Ramona Volleyball Club Brings Opportunities Closer to Home

For families in Ramona and San Diego Country Estates, finding competitive youth sports opportunities often means traveling outside the community. The newly expanded Ramona Volleyball Club is working to change that by bringing volleyball opportunities closer to home.

The club’s fall girls’ program is currently underway, running from August 10 through mid-October. The program offers two age groups, fifth and sixth grade and seventh and eighth grade with practices held twice a week on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

The fall season includes three tournaments at San Diego Volleyball in San Diego near Rancho Bernardo, where Ramona players will compete against teams from throughout San Diego County and Southern California.

Leading the program is Shawn Back, San Diego Country Estates resident and a Hall of Fame coach who has been coaching volleyball for approximately 30 years.

According to his wife, Stacey Back, Shawn began coaching high school and club volleyball after the family moved to San Diego and has continued coaching ever since, including time with Epic Volleyball and San Diego Volleyball. The idea for bringing organized volleyball to Ramona grew from the Backs’ own family experience.

“My husband coached club for years, and when my daughter was in sixth grade, we asked her soccer team if they would do a volleyball season,” Stacey said. “We knew there was no volleyball available in Ramona.”

That experience eventually grew into something larger. After a successful spring 2026 session, the Backs decided to open the program to a wider group of local children. The spring program runs from January through May, with plans for a coed skills clinic.

“We would love to expand our league and to offer to boys as well,” Stacey said.

Players are divided into groups based on skill level, allowing them to develop their abilities while competing against teams from communities throughout the region. While competition is an important part of the program, the Backs say their larger goal is to make volleyball accessible to local families.

“Our goal was not just to offer volleyball in Ramona but to make it accessible to families in Ramona,” Stacey said.

Affordability is also a priority.

“We are trying to make it as affordable to families,” she said. “We want as many kids who want an opportunity to try it out and love it.”

The club hopes to continue growing as interest in the sport increases. Plans could include weeklong volleyball camps and additional programs for local players.

The fall tournaments also provide an opportunity for Ramona athletes to see what competitive volleyball looks like beyond their own community. The teams they face will come from throughout Southern California, giving young players the chance to compete against athletes from other areas and see where their volleyball journey could eventually lead.

The program also places an emphasis on mentorship. Stacey and Shawn’s 16-year-old daughter, Sybil, has played volleyball consistently since sixth grade and now helps coach alongside her father and other high school coaches.

The involvement of high school athletes gives younger players the opportunity to learn from players who have recently been in their shoes. The older athletes serve as mentors while gaining experience teaching and encouraging the next generation.

“The high school kids pour into other kids,” Stacey said.

For the Backs, having high school students involved is about more than volleyball skills.

“If the high school kids are here, they are doing something good,” Stacey said.

Ultimately, the Backs hope Ramona Volleyball Club becomes a lasting part of the local youth sports community and gives children an opportunity that previously required families to travel outside Ramona.

“We are passionate about it,” Stacey said. “We want to be part of the fabric to make it available.”

As the club looks toward its spring season and future growth, the goal remains to provide local children with a place to learn the game, develop their skills, build friendships and discover a sport they can continue playing as they grow.

 Photos by Tiffany Pressler