Movement Consulting  ·  Volleyball Advisory

Every volleyball player has a next level. Let's find out what's standing between you and yours.

Monica Holmes spent 20 years coaching volleyball inside the programs your athlete is trying to reach — Columbia University, the University of Illinois, Hofstra, USMMA. She knows what coaches look for, what admissions offices require, and what it actually takes to get there. Movement Consulting is how she brings that knowledge directly to your family.

Now open — accepting volleyball players in grades 8–12 for evaluations and advisory.

Request an Introduction Our Services
Head Coach, Columbia University Division I · Ivy League · NCAA · 2003–2007 · Coaching at one of the most academically selective institutions in the world
20+ Years NCAA Coaching Division I & III · Head Coach at Columbia & Pratt · Assistant Coach at USMMA, Hofstra & Illinois · Full-cycle recruiting, athlete development, and academic integration
Academic Excellence Awards AVCA Academic Award · CSAC Academic Award · USMC/AVCA Award · Both men's and women's programs recognized for academic distinction
M.A. Biobehavioral Science · Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University · B.A. UNC Charlotte · Academic foundation that informs every conversation about the student-athlete experience
Movement Consulting · Since 2013 NYC-based private advisory serving competitive athletes and high-achieving families preparing for elite college admission

"Monica spent 20 years coaching inside the very programs families spend years trying to reach. She has been in the coaches' offices. She knows the admissions standards. She has seen every version of this process from the side most families never see."

Movement Consulting is how Monica brings that inside knowledge directly to your family — one relationship at a time, with the care and precision that the process, and your child, deserves.

20+
Years NCAA Coaching
DI
Ivy League Division
3×
Academic Award Programs
Monica Holmes — Founder, Movement Consulting
IVY League Coach
About Monica Holmes

She has been on the other side of every call you are about to make.

Monica Holmes is a decorated NCAA Division I volleyball player turned head coach, educator, and advisor whose career has been built entirely at the intersection of athletic excellence and academic achievement. After competing at the highest collegiate level, Monica played professionally in Bern, Switzerland, on the Women's Professional Volleyball Association Beach Tour, and in the National Volleyball Association — before channeling that competitive edge into a coaching career spanning Columbia University and Pratt Institute as head coach, with assistant coaching roles at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Hofstra University, and the University of Illinois.

When Movement Consulting was founded in 2013, it was built on one premise: the families and athletes Monica served deserved the same inside knowledge that only coaches and institutions had access to. Between 2021 and 2023, Monica returned to the sidelines — as assistant coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy and head coach at Pratt Institute — roles she could not pass up, and ones that deepened a coaching record that began at Columbia University in 2003.

She returned knowing something no book, no former admissions officer, and no recruiting platform can replicate: what it takes to gain admission to an elite academic institution — and succeed there. Movement Consulting is that knowledge, available to your family directly.

Monica navigates this world as a parent, too. Her daughter attends Hunter College Elementary School — one of New York City's most selective gifted programs — and her son attends The Calhoun School. She is not advising from a distance. She is in it alongside you. Away from the work, Monica is an avid sailor, navigating her Delphia 47’ across the western Long Island Sound.

2003 – 2007
Head Coach — Columbia University
NCAA Division I · Ivy League · New York, NY
2021 – 2022
Assistant Coach — U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
NCAA Division III · Kings Point, NY
2023
Head Coach — Pratt Institute
NCAA Division III · Brooklyn, NY
2013 – Present
Founder — Movement Consulting
Private Athletic & Academic Advisory · NYC
Prior
Assistant Coach — Hofstra · University of Illinois
NCAA Division I
Education
M.A. Biobehavioral Science — Columbia University, Teachers College
B.A. — University of North Carolina Charlotte
The Knowledge No Platform Can Sell You

Three phases. One advisor who has lived all of them.

Phase One
What It Takes to Get There
  • Coaches build their recruiting boards 12–18 months out — most families don't know the clock has already started
  • The campus visit is a managed evaluation — arriving without a strategy is the most common and costly mistake
  • Admissions accepts the student — the coach advocates for the recruit — these are two entirely different conversations
Phase Two
What It Takes to Stay There
  • Managing two full schedules — practice and coursework rarely give ground to each other, and neither does the institution
  • Academic support at elite institutions is self-directed — no one is checking in on the student-athlete the way families expect
  • Identity pressure is real, constant, and almost never discussed before you arrive — it is one of the leading reasons athletes struggle
Phase Three
What Happens After
  • The identity shift at the end of a playing career is rarely planned for — and rarely easy — yet it is the part of the journey most advisors never address
  • The alumni network is the most underused asset in college sports — graduating with a plan to activate it is a stated goal of every Movement Consulting engagement
  • Athletic capital doesn't expire — it transfers to every room, every negotiation, and every opportunity that follows sport
Services

One advisor. The complete picture.

