Coach Nev
Coach Nev's story is a textbook story of the American dream. She was born and raised as Nevena Stefanov in Belgrade, Serbia, a country with a rich volleyball tradition, but also with a very complicated and turmolous history. Her first encounter with volleyball was when she was only 8 years old. Thanks to excellent coaching and support, and despite the devastating civil war the country was going through at the time, Nevena thrived. Thanks to her ability and relentless work ethic, at only 14 years old she became a member of the National Youth Volleyball Team that won the Balkan* championship.
*A region comprising of 10 countries in southeastern Europe
When she was 18 years old, she received a full athletic scholarship from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, USA. With only two duffle bags and some pocket money, she left home and moved to the United States, speaking less than basic English. With typical determination and iron will, she dominated in the new role of a student athlete, receiving numerous prestigious awards as a Division I setter.
Today, she holds two degrees from UAB - a BA in Psychology, as well as an MA in Clinical Nutrition/Dietetics.
During her collegiate career, she received numerous awards and recognitions including NCAA division I All- American Honorable Mention 2018, Setter of the year Conference USA 2018, and she received a Post Eligibility Scholarship for an Exceptional Student Athlete, On and Off the Court.
Upon completing her career as a player, she stepped into coaching, primarily working the UAB summer camps, discovering a whole new dimension to the game, and thus starting a brand new chapter of her life.
She founded Blockout Academy with a firm conviction that a good coach has a crucial role in an athlete's success. Teaching all the key values necessary for success - work ethic, confidence, dedication, perseverance, persistence and respect, as well as knowledge of a healthy lifestyle is a coach's most important job.
If Coach Nev had to be described in one sentence, it would be Dream Big, Work Hard.
Coach Mekaila
Coach Mekaila was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She always loved sports and played both volleyball and basketball throughout high school. There, she earned the MVP award her junior and senior years and went on to receive a volleyball scholarship for college.
She started coaching at Blockout Academy during her senior year of high school, and her love for the sport and the academy keeps her there today. Coach Mekaila’s favorite part of teaching is helping athletes learn a new skill or reach their potential. She is inquisitive and encouraging, which endears her to her athletes.
Mattie Test
Mattie serves as our Marketing Director and handles all things social media. She graduated from Hoover High School in 2019 and played volleyball for five years at Hoover, Simmons, and Alabama Juniors.
With her love of fashion and social media she has taken on the job that put Block Out on the map! She is the face behind the camera and tries her best to capture all angles of what we do at our facility.
Mattie has a passion for helping people and loves to bond with the girls who come to our gym. She takes every opportunity to make someone smile even if it’s not for the camera! She will also serve as a Mental Performance Coach/Mentor for our athletes in 2023/24.
Coach Jared
Our Strength and Conditioning Coach Jared is from Gadsden, Alabama. He graduated from Southside High School where he was a basketball and track athlete. He first became interested in performance training as a way to improve his abilities on the basketball court. He took his passion for strength & conditioning with him to the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Nutrition. He will be continuing his education beginning in the Spring of 2023 as a physical therapy student at UAB.
Coach Jared has a passion for educating youth athletes on sports performance and providing them with the best training so that they can excel in life and sport.