Meet The Team
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Ryan Jay Owens
Founder & Lead U21 Mentor
Location: Europe (Since 2022) & USAIn 2006, RJO founded EliteVolley.com with a vision to democratize the pro volleyball job market. RJO leads the evolution of EliteVolley.com as a company bringing forward focused solutions to the volleyball community. RJO’s passion lies in mentoring and coaching athletes to become the athletes they dream of being.
He competed at the highest professional levels in Italy, Brazil, South Korea, and over 18 other countries. He was a member of Team USA’s 18-man roster three times and, for the first time, competed in the Pan Am Cup in a Team USA jersey.
He’s also the company’s sole licensed agent.
FIVB License N° 220084
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Playing History
Contact:
- WhatsApp -
Tommy OHare OLY
Legal & Athlete Relations
Location: USATommy is an Olympian and California Licensed attorney with over 20 years of experience working in sports for Google/YouTube, the International Olympic Committee, Warner Bros/Discovery, and the LA Clippers.
Tommy is a skilled marketer, relationship builder, and negotiator. He brings his passion for sports and athletes to Elite Volley, where he leads all negotiations and legal work.
Accomplishments:
- Awarded YouTube Platinum Employee
- Competed in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, Nagano, Japan
- Member of the California Bar 2006 - present
- LinkedIn
- More
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Valeria "Vali" Hejjas
NCAA Division Coordinator
Location: Prague, Czech Republic & HungaryVali has been the NCAA Division Coordinator at Elite Volley for five years. She is a former All-American for Kansas State University, a member of the Hungarian national team, and a Euro Cup professional. She oversees the recruitment of international athletes and ensures they receive guidance and mentorship. Her experience playing professionally in France and Greece adds value to the NCAA transition process.
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Martyna (Piechocka) Przewlekły
Poland Events & Recruitment Coordinator
Location: Belchatow, PolandMartyna deeply understands the Polish volleyball ecosystem, has an extensive Polish pro and federation network, and comes from a prominent Polish men’s volleyball family with a long history in the Champions League.
She is responsible for expanding Elite Volley's presence in Poland. She is also involved in marketing and recruitment, helping Polish athletes and families navigate U.S. and international opportunities.
Starting in 2025, she will organize international exchange events to foster collaboration between U.S. and Polish volleyball coaches.
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Deja McClendon-Domzalska
Global Sales and Events Lead
Location: Gdansk, Poland & USAA former standout for Penn State University and 2x National Champion, Deja has played professionally in Brazil, Europe, Athletes Unlimited, and Team USA. She has extensive experience with the NCAA and has helped with the administration and management of Athletes Unlimited USA and international volleyball systems, helping athletes transition smoothly.
Her passion is creating and leading events and unique experiences for small and large groups worldwide. Deja now resides in Poland and works directly with Polish and international athletes to leverage U.S. and European opportunities.
She also works as a mentor in our U21 division.
“We’re seeking new staff & interns! Apply below!”
Detailed Staff Backgrounds
RJO - Ryan Jay Owens
Background: I was born in Colorado and raised in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois. I started volleyball at 16 in February 1997. At seventeen, I left after high school to go to college in Colorado and California. At 21, I left the USA for European volleyball in 2002. I found my first three teams and played a lot of beach volleyball in Germany between 2002 and 2005. I emailed Team USA’s Hugh McCutcheon to try out. I was invited and earned a spot on the 18-man roster as a receiver.
My Origin Story With EliteVolley.com: Unhappy with my agent and team contracts for my first three years of pro volleyball, I found a former Olympian working on high-profile endorsement deals with Nike, Diageo, and others. I needed better clauses in my contract to protect me; he was a licensed lawyer in California, and his contract clauses and negotiations helped me tremendously. Teams were no longer getting away with unfair things to me without me having the power to fight (if needed). In January 2006, I started EliteVolley.com with him, understanding athletes would benefit from more fair practices and transparency in our sport.
Volleyball Career: Pro 2002-2017 (Click to see CV). I played in Germany, Greece, Puerto Rico, Brazil, South Korea, and Italy and have four years of experience playing for the USA national team. I participated in Champions League, CEV, and Challenge Cup teams and, throughout my pro career, won some gold, silver, and bronze team medals as well as match and league-best server, spiker, and point scorer awards.
Fun Facts:
I still dream of playing beach volleyball whenever possible.
During my first semester of college, I lived in Colorado near a mountain resort called Purgatory, where I would snowboard often. I still dreamed of being a pro-X-Games athlete in snowboarding, biking, aggressive inline skating, and skateboarding. I also realized I missed volleyball a ton and was thinking of how to find a way to play.
Where To Find Me: I reside between Croatia, Serbia, Germany, and the USA. I lead our mentorship services and serve as the only licensed agent for our agency service. Connect or follow along on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | BeyondAthletic.com
Vali - Valeria Hejjas
Background: From Hungary, she traveled to the USA for college volleyball. Now married and with two children, she started a business career with Hertz in Paris, France, and during her two-and-a-half years playing in France, she quickly moved up to her last role as a supervisor in management. Based in Prague, Czech Republic, Vali (Vah-lee) played for Team Hungary and was an AVCA All-American HM & 1st Team BIG 12 player at Kansas State (Elite 8 and Sweet 16 finishes), where she finished a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Business & Management. She also has helpful experience from a course in Sports Mgmt in Europe.
My Origin Story With Elite:
Volleyball Career: Pro 2006-2013 She played professionally in France for Istres Ouest Provence + Nantes (as captain) & finally AEK Athens, where she unlaced after a career-ending injury.
Our Former Admin’s & Interns
Nadja (Nawd-jah) aka “the Admin Ninja” been around professional volleyball her whole life growing up with two parent’s managing a pro club in Belgrade, Serbia and a grandfather that owned the pro team, Partizan. She’s currently a university student on a gap year and helping us get things done. She’s help us mainly in the Balkan region with preparation for #EliteVolleyCombine’s and general day-to-day organization and administrative tasks.
Nadja Golijanin (Serbia)
Admin
Based in Brasilia, Brasil, Pedro Claudio played for a A1 team in Brasilia. He has been designing for less than 3 months as he starts with our #EliteVolleyFam & we love his goal to uplift and inspire athletes worldwide by showing them to the world as they see themselves!
Why did I apply?
I’m here because I’m volleyball lover! As volleyball player, I know how hard it is to be a professional player on this sport, and Elite show me that we can make it easier and better for all of young and old players around the world! And i want to help these athletes to get there with a very strong media!
What Can I Gain?
I hope to gain experience on graphic design, doing the most craziest arts for our players as well i hope to gain more experience on volleyball and know more about how to be a successful volleyball player!
Best Help Us?
I think the image of a player is one of the most important things on their career, and with my knowledge in both areas (volleyball and graphic design) I can help Elite creating a strong social media for them and all athletes on it!
Follow him on Instagram!
Pedro Claudio da Silva (Brazil)
Graphic Design Intern
Work Globally with Us!
Contractors: Scouts, Team Tour Leaders, Junior Agents, etc.
Interns: Social Media & Marketing, UI/UX and Graphic Designers, Back-end programmers, etc.