ball weights, net heights and drills based on age and skill level. We teach the game of volleyball; we don't just play volleyball.

   

• TVA requires a commitment of one night per week with no weekend commitments. This is a family friendly schedule and allows your young athlete to continue to pursue other interests while she continues to receive high level volleyball development.

• We have outstanding coaches! All of the TVA staff have extensive playing and/or coaching experience. Our coaches are passionate about coaching the fundamentals and recognize the privilege of coaching young athletes.

• TVA bridges the gap between recreational programs and club volleyball.

Our Coaching Philosophy

Instruct…
We are an independent volleyball training organization providing instruction for volleyball athletes in the 4th - 8th grades. We are not a volleyball club. We are knowledgeable coaches with years of high school, club and college volleyball experience. See our coach bios and you'll see that our coaches are state champions, college record-holders, experienced coaches...We are committed to the principle that solid volleyball fundamentals are keys to a player's success in competition in middle school, high school, club and at the college level. We work with USA Volleyball as a resource to help us share the game we love. 

Our goal is to instruct!

Inspire…  
We are inspiring, patient and encouraging. We are passionate about helping athletes identify and achieve their goals. We are convinced that inspiration leads to motivation and motivation is key to a volleyball player turning into a volleyball competitor.

Our goal is to inspire!

Enjoy!!!
We are committed to enjoying the sport we love! We are well versed in the competitive sports community in which we live and have observed too many young athletes struggling with burnout as they face the pressure of specialization at much younger ages than previous generations. We are committed to providing a healthy atmosphere for female athletes to learn and train and grow.

Our goal is to enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What is TVA? Is it a club?

A: No, TVA is not a club within USAV Volleyball. TVA provides high level coaching at a fraction of the cost and time commitment club volleyball requires. TVA Directors Erin and Ronda previously led USAV clubs in the DFW area for years (Victory and TX Jrs. DFW/Synergy, respectively) and joined forces to create this program in 2009, combining a wealth of coaching experience.

Q: When does TVA practice and play?

A:  Our unique program takes place one weeknight per week with no weekend commitments.  Each session includes team practice AND match play.  This allows athletes to participate in other sports and activities because we do not support early specialization. Each practice is designed to challenge the athlete and the team to progress.  There is a huge benefit to playing a match directly after team practice because the athlete can immediately implement what they learned in practice in a game situation. The schedule is intentionally designed to protect family time and allow multisport middle school athletes the luxury of avoiding early specialization.

The specific weeknight and time varies for each league. See the page for each location for details.

Q: Who is the TVA Alternative to Club program designed for?

A: This program is designed for the competitive and enthusiastic middle school volleyball player who has the ability to make a club team but is looking for something different. Our Alternative to Club League athletes are often multisport athletes juggling busy schedules. Many of the families who choose this program are not yet ready to spend thousands of dollars to play for a USAV club team but desire to receive outstanding coaching and enjoy quality competition. See the registration page for participation requirements.

Q: Why is the league operated this way?

A: After many years in the DFW club volleyball scene, Erin and Ronda saw a need for a different type of program. The cost of club volleyball was continuing to escalate as the player burnout rate kept increasing. TVA was designed to address these concerns and provide a unique opportunity for developing athletes.

Q: How do we register? 

A:  Go to the registration page for your location (see the drop down menu at the top of the page) find your program, league or clinic and select register.

Q. Can I get a refund if I have already registered and paid and my child has been placed on a team?

A. No. Once your child is placed on a team (or the summer clinic registration deadline has passed), we do not give refunds if you decide to not participate. We hire coaches based on our registration numbers. Our return policy states: "Tuition is nonrefundable if you are granted a position.”