Georgia State University Women's Volleyball

Beth Van Fleet, a former beach volleyball professional and GSU standout, has served as head coach of the Georgia State beach volleyball program since the 2013-14 season. Van Fleet began her tenure at GSU as assistant coach for the inaugural beach team in 2012-13. As head coach for the Sandy Panthers, Van Fleet has been named CCSA / Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year three times (2016 CCSA, 2023 SBC, 2024 SBC) and has guided GSU to nine consecutive 20+ win seasons with a total of six national tournament appearances. In Van Fleet’s 12 seasons as head coach, the Sandy Panthers have finished with a winning record in every season. During the 2025 campaign, Van Fleet’s squad finished the season No. 17 in the AVCA polls after earning a third-consecutive Sun Belt Conference title and fourth-consecutive NCAA Championship berth. She coached three All-Conference pairs. Additionally, she coached AVCA Top-Flight Award winners, Danica Singleton and Michaela Jefferson. After defeating Eastern Kentucky at home, Van Fleet surpassed the 250 win milestone as head coach. Currently, she has registered 257 victories at the helm of the Georgia State program.  In 2024, Van Fleet led the Panthers to a third-consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance after the Sandy Panthers secured the 2024 Sun Belt Title. With Van Fleet at the helm, the GSU beach volleyball team finished No. 14 in the AVCA polls and received numerous post-season honors. In addition to back-to-back Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors, Van Fleet's team saw Newcomer of the Year honors from junior transfer Aree Keller, and six All-Sun Belt first-Team honors.  The 2024 season marked a 26-13 season, including an undefeated 12-0 conference record. In the Sun Belt Championships, the Sandy Panthers went 4-0, capping the tournament off with a 3-1 victory over Coastal Carolina. Van Fleet guided No. 1 flight pair Angel and Bella Ferary to a historic career, finishing the season as the winningest pair in GSU history with 100 career wins. She also led freshman Savannah Ebarb to the winningest freshman in program with 27 total wins.  2023 saw Van Fleet lead the Sandy Panthers to a second consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance after the team secured the Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship in the league’s inaugural season of play. The tournament bid marked a third trip to the NCAA Championship and the program’s fourth overall national tournament appearance. Under Van Fleet’s guidance, three pairs earned All-Sun Belt recognition. Second-flight pair Yasmin Kuck and Lila Bordis and fourth-flight pair Maddy Delmonte and Ayla Johnson all earned All-Sun Belt Second-Team honors. The top-flight pair of Angel Ferary and Bella Ferary were named the Sun Belt Conference Pair of the Year, All-Sun Belt First-Team and earned a place on the AVCA All-America Second Team roster. Additionally, Bordis was also named the 2023 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, while Van Fleet received the conference’s Coach of the Year. In addition to the conference accolades, Van Fleet helped three different Sandy Panthers pairs to earn a total of four Sun Belt Pair of the Week nods throughout the spring. The Sandy Panthers’ head coach reached 200 career wins following the team’s 5-0 shutout facing Arizona State on March 25. The milestone win and the team’s 20-win finish places Van Fleet fourth in NCAA wins currently among active NCAA Beach coaches. In 2022, Van Fleet led the Sandy Panthers to a program-best 28 wins as the team finished the year advancing to the Round of 6 at the NCAA National Championship in Gulf Shores, AL. The season saw Van Fleet coach three pairs to AVCA Top Flight honors— Yasmin Kuck paired with Kayla Whetstone at the third flight, Angel Ferary paired with sister Bella Ferary at the fourth flight and Chloee Kleespies paired with Becky Tresham at the fifth flight. All three pairs were also named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team after the Sandy Panthers claimed the inaugural Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship. The C-USA title marked the program's first-ever conference championship, and earned the team an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Leading GSU to 14 consecutive wins, Van Fleet and the 2022 Sandy Panthers' 14-match winning streak ranks as the longest in program history. Additionally, the 2022 roster combined for a 3.74 overall team GPA which was the highest for any team at GSU that spring. The historic season highlighted by the NCAA Tournament run charts as one of the most successful for any team in the athletic department's history. During the 2021 season, Van Fleet's squad accumulated 23 wins after coming off a shortened 2020 campaign. A career benchmark, Van Fleet reached 150 wins on March 19, 2021 when GSU defeated Spring Hill. 2019 saw the Sandy Panthers post 24 total victories. In 2018, GSU tied a program record for regular season wins in a season with 22 dual match victories. The 2017 season was highlighted by Delaney Rohan and Chelsea Ross earning CCSA Pair of the Year Award honors, and a 21-win season for the Sandy Panthers. In 2016, the Sandy Panthers earned 26 total wins as Van Fleet led the team to a No. 7 national ranking and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The team featured four First Team All-CCSA members, top flight Jansen Button and Sara Olivova and second flight, Katelyn Rawls and Nina Interwies. Additionally, Brooke Weiner earned a spot on the CCSA All-Freshman Team. Button and Olivova were named AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. In her second season, Van