I have to admit when I started with Sorin and T.J. I didn't like being yelled at. I was only 14 and it was intense to have someone getting on you at every practice. Looking back now I couldn't have imagined having a better coach. I love him to this day because he made me so much better and he honestly made me feel like I was a part of his family. Our groups that trained together were very tight knit and encouraging. I really wish that I could have stayed longer. I stumbled upon this yelp for Austin Stars because I am looking for a club for my younger sister. This is definitely my first choice. I LOVE YOU SORIN! (Sergio and TJ too if you're still there!) xoxo, Savannah read more

This club deserves no stars. The most despicable coaching/training club sport experience my family has endured. We are coaches. One of us works in education. Our children have trained and competed at high levels in multiple sports. Our children have a decade between the oldest and the youngest. We have a great many years of both professional and personal experiences. This trainer and this club is to be avoided at all costs! This coaching/training was nothing short of emotional child abuse. All information that is available to parents as it pertains to negative coaching environments were epitomized by the coach/owner. This club formed one 13's team spring 2011. He put a 14's team together to accommodate three 14's by taking from his 13's team and late adding two 12 year olds. This gave the club 2 teams total Spring 2011. He rarely played the two 12 year olds!! We have no idea what their parents were thinking. He used the 12 year olds as whipping posts when he threatened other players with coming off the court. In one match he yelled to a player on the court "do you want to come off and have me put her in, (referencing one of the 12 year olds.) then we will lose for sure!" USA Volleyball Lonestar Region should not be allowing this guy to be in business. Once a decision was arrived at for this child to play club, this club was the only club in our area with openings. We now see why. Training sessions were 3 hours long on Sunday with little break & two hours on Tuesdays. The fitness was good. The sessions mostly consisted of the director smashing balls at players at about 95 miles an hour and sending them to do push ups or some other punishment when they could not get to them. No breaking down and exampling of skills. He did not teach an approach hitting, setting, serving and does not believe in teaching blocking at this age. No small sided games or real game scenario during training. Bump, set, hit was to be avoided at all costs. If players attempted this during competition they were berated and yanked off the court. He promoted sending the ball over without setting it to catch the other team off guard? Players were not taught rotation and then yelled at during competition when they didn't know what to do. His accent was impossible for most of them to understand. This coach would fight with referees and the coaches of the other teams. Yank players on and off the court sometimes literally minutes at a time. He believed that if the players did not cry they were being disrespectful? Once during competition he called a time out and told the team to get on the floor and start doing roll backs in front of the opposing team, fans and parents. USA Volleyball Lonestar Region should not be allowing him to coach players for this one stunt alone. He yanked players off the court if they served with too much power. Even after putting 10 points on the board because he wanted them to short serve it screaming "to much power!" These antics from the sidelines would break the team's concentration and erode away at their confidence and self esteem. This club does not do the Lonestar Classic. Played average to below average tournaments, but had to travel to New Orleans. The director is fond of New Orleans what a deal. There is no need for lower level teams to travel out of state. Tournaments were placed on the scheduled that neither team were registered for. This is not sour grapes. Our player was not as abused as others and played most all matches seldom coming off, He would pick some girls over and over. We did a little research on the club prior to committing. We were not able to find any reviews. We are sure some parents just move on. we would've appreciated knowing what others experienced at this club versus the testimonials on his own web site. Surely, he didn't just become this way. Another reason we were not able to make a better informed choice is that most of this guys credentials are from out of the country? Please, do not subject your child to this environment. He is very good at telling you what you want to hear until he gets your child and your money. Place your child with a good program that is positive and developmental and would never scream, yell, degrade, insult, berate and humiliate your child. This is against all USA Volleyball rules yet this guy has engaged in these activities at tournaments and still has a club. We are sure most parent choose to cut their losses and move on not wanting to identify themselves, their player or represent their child's club experience for what it was. We are happy to answer any inquiries regarding this club and director. We strongly believe this guy should not be allowed to be in business. Please feel free to email. read more

