Crystal Akens played middle blocker on her Ontario High School team and for the Poly Juniors Volleyball Club in Pomona. She played as an outside hitter for the California Juniors Volleyball Club in Long Beach. Crystal continued in the OH position at George Washington University in D.C. where the team won the Atlantic-10 Championship and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division 1 tournament in 1995.
She began coaching while still an undergrad at the George Washington University Nike Volleyball Summer Camps in 1996 and 1997. She has coached at Geffen Academy (UCLA) for the last four years, first as the head coach of the JV team and then the Girls Varsity Assistant Coach. In 2019 the team made it to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division VIII tournament. Crystal has been coaching Sunshine Volleyball Club teams since 2018.
Her coaching philosophy is that coaches provide the environment for players to uncover new things about themselves. When players are respected and engaged in ways that make sense to them, they are inspired to bring their best selves to the court.
Crystal loves seeing the girls light-up when they add a new skill or ability to their repertoire.
Off the courts Crystal runs her own accounting firm in Marina del Rey. Her greatest joy is being a Mom to her son.
