For anyone who knows Coach G, they would have to agree with the fact that Volleyball is not just a sport for her, but it is necessity of life. Therefore, it would not be an understatement to say that Grachella is passionate about Volleyball! 

From the early age of 10, she fell in love with the sport in her native Philippines.  Upon arriving in Canada with her family, she continued to hone her volleyball skills and has achieved great success as a player; college & university volleyball scholarships in Canada and the U.S., Captain of her teams, All-Star, MVP, Athlete of the Year Awards. Despite transitioning her playing career from the court to the beach, she has come out of retirement more recently to compete in two World Masters Games in both Australia and Italy.

It did not take long for Grachella to recognize that her enthusiasm for the sport transcended playing and thus she began to coach.  Her credentials include being an NCCP Level II coach, serving multiple years as an Assistant Coach at Cambrian College and also at the University of Guelph.  She also had a couple of stints as the Director of Gryphon Volleyball and Beach Volleyball camps in Guelph. She also coached Ontario Summer Games Teams in Beach Volleyball, where her teams earned silver and bronze medals.   In 2009, she moved west and quickly entrenched herself in the Edmonton volleyball community.  She has coached girls volleyball at the U13, U14 and U17 age groups since arriving, plus spends countless hours running training sessions for Aspire Volleyball and has also dedicated her coaching talents to several athletes who play Beach Volleyball, during the summer months.

As a coach, Grachella takes an immense amount of pride in developing her athletes.  Stressing leadership, hard work, discipline and the technical fundamental skills are at the forefront of her coaching philosophy.  What sets her apart is her adaptability, her ability to teach and communicate but above all else, her affinity to build strong relationships among her coaching staff and players.

Grachella is looking forward to this, her third season with the NAVC program.