I have observed the operation of the club for many years and can vouch for the discipline and dedication of the coach. He has spent many months teaching my son teamwork and self esteem which have greatly helped him face difficult situations both on the playing field and at school. The coach has many years of experience and talent in developing successful teams. He does not like whining and accusations that are based in a dreamworld, but focuses on down to earth techniques and results. You cannot develop successful athletes based on whining. If you seek a club of that line of thought, there are many that will gladly take your money and develop wimps while congratulating you on an excellent choice made. As far as AustinStars, look at the victories they have, results speak for themselves. First class, over and over. Konrad S. read more

I would like to say that this is one of the best volleyball clubs in Central Texas. The coaches have a lifetime of experience and are dedicated to the sport. Sorin grew up in Romania and has been involved in volleyball in some shape or form his entire life. I started playing volleyball when I was very young. I tried out and played in several clubs and I believe that the Austin Stars was by far the BEST of all of them. As coaches go, Sorin is my all-time favorite. Although he's tough, he is the best at what he does. When I started playing volleyball, I wasn't the best. The coaches at the school really didn't help in developing my skills; they only made us do tons of conditioning. I loved the sport and wanted to join a club to improve my skills as setter. My friend told me about the Austin Stars and after going to other tryouts and being snubbed, Sorin put me on his team. The first time I went to a practice, I was maybe 12 years old. The practice was the most physically demanding practice I had ever experienced in my life and much harder than anything at school, but it also was one of the most rewarding and memorable times of my life. Sorin focused on our potential for greatness. Everything he did had a purpose. During practice, he would spike the ball at us with power. The purpose of this was to make us quicker and to keep us from being afraid; to get us used to the ball hitting our arms. When I finally was able to pass his spike, I was beyond proud of myself and knew that if I could do that, I could accomplish anything! Most coaches wouldn't offer to train with players outside of practice, but Sorin did. He's very committed to this sport and goes the extra mile to make his players the best they can be. Unlike other clubs, if I wanted to stay after my age groups practice and workout with the older girls I was able to and I did on several occations. My little sister is now starting to play volleyball and I wish we still lived in Austin so she could train with Sorin too. I've learned many skills from him that I am now able to pass on to her. Sorin taught me many things. He taught me to be tough, respect others and that with discipline, you can accomplish anything. I played for the Austin Stars for 3 to 4 years and if I still lived in Austin, I'd still be attending practice or helping coach teams. I am 25 years old now too and still tell stories about playing with Sorin and the Austin Stars. I still have all my medals that I won from the various tournaments I was in. They are the only ones I have. I never won any medals in any other clubs. Sorin made sure to focus on building teams that meshed well. We trained hard together and won tournaments together. Sorin's accent is at times difficult to understand and to be honest, that is where a lot of confusion can come from. He doesn't mean to be rude, he just wants action, not questions. This sport is not for weak girls who get their feelings hurt easily. But if you love the game and are willing to put in the work the Austin Stars are the way to go. I would highly recommend this club to anyone who was willing to give it their all and listen to his instructions. Sorin, I would personally like to thank you for everything you did for me and thank you for helping me be the woman I am today. I carry your teachings with me everyday even though it's not on the volleyball court. I will be forever grateful. read more

Austin Stars is the perfect club experience for anyone that wants to improve their volleyball skills. this club is dedicated to bringing out the potential of ALL players not just the elite in this sport. Some girls that fail to make the cut in other clubs, play for this club a year and then are good enough to make any club they want. The coach will sacrifice a win in order to teach girls to be the best and smartest players they can be. He is tough and does not coach like most American coaches. He can diagnose strengths and weaknesses in players better than anyone. His practices will have anyone ready for an intense tournament at the highest level of competition. He is simply the best practice coach there is in this sport. His game coaching is unorthodox at times, but he gave my daughter years of encouragement and made her a better player than anyone else could have. Nita read more

