2025 Coaching Staff
Danielle Barker-Spivey
Head Coach
Coach Barker finished her third year at Keller High School. They finished as Regional Finalists with a second place district finish. She led them to a back-to-back District 5-6A title, finished as 6A State Qualifiers, and the staff was also awarded District 5-6A Staff of the Year in her first year. Before Keller, Coach Barker spent 6 years at Marcus High School, leading them to a District Championship, the first district title since 2010, #3 state ranking, and a #10 national ranking. She also coached 2 of the school’s first ever AVCA 1st Team All-Americans. Coach Barker and her staff were also voted as the District 6-6A Staff of the Year.
In her collegiate career, Danielle played four years as a setter at Tarleton State University. She was named to the Academic All-Conference team, Second Team All-Conference, and recorded her 3,324th assist; setting the school record for career assists. That record still holds today.
Danielle attended Amarillo High School and played for her mom, Jan Barker. She was a three-year letter winner and helped lead her team to three consecutive 5A State Titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009 (what is now called 6A). She is a two-time Second Team All-State selection by the Texas Sportswriters Association, two-time First Team All-District and Academic All-District, and named to the Academic All-State team as a senior.
She graduated from Tarleton State University with a degree in Mathematics and a minor in Psychology. Danielle is the daughter of Danny and Jan Barker, who live here in Keller. She lives with her husband, Michael, and son ,Hunter, who is 9 months old. Danielle has a sister, Brianne Groth, who is the head coach at Byron Nelson, an 8 year old nephew, Hayes and a 3 year old nephew, Baker.
M’Leigha Jones
Varsity Assistant
Coach Jones has been coaching off and on over the last 22 years. She started her coaching career in 2002 at Trinity High School where she coached Soccer and Volleyball. During this time she also helped start a club volleyball program in Eustace, Texas, which is in East Texas. She coached at this club for 5 years. Coach Jones took a break from coaching when she started a family so she could spend more time with her children in their younger years. She then returned to coaching Soccer and Volleyball at Keller High School from 2016-2023. She is now the Varsity Assistant.
Coach Jones went to high school at Robert E. Lee HS, now named Tyler Legacy HS in Tyler, Texas. She was a setter all 4 years both for her high school and local Rose Country Jrs. club. She attended and graduated from Dallas Baptist with a major in Education and Kinesiology and a minor in Math. While at DBU she played volleyball her freshman year before getting married.
Coach Jones resides in Keller with her husband Brad Jones. They have 2 boys, Ryan who is a freshman in college and Reagan who is a junior at Keller High School. They also have 2 black labs named Chief and Sadie and 21 chickens.
Sydney Gholson
Junior Varsity
Coach Sydney Gholson is a Keller High School alum, where she was a four-year letter winner and three-time All-District honoree. During her club volleyball career, she helped her teams capture two national championships while earning individual honors such as National All-Tournament Team and a spot on the Prep Volleyball Club All-America list.
After graduating from Keller High in December 2020, Coach Gholson went on to compete at the University of Alabama, where she was the starting libero for three seasons and appeared in 68 matches. A three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree, she excelled both on and off the court. She earned her B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in General Business, as well as her M.S. in Hospitality Management with a concentration in Sports Management—all in just 3.5 years while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Coach Gholson brings her passion for volleyball, commitment to excellence, and firsthand experience as a student-athlete at the highest levels of competition to the Keller High School volleyball program. Her mission is to inspire athletes to grow as competitors, teammates, and individuals while instilling the values of hard work, discipline, and love for the game.
Outside of volleyball, Coach Gholson enjoys reading, working out, and spending time with her two dogs, Jean and Mac. Her parents, Michael and Tracey, both live in the Keller area, and she is close with her sisters—Alex, a 2017 Keller High graduate, and Blake, who is two and a half years old. She also met her boyfriend, Ben Hines, while at the University of Alabama, where he was a sprinter on the Crimson Tide Swim and Dive Team.
Mario Carmona
Freshman A
Coach Carmona is in his 17th year teaching and coaching and now in his third year here at Keller High School. During those 17 years he has taught Forensic Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Physics, IPC, PE, and Biology, and coached women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, and football. Coach Carmona began teaching and coaching volleyball, and soccer at St. George Catholic School for one year. He then moved on to Amon Carter-Riverside High School to teach and became the head coach of the women’s soccer program and assistant football coach. During his tenure at Carter-Riverside, he coached volleyball as an assistant for the first 6 years followed by the next 5 years as the head coach. He also coached women’s basketball for 4 years as an assistant coach.
Coach Carmona attended and graduated from Dr. Leo G Cigarroa High School in Laredo, Texas. He played football, baseball, soccer and ran track while attending Cigarroa High School. He attended the University of Incarnate Word and later transferred and graduated from Texas A&M International University with a major in Biology and a minor in Psychology. While at TAMIU he played for the university soccer club team.
Coach Carmona resides in Roanoke with his wife Jessica. They have one son, Cruz who is 11yrs old and currently attends Holy Trinity Catholic School. They also have two pets, Cruz’s dog (Scratchy) and his cat (Quinn).
Kendall Jennings
Freshman B
Coach Jennings is excited to begin her first season at Keller High School with the Freshman B team. She grew up competing at the highest levels of softball, playing for elite organizations including the So Cal Choppers, Team Mizuno, and Texas Glory. In high school, she was a four-year varsity starter, earned 2 District MVP honors, and was ranked among the top 25 players in the nation.
She went on to play Division I softball at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she became a versatile utility player and earned academic honors, including placement on the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. After three years at UAB, she transferred to Oklahoma State University to study Architectural Engineering and served as a manager for the Cowgirl softball program during the 2022–23 season.
Along the way, Coach Jennings earned numerous honors such as TGCA All-State, TGCA Academic All-State, multiple All-Area selections, and recognition as an Easton/NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete.
Coach Jennings is passionate about developing athletes both on and off the court. She believes in teaching discipline, leadership, and teamwork while helping players grow in confidence and love for the game. She is thrilled to bring her competitive spirit and coaching experience to the Keller volleyball program.