California State University, Dominguez Hills Women's Volleyball

Teddi Esko was named Head Volleyball Coach in February 2024 and leads the program into a new era. Esko brings more than two decades of collegiate coaching experience to Dominguez Hills, most notably from Rio Hondo College where she served as Head Women’s Indoor and Beach Volleyball Coach beginning in 2003. During her tenure, she elevated the program’s competitive standards while fostering a culture committed to academic and athletic excellence. The vast majority of her student-athletes successfully transferred to four-year universities to continue both their academic and volleyball careers, with placements across the country including New York, Vermont, Delaware, Kansas, North Dakota, Arizona, and California. In 2013, Esko founded Rio Hondo College’s beach volleyball program, expanding dual-sport opportunities for student-athletes and significantly increasing retention and transfer rates. Her coaching success has been recognized extensively. Esko earned Foothill Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2010 and 2015, South Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2019, 2022, and 2023, and Southern California Regional Coach of the Year in 2023. That same year, her team advanced to the SoCal Elite 8 and the State Sweet 16 while capturing the South Coast Conference Championship. Beyond collegiate volleyball, Esko has coached in the local club system with Club Beach, Ohana, Apex1, and Golden West. Her diverse coaching background also includes serving as Head Coach for Men’s Golf at Santiago Canyon College from 2014–2016, where she led teams to multiple conference and regional playoff finishes and guided athletes to the CCCAA State Championships. Esko is an active member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), serving as a Mentor Coach in the Match Point Program. She is also heavily involved in the CCCWVCA and CCCBVCA, and served as a conference representative and executive board member/secretary for the Beach Volleyball Association. In addition to coaching, Esko was a Professor of Kinesiology at Rio Hondo College. She taught Principles of Strength and Conditioning and Sports Nutrition, is a certified online instructor specializing in distance education course development, and served on the Kinesiology Advisory Board for Career Education and Training. Esko earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health from Arkansas State University and later completed her Master’s Degree in Administration and Physical Education at California State University, Dominguez Hills. A former standout student-athlete, Esko attended Long Beach Wilson High School, where she was a multi-sport athlete in soccer and volleyball, earning two All-CIF selections and Moore League MVP honors in volleyball. She continued her playing career at Arkansas State University on a Division I scholarship, starting as a freshman, winning a Sun Belt Conference Championship, and competing in the NCAA Tournament. On a personal note, Esko had the unique opportunity to coach against her father, Larry Chowen (Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball, 1971–72), during his 14-year tenure as Head Coach at Chaffey College before his retirement in 2016. She remains actively involved in the sport, competing in indoor leagues as well as grass and beach tournaments, and resides in Huntington Beach with her husband and two daughters. COACHING EXPERIENCE 2003–present Rio Hondo College (Indoor & Beach) Southern California Regional Coach of the Year 2023 Coach of the Year 2012, 2015, 2019, 2022 && 2023 SoCal Regional Playoffs Advancements 2023 SoCal Elite 8 & State Sweet 16 South Coast Conference Champions 2023 2021-present-APEX1 VBC 2022 SCVA Soiree Gold Medal 15U division 2014-2016-Santiago Canyon College (Men’s Golf) 2015 Finished 3rd in the Orange Empire Conference & 5th at SoCal Regional Playoffs 2015 Lead 2 golfers to the CCCAA State Championships Tournament 2016 Finished 2nd in the Orange Empire Conference & SoCal Regionals Playoffs 2016 Finished 5th in CCCAA State Championships 2002-06 – Magnolia High School (Varsity Boys & Girls) 1999–2002-Club Beach VBC  PLAYING EXPERIENCE Long Beach Wilson High School Multi-sport sport athlete, participating in soccer & volleyball; two-time all-CIF selection in volleyball; Moore League MVP-volleyball. Arkansas State University Starter as a freshman, Division 1 scholarship Sun Belt Conference Champions & NCAA Tournament On a personal note: Coach Esko had the pleasure of coaching against her father (Larry Chowen-LB State Men's Volleyball '71-72) for 14 seasons while he was the Head Coach at Chaffey College.  Coach Chowen retired in 2016.   Teddi still actively participates in volleyball, playing in indoor leagues, grass and beach tournaments and resides in Huntington Beach with her husband and two daughters. 

Victor De La Cruz enters his third season with Cal State University, Dominguez Hills in Fall 2026, bringing eight years of coaching experience at the high school, club, and collegiate levels. Prior to joining CSUDH, De La Cruz spent four seasons at Rio Hondo College as an assistant coach, where he helped lead the Roadrunners to a South Coast Conference Championship — the program’s first since 1995. He also coached at Los Altos High School, serving as head freshman girls coach and later as assistant varsity coach for the boy’s program, helping guide the Conquerors to their first CIF championship in school history. At the club level, De La Cruz coached for six years at ICON Volleyball Club, working with athletes ages 12–18. He is currently in his second year with Surfside Volleyball Club, where he head coaches teams at the top divisions. He is also a member of the Gold Medal Squared coaching staff and previously served as the head varsity boys coach at La Mirada High School. As a student-athlete, De La Cruz was a two-time First Team All-Area selection in both soccer and volleyball at Los Altos High School. He went on to play collegiately at Westcliff University from 2019–2020, competing as both an outside hitter and setter.

Coach Chew has established herself as a proven leader and program builder throughout her coaching career. She began at East Valley, where she guided the program to its first-ever CIF final round, before moving on to South Pasadena High School. Under her direction at South Pasadena, the boys' volleyball team won back-to-back league championships from 2017-2023, with Chew leading the girls' program to multiple postseason accolades, including a CIF Semifinal appearance in 2019, a CIF Regional Championship and CIF State Runner-Up finish in 2019, and a CIF semi-final appearance and CIF State Regional championship in 2024.  In addition to her high school success, Coach Chew has built an impressive resume at the club level. With Forza1 West, she coached the 16s boys to a bronze medal at USA Nationals and achieved back-to-back silver medals in Junior Qualifiers. She also served the Whittier community as the owner of Tandem VBC for three years, creating expanded opportunities for youth athletes. Most recently, she led the SG Elite 16s boys to a top-10 finish in the gold division in Premier AAU Nationals and currently serves as the head coach of 14U Excel. Chew has also been named a 3x Coach of the Year in 2016, 2019, and 2023.  Her career reflects a consistent record of competitive excellence and a commitment to developing athletes at every level.

Coach Kalani Tagavilla brings a lifelong passion for volleyball and years of experience to the program. A former player at San Diego State University’s club team and Forza Volleyball Club in high school, he began playing the sport at just 4 years old. With a degree in Kinesiology Pre-Physical Therapy and certification as a CVBOA referee, Coach Tagavilla combines technical knowledge with on-court expertise to help athletes develop their full potential. Tagavilla coached SG Elite to a 9th-place finish at Nationals in gold. Tagavilla also served as an assistant coach for both the South Pasadena girls’ and boys’ volleyball teams, where he helped guide the girls’ program to a CIF State Championship. Specializing in offensive strategy, defensive positioning, and libero development, Coach Tagavilla is dedicated to creating a competitive, disciplined, and supportive environment for student-athletes to thrive.