I played for Austin when i was about 13 or 14 yer old and I am 20 now and I can say tht playing under Sorin was one of the best seasons 8 played throughout my 7 year volleyball career! I learned so much and improved a lot in just one season with Sorin! Not only did my volleyball skill improve but i was also in really great shape! At the time I played for for him I did not enjoy his coaching because he is in fact very tough on his players. But now looking back and even just a few years after that season I realized how much he helped me improve to be my very best! I learned so much about the game and I also learned how to push myself to my goals. I will admit at times he is hard to understand due to his accent but he improves more and more everytime I see him. I really learned a lot an would recomend this club i you want to really improve and work hard to reach your goals. read more

Not sure why this didn't post when I replied to Mrs. Rokie J's response many months ago but felt that I should try it again. Well Mrs. Rokie J...if you are gonna say something bad about someone, you are a mom and should know that you also are supose to tell what you did or didn't do. You didn't mention that your daughter was kicked off the Volleyball team because you didn't pay your dues did you? Or that you were trying to run the club and make your daughter the star of the team did you? Here is some advice to you. You can't make your daughter be great!!!! It has to come from within your daughter. Also, you need to stop comparing her to your older daughter and stop making her feel like she nothing compared to your older daughter. The very fact that your daughter said in front of you in front of all of us that you treat her as if she is some kind of "freak" speaks for itself. So you made the comment that the coaching /training was nothing short of child abuse.....what about what you are doing? I see that as child abuse. You need to learn how to STOP living vicariously through your daughter. Your poor daughter never caught a break from you and the sad part is....she never will. I watched you as you tried to get to every parent on the team and gossip. No one wanted to sit near you because you are such a messy parent, always starting gossip and drama!!!!!! Always trying to get the parents outside to drink in between games....you are a real trip and then to talk about the coach of Austin Stars. Now parents, here is the truth about the Austin Stars Coach Sorin Marcu. Is Sorin tough? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! Does he put his heart and soul into the girls and teaching them Volleyball ABSOLUTELY!! Sorin lifetime desire has and will always be Volleyball. Sorin played professional Volleyball for years and has a passion for coaching and teaching. There are many....many of the kids who will testify that playing with the Austin Stars has put them ahead in Jr. High and high school. You can say what you want about Sorin Marcu....but what you can't say is that he doesn't care for the girls in his club. That would be a bald faced lie. Now Mrs.....well I won't use your name but at least another club will have to deal with your "my daughter's the best" attitude. Again when that is clearly NOT the case. Although this did crack me up "The fitness was good. The sessions mostly consisted of the director smashing balls at players at about 95 miles an hour and sending them to do push ups or some other punishment when they could not get to them." If you were so against this "ABUSE" why didn't you take your daughter and run. I'll tell you why....you couldn't find anyone in this club to bow down to you, just like the club before us. I won't say the other clubs name but I DO know they were sooooooo glad you didn't return. read more

The Austin Stars Volleyball Club has the coach with the most experience and knowledge of volleyball probably in the United States. He played in Europe as a young man and loves watching the young ladies improve. He corrects the players when they need it to improve in their skills. If you have been around many coaches, you will see that he is one of the best. The girls love him and appreciate the knowledge that he is trying to teach them. My grand daughter has a passion for volleyball. She works extremely hard and appreciates the passion the coach has in teaching skills, good sportsmanship and experience. When a young lady belongs to a club, there are many things you need to learn: competitiveness, discipline, and skills. We especially appreciated the practice schedule so that the young ladies can have time to attend to their school activities as well as improve their game. read more

