Lance Abbott

Lance has been the Director for the CSRA Heat since 2005, and coaching with the Heat since 2007. He is a strong proponent of positive reinforcement in coaching, and a regular attendee at coaching clinics. He is active in the Palmetto Region of USAV, serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors. He also runs the regions ranking system.In his life outside volleyball, Lance is a Sr Fellow Engineer at the Savannah River Site. He earned his Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech and his Masters from the University of Maryland.

Assistant Director; Head Coach

Connie Spearman

Connie has filled many roles since she began with the Heat in 2004, currently holding the positions of Assistant Director and Head Coach, in addition to being the head coach for this season's 14 National team. As the Head Coach, Connie leads the Heat's curriculum development, summer and winter clinics, coach mentoring program, and oversees specialized coaches' training and development. Beyond travel ball, Connie has also coached at both the JV and Varsity levels at both private and public schools in the CSRA. As a retired educator, Connie understands the value of building fundamentals as well as promoting life-long learning. Leading by example, Connie is an active member with professional coaching communities, such as the AOCV and USAV. Connie's Heat teams have consistently finished in the Open Gold and Silver divisions at the Palmetto Region Championships and made strong showings both at AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL and the Big South National Qualifier in Atlanta, GA. Furthermore, she is a regional referee, has attended IMPACT training, and is IMPACT certified.

Collegiate Recruitment Coordinator and USA Volleyball High Performance Pipeline Liaison

Rafael Salazar

In 1979, Rafael was a member of the National High School Champion Costa Rican Team. He continued his volleyball career at the University of Arkansas where he helped to develop Division 1 NCAA boys' volleyball. From 2003-2005 he coached at Aiken Preparatory School and the Alleluia Community School. After following his daughter's volleyball career, he began coaching with the Heat in 2012. 

Since 2014, Rafael has been involved with the USAV – High Performance. The HP Program at USA Volleyball works to advance volleyball talent and build a broader and stronger pipeline of athletes and coaches for our USA Olympic Teams. The High Performance Program bridges the gap between our USA National Teams and youth volleyball programs across the country. This is done through a system of national tryouts which then qualify athletes for training programs, camps, and Youth and Junior National Teams. The High Performance Program at USA Volleyball is the “Pipeline” for volleyball athletes who aspire to reach the elite level of their sport and is intended to grow the pool of talented young players who may someday compete for a spot on the USA National and Olympic Teams.

Market Manager

Nicole Segura

Nicole was an all-state and all-region player at Augusta Prep where she co-captained two state championship teams, including the 2007 Hall of Fame squad. She has coached with Carolina Juniors Volleyball (Charlotte), the Rock Hill Volleyball Club, FH Wardlaw Academy, and Greenbrier High School . She is currently the varsity volleyball coach at Evans High School. Nicole has been coaching with the CSRA Heat since 2012, and in February of 2014 she had the special opportunity to attend the USA Volleyball High Performance Coaches' Clinic at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Furthermore, Nicole is an Assistant Coach with the USAV High Performance Pipeline, and she regularly helps HP tryouts in Atlanta, apprenticed at the SELECT A3 Camp in Grand Rapids, MI in July of 2017, and will assist with the SELECT A2 Camp in Colorado Springs, CO in July of 2018. Nicole's 15 National team for the 2018 season earned the first National bid in club history and attended the USAV GJNC in Detroit, Michigan in June.