Coach Esaí R. Vélez, is the head coach of Iona college, a women’s division 1 volleyball team. Formerly he was the assistant coach at Hofstra university. During his time at Hofstra the team had two CAA championships in 2014 & 2018 and an appearance in the NCAA tournament. He is returning to coach at Club Ace Long Island (CALI) for his seventh season. In the 2015-16 season he was named CALI coach of the year by his collogues.

Coach Esai brings a wealth of international coaching experience. He has taken various teams to 29 FIVB & NORCECA competitions in 15 countries since 2009. He spent five years as an assistant coach, athlete recruiter & statistician for the volleyball federation of Puerto Rico. During his tenure he partook in a women’s league; Lancheras de Catano & two men’s leagues; Mets de Guaynabo and Patriotas de Lares. Both whom reached the finals in 2010 & 2013 respectively.

He was an assistant coach on the collegiate level since 2010. In 2010, he helped lead the University of Puerto Rico women’s volleyball team to a national university league championship. Coach Esai also did the same for the Eastern Puerto Rico University (EPRU) men’s volleyball team in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Coach Esai holds a degree in secondary education from the university of Puerto Rico he worked as a middle school history teacher at colegio San Felipe. He continued on to earn a master’s in public affairs from EPRU in 2013.