Coach Jackson Aparicio (Co-Director)
Volleyball has always been his passion.  He has an extensive volleyball background to back him up. He played High School volleyball for Estancia High in Southern California.  He then joined the Army and kept playing adult club for many years.  He also played for the All Army Volleyball Team in '96, '98, and '00.  In the club league, he was rated as an A-AA player. Jackson has been directing our volleyball clubs (Killeen Juniors and Belton Elite) since 2012.  Go Heroes!

Coach William De Gracia (Founder & Co-Director)

Our "founding father," Coach D started playing volleyball at the age of 10 and continues to play to this day. He's coached club volleyball for 13 years beginning with the club he founded, Killeen Juniors Volleyball Club (KJVC) which merged with Belton Elite as the club grew.  As an educator, he was honored to coach the Ellison High School Volleyball team for 8 years where he was the Head Coach for the last 4 years, taking the Lady Eagles to playoffs in his last two seasons.  Coach D was the visionary and founder behind KJVC, who laid the great foundation for where Heroes Volleyball is today.  "I coach because I love the game."  Go Heroes!

Coach DeAnn Aparicio
Originally from Long Beach, CA, Coach DeAnn has been involved in volleyball since 1986.  She played for Ichiban and later South Bay Volleyball clubs in CA and was recruited as a starting outside hitter for Division I level volleyball at the US Military Academy (USMA) at West Point.  At USMA, DeAnn earned the title All Patriot League Player of the Year (1996) and set several Army records, one of which still stands today as the all-time leader in # of kills in a match. After graduation, DeAnn was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Army and served close to 12 years, deploying twice to Iraq.  She was a four-time All Army and All Armed Forces Volleyball team starter, playing stateside as well as internationally in Germany and Italy, and represented the US at the Military World Games in Zagreb, Croatia.  In 2005, DeAnn was inducted into the Army Hall of Fame.

Coach Tiara McIver

Tiara McIver is equipped with 13 years of volleyball experience. She was a standout student-athlete at Killeen High School where she was a three-year varsity volleyball player and served as captain for both her junior and senior year. She also played basketball and ran track. In track, she was also a three-year varsity athlete. Tiara placed second in the region for triple jump in her junior year and also went on to compete in the state championship. During her time at Killeen High, she was awarded 2nd Team All-District in her junior year as well as co-MVP and 1Team All-District/MVP in her senior year. In addition to high school play, Tiara played club volleyball for two years. Throughout her time in competitive volleyball, she played middle blocker, right-side hitter, and defensive specialist. Being that she contributed as an all-around player for every team she has been a part of, she is knowledgeable in all aspects of the game. After high school, Tiara was awarded a full Division I scholarship to Grambling State University where she was a four-year starter. She remained in the top three of many statistical categories such as kills, passes, blocks, and even aided in assists. While in attendance at Grambling State, she was nominated for Freshman of the Year and was awarded All-Tournament in her senior year at the annual Southern University Volleyball Tournament. Along with extensive playing experience, Tiara coached club volleyball for a 16’s team in a previous organization. She believes in hard work, passion, and discipline. One of her favorite quotes is “Your ATTITUDE reflects your ALTITUDE.” In keeping with that mindset, she has high expectations for herself and those around her. She is passionate about the game and wants to use that passion to develop and mentor young athletes.

Coach Ashleigh Sympson


Coach Blake Hernandez
Coach Blake has been involved with volleyball in some form since 2004. Her career started with playing YMCA and middle school ball. She was recruited to play for KJVC for Coach DeGracia in 2008 and played until she graduated high school. Blake was a starting varsity Libero at Harker Heights High School as well as being on the varsity softball team. While playing at Harker Heights she broke the school record for most digs in a single match, at 38, against Temple High School her junior year. She received multiple honorable mentions and received frequent newspaper articles for her outstanding performance and hustle on the court. Originally receiving multiple offers to play at colleges and universities out of state, Blake decided to sign with Temple Junior College where she was the starting Libero. A later back injury caused her career to be cut short. Coach Blake has been coaching since 2014 in Austin, Round Rock and Belton. She has been with Heroes since the Spring of 2020. When she is not on the court she can be found spending time with her husband Louis and their two boys, Lukas and Graysen. Coach Blake's passion for the sport has carried her through years of injuries and heartbreaking defeats, yet she continues to inspire and uplift others by reminding young athletes that with determination and the right attitude, there is nothing you can't accomplish. 

Coach Lauren Waller
Coach Lauren has 13 years of all around volleyball experience. Since starting to play in 7th grade she fell in love with the game quickly and made it a forever part of her life. She went to high school at Groesbeck High where she was on varsity volleyball, basketball, and track from freshman to senior year. In high school she played middle and outside hitter. She continued her passion for volleyball and played at West Texas A&M as a right side. After an injury she decided to move closer to home and pursued a Bachelor's degree at UMHB. Then shortly after she received her Masters from Texas A&M. Gig em! All while still playing volleyball whenever and where ever she could. Lauren has been with Heroes going on two years now. With each new season she hopes to instill her love and knowledge for the game onto the future generations of athletes. She always says, "don't be afraid to make mistakes. It's going to happen. It is what you do and learn from those mistakes that makes you into a great athlete."