Luke Sunukjian
Dave Goss
Madison Serrano
Steve Stokes, Providence athletic director, is pleased to announce the hiring of three new girls volleyball coaches.
“In our coaching search, we focused on finding the right group of people to build a great volleyball program here at Providence. We have found that dynamic group,” he says, announcing the appointments of head coach David Goss, head JV coach Luke Sunukjian, and assistant coach Madison Serrano. “Beyond the coaching pedigrees our staff brings to the table, they are all incredible leaders for our student-athletes,” says Stokes.
Dave Goss joins the Patriots as head girls volleyball coach. Goss was an All-Channel League volleyball player at San Marcos High School under legendary coach Jon Lee. He was a scholarship athlete and two-time First Team All-American at Stanford University. While playing for the Cardinal, Goss set the NCAA record for most kills in one match (55) in a 1992 showdown against UCLA in Pauley Pavilion.
After college, Goss continued his playing career as a professional with Team Nossa Caixa in Suzano, Brazil and in a seven-month stint with the US National Men’s Team.
Goss began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Stanford in 1994. He went on to launch the “Dave Goss Beach Volleyball Camps” in Redondo Beach in 1996, running them through 2000. During those five years, Goss served as head boys volleyball coach and assistant girls volleyball coach at West Torrance High School. Competing in the prestigious Ocean and Bay Leagues, Goss led the boys to their first CIF playoff victory in over ten years in his second year at the helm of the program.
Today, Goss pastors Light and Life Goleta, a Free Methodist church serving Isla Vista, launched in 2008 by him and his wife of 15 years, Tracey (TJ Buckner) Goss. They are the parents of three boys, Noah (13), Caleb (11), and Micah (9)—all Providence students.
Athleticism runs in the family. Tracey Goss played collegiate volleyball at Texas Tech and Cal State Dominguez Hills. Her sister, Annett Davis, was a National Champion and All-American at UCLA and Olympian in 2000. Goss’s father-in-law, Cleveland Buckner, was a professional basketball player for the New York Knicks.
Welcoming Goss to the Patriots coaching roster, A.D. Stokes says: “It is an exciting time in school history, with an already strong girls volleyball program developed under retiring coach Laura Newton, who led Providence to it’s best performance ever last season. With Dave Goss and his assistant coaches on board, we are confident the program will continue its ascent. Players will flock to join this fun, champion-building program.”
Luke Sunukjian, the new head coach of the Junior Varsity team, was raised in Santa Barbara and grew to love playing volleyball while at San Marcos High School. He played on an elite-level club team while studying business and economics at Westmont. After graduating, Sunukjian worked as personal trainer at 24-Hour Fitness in Huntington Beach before turning to a career teaching math and coaching volleyball.
After working at Traduce Hills High School in Washington, D.C. and completing a masters degree in mathematics from The George Washington University, Sunukjian and his family (wife Melanie and four children) moved back to Santa Barbara in 2011. He currently teaches math at San Marcos HS and has coached the Royals freshman boys volleyball team the past four years.
“It is my desire to develop players love for volleyball through team building, learning skill and strategy, and competing with intensity and humility,” Sunukjian says. “I am excited to work with Dave Goss to create an environment where our players will learn to work hard, be good teammates, and thrive in competition.”
Assistant coach Madison Serrano comes to Providence after playing for Westmont the past four years. She graduated this past spring with a degree in political science. She was the Westmont team captain, a two-time All-GSAC player, and an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention. She received the Cliff Hamlow Character Award. Serrano left her mark on the Westmont women’s program: she is fifth all-time in career kills, fourth all-time in aces, and fourth all-time in digs.
A decorated high school player for Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona,
Serrano was also president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) chapters in high school and college. She was instrumental in bringing FCA to Westmont.
Serrano began her coaching career at FCA summer volleyball camps. “It is there I was able to develop players not just on the court, but also to create a spiritual experience,” she says. “I look forward to doing the same at Providence.”
Providence is a member of the CIF. The school serves 275 students, preschool through high school.
