D.C. volleyball franchise hires coach as 2027 nears

D.C. hires – D.C. has been awarded a Major League Volleyball expansion team for 2027, and the franchise is filling out its front office and coaching staff as it moves toward its first match in January. Deitre Collins-Parker was hired as the team’s first coach, with Kate Gr

On a league calendar that only keeps getting closer, D.C.’s new professional women’s volleyball team is starting to look less like an idea and more like a destination.

Last August, the D.C. region was formally awarded a Major League Volleyball (MLV) expansion franchise, slated to start play in 2027. The team will be owned by the ownership group that owns Major League Soccer club D.C. United, All United Sports and Entertainment, led by investors Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan.

In recent weeks, the franchise has begun assembling the people who will shape it. The team announced it has made two hires as it prepares for its first match next January. It first hired Kate Greenberg, an executive with experience working with multiple D.C.-area sports teams, as team president. Then, on Wednesday, veteran coach Deitre Collins-Parker was brought in as the team’s first coach.

Collins-Parker and Greenberg spoke about their roles, the franchise’s identity, and how they expect to build a roster for the inaugural season.

MLV’s growth sets the stage for D.C.

Major League Volleyball is the top-flight competition for women’s professional volleyball in the United States. Since its 2025 merger with the Pro Volleyball Federation, the MLV has grown to eight teams across the country. Heading into the 2027 season, D.C. will be one of four new franchises, bringing the league to 12.

Collins-Parker, the first coach hired for the D.C. team, carries decades of volleyball experience. She was awarded the Honda Broderick as the nation’s top collegiate volleyball player twice during her time at the University of Hawaii. She played for the U.S. national team for seven years, including at the 1988 Olympics, and later played professionally in Italy and France.

After her playing career, Collins-Parker coached college volleyball for 25 years. Her stops included UNLV, Cornell, and San Diego State, where she won multiple conference titles. She later transitioned to an assistant coach role for the San Diego Mojo. helping lead the team to the semifinals in 2024.

Greenberg praised the choice of coach as both a signal and a resource.

“Deitre Collins-Parker is a legend in volleyball,” Greenberg said. “It is such a signal for the type of franchise that we are building on the court. specifically in her case. but off the court. the standard of excellence. then the depth of experience that she represents is exactly what we were looking for.”.

Greenberg’s role is built around the business of making a team

Greenberg’s path to this franchise runs through both sports and operations. She previously worked for the Washington Nationals, Washington Spirit, and D.C. Defenders in marketing and business roles.

According to a release, she will oversee the team’s “commercial, operational, and community-facing functions” ahead of its inaugural season.

“The opportunity to build a franchise from scratch, and that means everything, every piece of it, on the business side and the volleyball side, is a really unique opportunity,” Greenberg said. “It’s the type of thing that I enjoy sinking my teeth into.”

Both Greenberg and Collins-Parker described their working relationship as essential to building a team that can compete from the start.

Collins-Parker said she was hired as an “expert in volleyball,” and she believes the ownership has assembled a front office that will help put “the best foot forward.”

“She may not understand what kind of offense I’m running, but she understands the need for me to get the best hitter that I can,” Collins-Parker said. “I think we work well together. It’s the mutual respect that is going to make the difference in everything.”

Team identity is in the works, and fans can start signing up

The franchise has already developed its identity, including its name, colors, and logo, but it has not been released yet. Greenberg told WTOP that the details will be revealed “very, very soon.”

Fans are being encouraged to sign up for email updates on the team’s website to receive news leading up to its first match.

“Our name and our visual identity are rooted first and foremost in the sport of volleyball but also has unique and distinct connection to D.C.,” Greenburg said.

Home base, training site, and what “close to the court” will mean

As the team prepares for its early months, it is still sorting out training and venue options. Greenberg said the region has several “really wonderful, viable playing venues,” and the team may not play in the same arena every year as it grows.

The franchise could begin in a smaller arena and expand over time. Greenberg said the ultimate goal is calling D.C.’s soccer stadium, Audi Field, home once a roof is added.

Levien previously told WTOP last August that he is exploring a private-public partnership with the D.C. government to expand the 20,000-seat stadium, which would include an enclosed roof.

Regardless of where it plays first, Greenberg said fans can expect to be close to the court, including floor and courtside seating.

“The opportunity for us here is to grow and scale the team year after year after year into potentially bigger and bigger venues until we’re able to play at Audi Field,” she said.

The team is also watching how other MLV franchises draw crowds. The league’s eight teams play in venues of varying sizes, with the Omaha Supernovas drawing 16,838 in March—setting a new attendance record for an indoor women’s professional volleyball match.

Once the logo and name are released, Greenberg said the franchise can begin connecting with the area’s volleyball communities and start selling tickets and merchandise.

Collins-Parker’s next steps: recruiting, roster rules, and a defensive identity

For the next few months, Collins-Parker will spend her time talking to agents, recruiting players, and building a roster geared for the opening serve of the new MLV season.

League rules require teams to field a 14-player roster, with no more than three international players.

Collins-Parker said she plans to build a defensive-first team with a diverse roster designed to be hard to beat.

“We’re going to have the attitude that no ball hits the floor, so if that happens, we’re in long rallies,” she recalled telling a potential player. “You’re getting to see the ball cross the net a lot, because we keep sending that ball back to you.”

While she builds the roster, Collins-Parker—currently based in Arizona—plans to visit D.C. in hopes of meeting potential fans and building anticipation for the franchise’s inaugural season.

“The community makes the girls feel professional, and the girls being professional makes the community feel excited,” she said. “We’ve got to merge those two things and really make D.C. a special place to be and play, because people have bought in and support the wonderful women that we will have.”

Major League Volleyball MLV D.C. United All United Sports and Entertainment Jason Levien Steve Kaplan Kate Greenberg Deitre Collins-Parker Audi Field women’s volleyball