Fleet led the Sandy Panthers to their first appearance in the AVCA National Championship in May 2015 and coached two All-Americans in Jansen Button and Sara Olivova. The team reached as high as No. 7 in the AVCA poll before earning a No. 5 seed at the postseason tournament. The Sandy Panthers finished with a 14-5 dual match record in Van Fleet's first season. Each of the five teams that defeated GSU were represented in the 2014 AVCA National Championship. As an assistant in the Sandy Panther’s inaugural season (2013), Van Fleet helped the top flight Katie (Madewell) Brakeville and Lane Carico earn a third-place finish at the 2013 AVCA National Pairs Championship. Van Fleet currently serves as the chair of the AVCA All-American Committee and as the beach representative on the AVCA Board of Directors. She also coaches with USA Volleyball. She spent eight seasons (2003-10) with the Association for Volleyball Professionals, competing in over 80 career beach tournaments and representing the United States abroad. She is well-known throughout the sport and has worked with some of the top athletes and coaches in the game. She earned five top-10 AVP finishes during her pro career and medaled during NORCECA competitions in Mexico and Guatemala City. During her collegiate court career in the Panther uniform, Van Fleet piled up 1,177 kills from 1995-98, the fifth-most in school history. She became the second player in GSU history to amass both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, earning second-team all-conference honors her junior and senior seasons. Van Fleet helped lead the Sandy Panthers (then in the Trans America Athletic Conference) to two regular season conference championships, three winning seasons and 69 victories in four years. Van Fleet was also an all-conference academic selection all four seasons, graduating in 1999 with a 3.79 GPA in marketing. A native of Tampa, Fla., Van Fleet currently resides in Atlanta. She has one daughter, Olivia. Van Fleet earned a master's degree in Sport Administration in 2019. Contact Phone - (404) 413-4167 Email - [email protected]   Records 2014: 14-5 2015: 18-3 (AVCA National Championships Appearance) 2016: 26-10 (NCAA Tournament Appearance) 2017: 21-14 2018: 24-12 2019: 24-12 2020: 11-3 *COVID Shut Down 2021: 23-13 2022: 28-13  (C-USA Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance) 2023: 20-17  (Sun Belt Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance) 2024: 26-13 (Sun Belt Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance) 2025: 22-17 (Sun Belt Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance) CAREER: 257-120

Jorge Martinez joined the Georgia State staff as the head coach of the court volleyball program in February 2026, as announced by Georgia State Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb.   Martinez comes to GSU after six seasons at Arkansas Little Rock, where he served four years as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in his final two seasons with the Trojans.  His profound volleyball background includes coaching local high school teams, as well as contributions to the Central Arkansas Volleyball Association and the Little Rock Juniors Volleyball Club.  During the 2025 season with the Trojans, Martinez led Little Rock to an 11-7 conference record for the second straight season. The team earned multiple postseason honors, including one All-OVC First Team selection, two All-OVC Second Team honorees, and the OVC Defensive Player of the Year award. Little Rock also finished sixth in the nation in both digs per set and total digs, while ranking 14th nationally in team attacks per set.  In 2024, Martinez guided the program to an upward trajectory, matching the best start in program history (5-0) after beating Rutgers for just the program’s second win over a Power 5 school in the last 10 seasons and first since 2021 over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Trojans advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the second straight season after missing the tournament during their inaugural OVC campaign.    Under his leadership, the Trojans earned national recognition in several statistical categories, finishing 1st in the nation in total digs (2,281), 6th in digs per set, and 7th in total attacks. The team also ranked 12th in the nation in total attacks per set, and 51st in total assists (1,479).  Individual athletes thrived under his guidance, with players ranking 21st nationally for digs per set, 65th for attacks per set, and 146th in total blocks.  Before joining Little Rock, Martinez served as the head volleyball coach at Mount St. Mary’s Academy in Little Rock, guiding the team to a strong season and a spot in the 6A state tournament. His efforts were honored with the All-Star Coach of the Year award.  Martinez is also a staff coach for the Gold Medal Squared Volleyball program, where he has worked since 2018, leading clinics and collaborating with top coaches across the country. His influence extended through his role as Director of Player Development at Little Rock Juniors Volleyball Club, where he’s been instrumental since 2017.  Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Martinez is fluent in both English and Spanish. He competed in the Puerto Rico Volleyball Federation and collegiate volleyball at the University of Puerto Rico.   He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico and a Master’s Degree in Spanish from the University of Central Arkansas. He is actively pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling to support the mental wellness of athletes.  Outside of coaching, Martinez is a talented opera singer, having performed across the U.S., Canada, and South America.  

