“My daughter started the Academy in the fall of 2020 at the age of 9. Her goal was to get a foundational understanding of the game to eventually play for her school. Because of the Academy, she quickly developed a strong love for volleyball. The energy of the coaches involved in her training are amazing. Every one of the coaches have a true passion for the game, and love pouring into kids. My daughter looks forward to every practice and tournament. Coach Anna leads this program with a lot of thought and strategy to improve every player, and knows every player by name. She truly cares about the development of each child and their goals. My family highly recommends the academy for anyone that wants to learn the game of volleyball or improve their skills.” - Philip Wilkie (2020 - 2023 Academy Parent)

"Academy took me from the very start of my volleyball career, and brought me to the next level. It allowed me to meet my best friends and now we all play together!" - Ashley Lee (2019 - 2022 Academy Player)

"My daughter Caleigh wanted to start playing Volleyball in the 6th grade. We found Stars and signed her up for the Academy program. I was shocked to see how many kids were there for her first practice and I didn't know what to expect.  We absolutely LOVED it and we were hooked, we didn't miss an Academy for the next 3 years!  The coaches know every child by name and they truly have your child's best interest at heart!  Academy and volleyball at Stars came to us during a time that my daughter needed it the most! Coach Anna and all the other Coaches aren't just Coaches to my child but they are now family!  In 3 years Coach Anna has molded our girl into a tough athlete who is still to this day learning everything she can about the game of volleyball!  I think that this program is hands down the best program in this area and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to do something amazing for their child! Stars Academy changed our lives and I wouldn't have it any other way!" - Jennifer Pruitt (2019 - 2022 Academy Parent)

"My daughter is in the 6th grade and never played volleyball in her life before she joined Upward. She wants to play for her middle school next year. In order to have a chance to make her team, we wanted her to give her experience, so we joined the Upward Academy. When I saw the amount of girls who joined, I thought there is no way she could learn in 8 weeks how to play. I was happy to find out I was wrong. Each instructor was great and had attention to detail. The player was not a number, but they knew each player and monitored their abilities. My daughter grew and moved up as she learned more. We joined the next Academy and continued to be amazed by the organization and their attention to detail . She continues to learn and improve each and every time. I have recommended many people to the Academy. I feel Upward has a great thing going and much of that has to do with Coach Anna as she is great leader and never misses a beat!" - Dale Smith (2019 - 2021 Academy Parent)

"Upward Academy was a wonderful experience for my daughter. She started in the Fall Academy and fell in love with volleyball.  All the coaches were great helping her improve her skills and knowledge of the game. She always looked forward to practicing and tournament days! She can’t wait for the next Academy to start!" - Michelle Patton (2019 - 2021 Academy Parent) 

"We started our daughter in Upward's Fall Academy last year. She had very little experience in volleyball, except for a summer camp she attended. Academy is a terrific way to get started in volleyball, learn the basic skills and practice them. As you progress, they add on more advanced lessons. We were so impressed after the first session that we ended up doing every Academy for the next 10 months. The coaches were amazing! They really work hard to get to know your kids and encourage them in volleyball and in life. Honestly, they have become like family to us. It is great to see them work with all skill levels on the different courts, and to see the players improve. My daughter has improved so much because of her time spent at Academy throughout last year. She can't wait to start Academy again in the fall to see her coaches and friends and prepare for tryouts in October. We highly recommend the Academy for anyone wanting to learn about volleyball or to improve their skills." - Brooke Shugart (2018 - 2019 Academy Parent)