Voodoo Volleyball bounces back in OP: Father-daughter duo doubles as new venture’s setters

Quinn Austin put several sports to the test as a preteen — racing from basketball practice to softball to volleyball.

But she latched on to just one.

“Volleyball. It was my sport. Everyone was having a good time,” she said. “We just loved the cheers — a cheer when we got a hit, a cheer when we got an ace. It was the camaraderie. I just committed to volleyball.”

Now after 10 years as a coach, Quinn, 26, is partnering with her father, Kerry, on the new VooDoo Volleyball facility in Overland Park. They are scheduling a July 1 opening at 7641 E. Frontage Road, next to Floor & Decor. 

The 30,000-square-foot facility is expected to feature five volleyball courts, concessions, and a players’ lounge with a film room (members will be able to watch games and strategize with their coaches). 

The facility is designed for girls ages 10 to 18. Boys’ teams will be added later this year or in 2026.

Volleyball has long been a bonding experience for the father-daughter team.

Quinn Austin and Kerry Austin, Voodoo Volleyball; photo by Joyce Smith

They would play in the driveway of their Overland Park home every night — rain or shine — daydreaming of having a club one day. But they thought it would be after she finished college.

“Dad and I learned volleyball together,” Quinn said. “He would sit and watch and then after we got home from my two-hour practice we would play another two hours. It was such a fun thing.”

They started coaching separate teams, and then parents asked them to start a club. VooDoo Volleyball followed in 2018. 

At first they had teams in each age group — quickly deciding it was better to start teaching the girls at a younger age and just move up every year.

Quinn earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 2020, and then a master’s in psychology with an emphasis on mental health from Avila University in 2024.

Kerry was a fleet administrator for a Lenexa interior contracting company before retiring at 55, more than a decade ago, to golf and fish while also continuing to coach.

Through the years and changes, VooDoo Volleyball was getting less and less court time as other sports became a priority. One building was sold to a nonprofit thrift store.

“Nothing was dependable. So every year it was kind of scrambling,” Quinn said. “What are we going to do so these girls have a place to go?”

They started searching for their own site a year ago and signed a 10-year lease in September for the former storage facility, just east of I-35. They’ve since reworked the lighting so it faces upward, to not blind players. They’ve added walls to separate areas, a new heating system, and soon new bathrooms. They are self-financing the operation.

Volleyball is a small community but growing, mostly through word of mouth, Quinn said.

“One sister plays, then another,” she said. 

VooDoo Volleyball currently has 12 teams (typically10 players with each team) that play under Heart of America Volleyball in Kansas City, Kansas. It is one of 40 regions of USA Volleyball, and promotes the sport at all age and skill levels.

Quinn calls her dad “Coach Kerry” during practice and games, reverting to “Dad” when they get in the car.  

Kerry’s wife and Quinn’s mother, Jacque, said she is their cheerleader in the background, and sometimes the tie-breaking vote.

“But there are few times they don’t agree,” Quinn said.

The Austins work with 11 other coaches and would like to hire more, including assistant coaches. They grow the club only as they find qualified coaches.

“It is a big time commitment. The girls also learn life skills, respect, team work, accountability,” Quinn said. “We are as competitive as anyone but our whole thing is to play with joy. 

“We are just so excited, ants in our pants ready to get going.”

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Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follow her on Bluesky, here for X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.