Every evaluation is personal, specific, and grounded in 20 years of coaching experience inside the programs your athlete is trying to reach.

Start Here

Film Review Evaluation

$300 · Introductory founding rate

Send Monica your game film. She reviews it with the eye of a Division I head coach and gives you an honest, detailed assessment of where your volleyball game actually stands — and what you need to work on to reach the next level.

  • Thorough film review by a former D-I head coach
  • Honest assessment of your current level and fit
  • Specific, actionable feedback on your game
  • Written summary you can reference and share
Reserve Your Spot →
Most Popular

In-Person Evaluation

Pricing based on location · Contact to discuss

Monica evaluates your athlete in person — watching them play, work out, or run through position-specific drills. The same D-I coaching eye, applied live. Ideal for athletes who want direct feedback and want Monica to see them compete firsthand.

  • Live in-person evaluation by Monica Holmes
  • Position-specific coaching feedback
  • Honest college-level fit assessment
  • Direct conversation with the athlete and family
Inquire →
Best Value

Season Package

From $750 · 3 evaluations

Three evaluations over the course of a season — tracking your athlete's development, measuring real progress, and adjusting the roadmap as your game evolves. The most effective way to use Monica's eye consistently over time.

  • 3 film or in-person evaluations
  • Progress tracking across the season
  • Ongoing feedback between sessions
  • Priority scheduling as a founding client
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Who We Serve

Built for families who are serious.

Movement Consulting serves a select group of athletes, families, and institutions whose goals demand more than a generalist can offer.

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Volleyball Players — Grades 8–12

Players competing at the varsity or elite club level who want an honest assessment of where their game stands and what it will take to reach the college level. Whether you're chasing a Division I roster spot or fighting for varsity, the evaluation tells you the truth — and gives you a plan.

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Players Targeting College Volleyball

Volleyball players in grades 8–12 who are serious about playing in college and want to understand what coaches are actually looking for. Monica has direct, current knowledge of how the Academic Index functions at the school level — and how Ivy League, NESCAC, and UAA programs (NYU, Chicago, Emory, WashU, Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, Rochester, Brandeis) actually build their rosters.

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Families Who Want Honest Answers

Parents who are done with vague recruiting advice and want a real assessment from someone who has actually coached at Columbia, Illinois, Hofstra, and USMMA. Not what the brochures say — what coaches actually look for when they build a roster.

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Club Teams & Independent Schools

Club programs and NYC/Northeast independent schools looking to give their volleyball players access to expert coaching evaluation and recruiting guidance. Monica works with teams and schools directly — workshops, evaluations, and parent information evenings available.

The Approach

How Monica works.

Every engagement begins the same way: Monica listens. The process is built around your child, your family, and your specific goals — not a template.

01

Discovery Conversation

Monica speaks with the family — and the athlete directly — to understand the full picture: athletic level, academic standing, target schools, timeline, and what the family actually needs from an advisor.

02

Assessment & Strategy

The athlete's profile is assessed against the realistic standards of their target programs — not the marketed standards, but what coaches and admissions offices actually respond to. Evaluations are conducted by coaches who have recruited and coached across all levels of collegiate athletics, people who know exactly what each program is looking for.

03

Active Advisory

Ongoing monthly advisory — sessions, communication coaching, academic monitoring, coach outreach support, and direct access to Monica for time-sensitive questions and decisions throughout the process.

04

Placement & Transition

Monica supports the family through the offer, commitment, and transition phases — preparing the athlete for what college actually demands so that placement is the beginning of success, not the end of the process.

"The most important thing I learned in 20 years of coaching is that the families who get the best outcomes aren't the ones who start earliest or spend the most. They're the ones who finally have an advisor who tells them the truth about what their child needs — and then helps them get there."

Monica Holmes  ·  Founder, Movement Consulting

Free Resource for Counseling Offices & Schools

A Recruiting Primer for Student-Athletes

Monica offers a free 30-minute workshop — over Zoom or in person — for college counseling offices, athletic departments, or parent groups. The session covers what student-athletes and families most often get wrong about the recruiting process: how coaches actually evaluate players, what the Academic Index means in practice, and how to make the most of the time they have left.

No cost. No obligation. No pitch — just something useful for the students you advise.

Request a Workshop
Inquire

Ready to get an honest read on where your athlete stands?

Families, counselors, and schools are all welcome here.

Whether you're a family looking for an honest evaluation, a college counselor referring a student-athlete, or a school interested in a workshop — Monica personally reviews every inquiry. She works with families whose athlete is serious about playing in college and wants a real, coach's-eye assessment of where they stand.

The first step is a 20-minute introductory call. Families and counselors who reach out will be contacted within 48 hours.

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New York City · Serving families nationally
✉️
monica@thesportsmovement.com
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(332) 238-5248

Monica personally reads every message. She will respond within 48 hours.