Peninsula Juniors Volleyball Club can trace its beginnings to 1997, when it started as a one-team club by the name of “Belmont Volleyball Club.” Belmont Volleyball was founded by Belmont residents and parents, Ann and Fred Thompson, whose daughter Amanda played for the first ever Belmont team. At the time, there were no options for club volleyball on the San Francisco Peninsula as the most local clubs were in San Francisco and Santa Clara, so the formation of Belmont Volleyball Club gave local young women the opportunity to play volleyball near their home or school. By the year 2000, the club grew to four teams, at which time current director Denise Sheldon served as the head coach for the 14 Elite Team that came in first in Area League that year!
As the club grew to eight teams in 2002, the Board of Directors of Belmont Volleyball changed the name to Peninsula Juniors Volleyball Club, to better reflect the geographic area that the club encompasses. In 2003, PJV parent Norma Evanoff took over the reins at Peninsula Juniors as both of Norma's daughters, Corrie and Lauren competed for PJV. Team membership soared to 12 teams during that year, making Peninsula Juniors one of the largest clubs in the Bay Area. Fun fact: Denise Sheldon coached both Amanda Thompson and Corrie Evanoff in her time with Belmont Volleyball Club!
Peninsula Juniors carried 12 teams in the Area and Power Leagues from 2003 - 2009, and the club was incorporated as a California 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporation in 2007. In 2010, Norma stepped down as director after a fantastic seven year run, and Denise Sheldon stepped into her very big shoes. Denise continued to emphsize the importance of following PJV's philosophy and aided in majority of our coaches to become CAP I certified. Denise accepted a job with USA Volleyball in Colorado Springs coordinating the nation's High Performance programs. The directorship was then handed down to long time coach Chris Balestrieri. Today, Chris remains dedicated to Peninsula Juniors and it's mission.
