BOONE, N.C. — App State Volleyball head coach Chad Sutton announced his coaching staff Thursday with the addition of three assistants. His staff will include Ed Tolentino as associate head coach, Brooke Phillips as assistant coach & recruiting coordinator, and Valerie Sutton as assistant coach & director of volleyball operations.
"I am really excited about the staff that is joining me in this endeavor to take App State over the top," Chad Sutton said. "As with recruiting, my goal is always to bring the very best of people together. This staff consists of high-character, high-quality people first and foremost. Their acumen for the game and ability to teach, connect, and inspire further sets them apart. Lastly, what makes me most excited about each of them is their desire to impact our student-athletes beyond the court. This is a staff that truly cares about our players' experience and works to enhance it in every way. I thank them for their belief in me as a leader and cannot wait to work alongside them each and every day."
Ed Tolentino | Associate Head Coach
"I'm excited to start this new chapter of my coaching career and use my experience to help continue the rise of this program," Tolentino said. "I share the same vision and goals as Coach Sutton, and I look forward to coming to Boone."
Tolentino comes to Boone after leading Xavier's volleyball program as the associate head coach. He had served as Xavier's associate head coach since 2017 and was an assistant coach for the Musketeers for the 2016 season. Last season, the Musketeers recorded four sweeps and a pair of five-set victories. Xavier also had its first Big East Co-Freshman of the Year in four seasons in Margo Kemp, who recorded a hitting percentage of .345 and appeared in all 28 of Xavier's matches during the 2024 campaign.
In 2023, the Musketeers went 18-12, placing fourth in the Big East regular season standings and appearing for a second consecutive year in the conference tournament. Xavier also notched its first program victory against No. 11 Creighton, a Big East rival, marking its first ranked win since 2007. Tolentino also mentored four-time Big East honoree Carrigan O'Reilly. O'Reilly was the second Musketeer to eclipse 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs in addition to tallying six career triple-doubles and 47 career double-doubles. Tolentino was a member of the staff that won the 2022 Big East Coaching Staff of the Year award after helping guide Xavier to a 21-12 record, a third-place finish in the Big East regular season standings and an appearance in the NIVC Quarterfinals. Across his nine seasons in Cincinnati, Tolentino guided eight athletes to All-Big East honors, two athletes to AVCA All-Region First-Team accolades and one athlete (Abbey Bessler) to an AVCA All-America accolade.
Tolentino has been a collegiate volleyball coach since 1997, and his coaching journey has included stops at UConn, Morehead State, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Madonna (Mich.), and Oakland.
In 2015, Tolentino assisted UConn to a 16-15 (10-10 AAC) record and two All-AAC honorees.
For two seasons, Tolentino was on the coaching staff for Morehead State, where he helped guide the Eagles to their fourth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) title and second NCAA Tournament appearance.
From 2009-12, he was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. He assisted Georgia Tech to 72 wins as well as an appearance in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Individually, he guided three athletes to AVCA All-America accolades.
Tolentino has also coached at the club level with the Premier Volleyball Academy in Maumee, Ohio, and M-Juniors in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Tolentino is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association and National Athletic Trainers Association. Before becoming a volleyball coach, he was a minor league trainer for the Detroit Tigers Organization.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Detroit Mercy in 1997. During his collegiate playing career, he was a setter and defensive specialist at Macomb College before studying at Detroit Mercy.
Brooke Phillips | Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join App State Volleyball and work alongside Coach Sutton and the rest of this talented staff," Phillips said. "I'm eager to build relationships, attract outstanding student-athletes, and help push this program forward."
For the 2025 spring season, Phillips was a graduate assistant coach at Mercer. She also capped her playing career as a setter at Mercer during the 2024 season. Phillips, who was named the 2024 SoCon Setter of the Year, appeared in 33 matches and 123 sets for the Bears. She averaged 9.77 assists per set, totaling 1,202 on the year.
Prior to her time in Macon, Ga., Phillips made stops at Lipscomb (2019-Spring 2021) and IU Indy (Fall 2021-2023). Across three seasons at IU Indy, then called IUPUI, Phillips appeared in 83 matches and 316 sets, totaling 1,001 assists (3.17 per set) and 743 digs (2.35 per set). She also served up 120 aces with the Jaguars. During the 2021 spring season, Phillips competed at Lipscomb, appearing in 13 matches. She ranked second on the team in the assists category, tallying 178.
Valerie Sutton | Assistant Coach & Director of Volleyball Operations
"I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to help take App State Volleyball over the top," Valerie Sutton said.
Valerie Sutton served as an assistant coach at Mercer for two seasons and had coached in a similar role at Coastal Carolina.
She joined the Mercer staff in 2023. In her two seasons with the Bears, she helped lead the team to a 42-19 record. Last season, the Bears went 26-7, marking their best program record, and clinched the program's first outright SoCon regular season title as well as their first postseason appearance. She also helped guide the Bears to a 16-12 overall record and 12-4 SoCon record during the 2023 season. The 2023 season was highlighted by the program's first win at Samford in nearly three decades.
In 2022, Sutton was part of the coaching staff at Coastal Carolina, where she helped guide the Chanticleers to 17 victories and a runner-up finish in the Sun Belt East Division standings. The Chanticleers recorded a team hitting percentage of .235, and their non-conference slate was highlighted by a shutout of Virginia Tech.
Sutton made her coaching debut as an assistant coach at McCutcheon High School in Indiana. She helped guide the Mavericks to the program's first state championship, a record of 30-6, and 26 sweeps. In the program's seven matches in the state tournament, the Mavericks only dropped two sets.
A two-time All-American at Purdue, Sutton (then Valerie Nichol) appeared in 455 sets and 132 matches for the Boilermakers from 2011-14. She registered 903 kills and a career hitting percentage of .215 with 2,149 assists, 623 digs, 213 blocks, and 57 aces. Additionally, she notched 30 double-doubles and four triple-doubles and was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She was also a member of the USA National Collegiate A2 Team (2012, 2013) and a member of the USA College U22 National Team that made an appearance in the 2014 Global Challenge in Europe. In 2017, she received an invitation to the USA National Team Training Camp. For eight years, she competed professionally in Germany, Poland, Puerto Rico, and the United States.
In 2015, she earned her bachelor's degree in movement and sport science from Purdue. She married App State head coach Chad Sutton, whom she had coached with at Coastal Carolina and Mercer, in 2023. They had their son, Brody, in 2025.