Charlie Cobb is in his 10th year at the helm of the Georgia State Department of Athletics and 19th as a Division I athletics director, leading a transformation for the program throughout campus and the city of Atlanta.   Through the implementation of the department's strategic plan, Cobb is focused on building a ‘Culture of Success’ at Georgia State based on five themes: Academic Achievement, Competitive Greatness, Ethical Behavior, Social Responsibility, and Community Engagement. Since his hire in August 2014, multiple new facilities have opened while student-athletes continue their impressive commitment to academic performance. Georgia State has received the Sun Belt's Institutional Graduation Award twice under his tenure, and Panther student-athletes have consistently maintained a department-wide grade point average of well over 3.0, including a program-record 3.40 in spring 2020. Most recently the department achieved a 3.27 GPA for the 2022-23 academic year.   Cobb currently serves on the NCAA Division I Council and was recently a member of the College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee.   On the field, the Panthers have garnered unprecedented success during his tenure, including 2021-22, which was the best competitive season for GSU teams in school history. Georgia State led the Sun Belt Conference and finished an all-time high No. 88 in the final 2022 LEARFIELD Division I Director's Cup standings. The impressive year featured the men’s basketball program’s fourth NCAA berth in eight years, football’s second consecutive bowl win, a top six NCAA finish for the beach volleyball program and NCAA appearances in men’s soccer and tennis.   Among Cobb’s biggest projects has been participating in the acquisition, purchase, and re-purposing of Turner Field, transforming the former Major League Baseball venue into the home of Georgia State football, now named Center Parc Credit Union Stadium in recognition of the $21 million, 15-year naming rights agreement reached in 2020. Phase One of the project was completed in August 2017 and includes new east side seating and an artificial surface field for the football team. Phase Two moved all football operations to the stadium in 2019 as part of a $300 million plan to transform the 68-acre site.   In fall 2022, the men's and women's basketball teams began play in the new Georgia State University Convocation Center, and new baseball and softball stadiums are next within the Summerhill footprint. The GSU Soccer Complex for the men's and women's programs was completed in 2021, and the Bobby Jones Golf Practice Facility opened for the men’s and women’s golf teams in 2019.   Before returning to Atlanta in September 2014, Cobb spent nine years as the Director of Athletics at Appalachian State. Previously he worked for six years honing his business acumen with the Atlanta Sports Council, the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, and the Georgia Dome, before returning to his alma mater, NC State, for 7 years.   His leadership helped build and maintain a high-performing program at App State. The Mountaineers won three consecutive Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national championships, the first three-peat in FCS history. They also brought home eight consecutive Commissioner's Cup championships (top men's sports program in the Southern Conference) and four Germann Cup championships (top women's program). Together, they earned the men's and women's awards in the same academic year four times.   At App State, Cobb helped create $50 million in facilities improvements as the Mountaineers' fundraising efforts that reached all-time highs, including surpassing the $3 million mark. The jewel of the construction projects was the seven-story Appalachian Athletics Center and the campaign also produced new homes for Mountaineer baseball, softball, and soccer, as well as a new indoor practice facility.   The 55-year-old Cobb was a four-year letterwinner as a football player at NC State. He graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1990 and earned a master's degree in sports administration from Ohio in 1992. As a senior center, he was named to the All-ACC second team and was an All-ACC academic selection throughout his career. He was awarded the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference's Jim Tatum Award, which recognizes the senior football player with the highest GPA, in 1990.   Cobb and his wife, Lindsay, have a son and daughter, 25-year-old Harrison, a graduate of both Hampden-Sydney College and Ohio University, where he earned a dual Master of Business Administration and Sports Administration, and 22-year-old Branan, a Centre College graduate and current graduate student at Vanderbilt University. Lindsay Cobb was an All-ACC goalkeeper for the NC State women's soccer team from 1987-90 and is currently an assistant women’s soccer coach at Emory University.

Doug Justice joined the Georgia State Athletics Department in September 2014 and serves as Senior Associate A.D. and Chief of Staff. In his current role, Justice serves as the sports supervisor for men's basketball, baseball, men’s golf, and women’s golf, while also overseeing equipment, facilities, and operations, along with the postseason budget. Previously Justice spent nine years as an athletics staff member at Appalachian State working closely with current Georgia State Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb. He started at Appalachian State in 2006 as director of game operations and was promoted to Assistant AD/Chief of Staff in 2012. In 2014, he was promoted to associate athletics director. In that role, Justice oversaw Appalachian State's game operations, strength and conditioning, athletic training and team services. He also served as the administrator for wrestling and men's and women's basketball and acted as the athletics department's liaison to a variety of campus committees and initiatives. Prior to his arrival at Appalachian State, Justice was a four-year football letter winner at North Carolina from 2002 to 2005. On the field, he made 22 starts at middle linebacker and was a freshman All-American in 2002. To cap his career, Justice became the first football student-athlete in North Carolina history to earn academic All-ACC recognition four times. Justice graduated from UNC in 2005 after majoring in communications and psychology. He earned a master's degree in Public Administration from Appalachian State in 2009. A native of Manheim, Pa., Justice is married to the former Erin Griswold, who was a soccer standout at UC Santa Barbara (2002-03) and NC State (2004-05). Together they have three children: Kevin, Eliott, and Annslee.

Brad Horton joined the Georgia State staff in January 2014 in the position of Associate A.D. for Student-Athlete Development and currently serves as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Student-Athlete Development.   In his current role, Horton serves as the sport administrator for women’s track & field, cross country, and football, while overseeing the P.A.S.S. staff, including eight full-time academic coordinators, two learning specialists, and 16 assistant academic coordinators/assistant learning specialists while guiding the support programs for all 16 sports and four academic centers. He works directly with coaches on student-athlete enrollment and retention, eligibility, academic progression towards graduation, and transition from college athletics to career.   Serving as a member of President Dr. Brian Blake’s GSU Athletic Association, GSU Admission and Standards Committee, GSU Senate Committee on Athletics, and the Athletic Department’s Senior Leadership Team, Horton is charged with ensuring the graduation of student-athletes, providing an unmatched student-athlete experience, and fostering a culture of success.    With Horton leading the Office of Academic Support and Student-Athlete Development (P.A.S.S.), Georgia State recently recorded its 32nd consecutive semester with an average GPA of 3.0 or better. This past academic year (2023-2024), Panther student-athletes compiled a 3.25 cumulative GPA, with 200-plus Panther’s student-athletes at or above a 3.0 and 93 student-athletes recording a perfect 4.0 during the academic year. Also, 13 of the Panthers’ 16 teams were above a 3.0 GPA. 2023-24 P.A.S.S. HIGHLIGHTS Fall 2022          3.68 GPA cumulative department academic term GPA for women’s sports is highest to date. Spring 2023    Baseball 3.30 GPA was the program's highest mark on record. 2022-23            GSU posted a cumulative departmental GPA of 3.34, the highest mark in the Sun Belt Conference. 2023-24            Men’s Tennis was the Male Team GPA Winner, 3.77 GPA. 2023-24            Women’s Tennis was the Female Team GPA Winner, 3.92 GPA.  2023-24            GSU posted a cumulative departmental GPA of 3.25. 2023-24            Graduated 100 percent of the senior cohort in the 2023-2024 academic year. APR & GSR      Exceeded NCAA benchmarks and awarded the Sun Belt Conference student-athlete graduation and academic award. Nationally, Horton served on the National Association of Athletic Academic Advisors (N4A), as Chair of the Ethnic Concerns Committee (2016-2017), recently served as the N4A Director of Region II (2017-2019), and Chair of the Sun Belt Conference Academics Committee (2018-2019). In addition, Horton serves on the NCAA Division I Progress Toward Degree Waivers Committee for a five-year term.    Before his return to his home state, Horton spent 2011-13 at Florida State working directly with the top-ranked Seminoles’ football program as Assistant A.D. for Student-Athlete Academic Services. He first served as an Academic Program Specialist with the FSU football team starting in 2011 before being named Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Academic Services/Director of Football Advising in March 2013. Horton supervised a staff of six who coordinated academic compliance, monitored NCAA eligibility, and ensured institutional policy was followed. He collaborated directly with the university Department of Admissions regarding football student-athlete admissions while coordinating and overseeing the support of all football-related academic advisement and counseling.   Before joining the Seminoles’ staff, Horton was an academic coordinator/learning specialist at Miami (Ohio) from 2009 to 2011. He was the academic liaison for eight teams including football and men’s and women’s basketball and served as a monitor for all teams with regard to GPA, APR (Academic Progress Rate), and GSR (Graduation Success Rate).   Before Miami (Ohio), Horton was selected as one of 18 interns nationally for the NCAA’s internship program with the Student-Athlete Development group immediately following two years as a graduate assistant with Academic Services in the Mississippi State Athletics Department.   A native of Columbus, Ga., Horton earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mississippi State in 2006 and a master’s in sports management in 2008. Horton was a four-year letterman in football for the Bulldogs, including serving as a team captain during his senior year. 

Ely Abbott joined the Georgia State Athletics Department as the Senior Associate Athletic Director in October 2022 after spending the past 14 years at the College of Law through various roles-Assistant Director, Director, and Assistant Dean.     As the Assistant Dean of Development, Abbott managed all alumni affairs and development efforts for the college including major gifts, the annual campaign, management of the college’s two boards (Board of Visitors and Law Alumni Council) and volunteers, alumni and community engagement events and stewardship activities. He successful led the College of Law through Georgia State University’s Comprehensive Campaign raising $26.8 million of a $25 million goal – includes funding for the construction of a new law building, the creation of the Center for Access to Justice and the Investor Advocacy Clinic, and the expansion of endowed scholarships, including a 200% increase of endowed student scholarships.    Prior to working at Georgia State University, Abbott worked in the development office at Georgetown University Law Center and for two U.S. Senators. In 2009, Abbott briefly left Georgia State Law to become the Finance Director for then-Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker’s Gubernatorial Campaign.   A native of Montana, Abbott received his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Montana in 2000.  

Patrick Hatcher joined the Georgia State Athletics Department as the Director of Facilities and Operations in January 2016. Since then, he has been promoted to Assistant, Associate, and now Senior Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations. Hatcher oversees the management of all athletic facilities as well as the operations of athletic events and outside rentals. He also manages all facility conversions, construction and capital projects for facility renovations and upgrades. Prior to joining Georgia State, Patrick Hatcher served as the Director of Operations and Facilities in the Samford Athletics Department for four years. Hatcher oversaw all of Samford's athletic facilities while supervising game day activity for all 17 sports. In addition, Hatcher was the point person for all Southern Conference Championships and other post-season events hosted by Samford. He also served as the co-advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Hatcher began his career working as the Championships/Compliance/Operations Assistant at the Southern Conference. A native of Marietta, Ga., Hatcher is a 2011 graduate from Samford University with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and minor in business administration. In 2014, he graduated from Samford's Brock School of Business with a master's in business administration. While at Samford, Hatcher lettered in football as a defensive lineman, earning All-Southern Conference honors in 2008. He was Co-President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years.

Coach Lanier on Jess: "Jess is a star. I’m not sure you can care for the young people in our program more than she does. She is tireless and passionate. When our young men move on and reflect on their time here at Georgia State, she will be one of the very first people who come to mind." Jessica Summey joined Georgia State’s Student-Athlete Development Department in the summer of 2010. Since joining the GSU staff, she has been assigned with multiple teams, while coordinating other academic projects and programs. Summey oversees both the men’s and women’s basketball academic programs.  As her role of academic advisor, she oversaw the high-priority student-athlete development’s community service component. The Georgia State student-athletes reached over 5,000 hours of community service annually for the past two years under her leadership and organization. Summey also served as the SAAC Coordinator, working with the team leaders to develop their goals and set their projects and priorities. She has maintained the department’s excellence in the transition of department heads and staff changes. Summey is entering her fourth year as Assistant Director of Panther Athlete Support Services. She has been a nucleus in the unit that has seen the student-athletes post 20 consecutive semesters above a cumulative 3.0 GPA and set school marks for academic excellence during her eight years. In 2014 she participated in Women Leaders in College Sports Leadership Enhancement Institute.  During this time Summey also successfully participated and graduated from the Georgia State University Advancement of Women, Executive Leadership Academy in 2015. Summey has been a member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Professionals for 11 years. She has served on the Honors and Awards Committee for the past eight years and held committee chair since 2015.  Summey graduated from Appalachian State in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in organizational communication and was a member of the school’s track and field team.  She returned to Appalachian State and earned a master's degree in college student development in 2008. Summey interned at Winthrop, where she was responsible for advising and mentoring student-athletes during the 2008-09 school year. She also planned and implemented events and projects with the CHAMPS/Life Skills program. In 2009-10, Summey was an intern at Memphis, working with the academic development for the football and men's basketball teams. She also assisted with initial eligibility of all teams at Memphis.  A native of Hendersonville, N.C., Summey is a member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development (N4A) and the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators. She is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Advancement of Women from GSU in 2015 and has served as Chair for the Honors and Awards Committee for the N4A for the past four years.