Let me just say this...Sorin is THE best at what he does and always has been. He grew up in Romania where he lived & breathed vball along with all his teammates, many he is still friends with today. I still check in on my old club from time to time and thought I'd tell my story. I began playing vball in 7th grade and I was terrible...I barely made the C team even once I got to 8th grade. The coaching at school was awful and didn't focus on making anyone other than the A team better. I told my parents that I loved the sport and wanted to get better before my Freshman year of HS, so the search for a club began. We heard about this tough Romanian coach named Sorin, so we went to his tryout. I had never been through such a physically demanding practice in my life. I was hooked and so were my parents. That tryout was held at an old roller skating rink in South Austin. At the time, I was wondering what in the world was going on, but now I see that the idea was genius...it forced us to keep the balls low over the net b/c the ceiling was so low. He began training us from day one to be faster & smarter. There was no time for super high sets and passes like they taught us in school; we had to MOVE and get under that ball. Why make a super high serve when one that barely skims the net is so much more effective? We trained in that roller skating rink for weeks until he was confident that we could take these new skills into a real gym. Genius. I was very headstrong kid, but Sorin commanded respect...and he got it from me. Back then, club began at the tail end of the school vball season, and that's where my story gets good...b/c I got good. I went from 8th grade C team to Varsity level in a matter of months after training w/ Sorin. I went to every practice for my age group, then I began going to the practices with the older teams. Next thing I knew, I had an insane vertical leap, (I'm only 5'4'') stamina, drive, agility, speed, consistency...I had become a very valuable asset. I could dish out some effective serves & some even better stuff from the outside. He focused on defense first so we never had weak passers. After we mastered that, we learned to hit, and so on. If you had a weakness, he focused on it, fixed it and moved on to work on your next issue. Sorin never cared about stats, never cared to listen to the whiners. The girls that slacked in practice were usually the weak spots in games. We liked to win, so they played less. That's the way it should be. Why is it fair for the girls who work hard in practice to lose games b/c of the lazy ones? That mentality either makes quitters or creates winners. In our case, we were winners. I STILL have all my medals from the tournaments we won. My teams had such spirit! The Austin and Houston Juniors weren't a problem for us back then. We played all the Lone Star Classic tourneys no matter where they were b/c we were doing so well. One thing you have to understand is that Sorin is all about volume...fast paced practices that create muscle memory, faster reaction time & most importantly, anticipation. We all knew where that ball was going before the opposing team even took a swing and we were there to pick it up and make a play. I played w/ the Austin Stars for 5 years and loved every minute of it. I'll admit that his accent is thick and sometimes he can come across as insensitive, but that attitude creates competitors. And if you don't want to compete, don't play...and don't waste your parents money on doing something your heart isn't into 100%. Playing w/ the Stars at such a young age was the best thing my parents could have done for me. At a time when I was learning to back talk, Sorin made me listen. When my body was starting to fill out, all the intense conditioning created the athletic, healthy build that I still have today. Being at such a high fitness level early on set me up to maintain a fitness lifestyle forever. I am now in training and prep for my first ever fitness competition! Toward the end of my time with the Stars, Sorin had begun training us on sand courts...that's where my love of sand doubles got started. I later moved to Dallas and discovered the huge volleyball scene there and started winning in the co-ed doubles A leagues. I'm 25 years old now, still play and probably always will. I would recommend the Austin Stars to anyone, as long as you're willing to work hard and listen. Unlike other clubs, Sorin's tryouts are to see what you need to work on rather than weeding you out. He sees potential in everyone, not just natural ability. Don't confuse his passion for the game as being mean; it's his life and always has been. He gives more girls a chance than any other club in town and makes true athletes. I'm living proof. Thank you Sorin for everything; the life lessons, the memories & my fighting spirit. The lessons I learned from his coaching helped make me the strong woman I am today and for that, I am eternally grateful. :) read more

This other Yelp family clearly had a different experience. I am more than satisfied with my experience with Coach Sorin and the Austin Stars. He's a former world class player that truly loves the sport and developing athletes! He teaches fundamentals and learning by repetition. He is very demanding and pushes girls to their individual limits. Previously my daughter played with one of the "big 3" clubs in town and fees were about 25% more and coaching didn't develop her skills. My complaints with Stars VB is consistent travel to tourney's outside Austin and some practice gyms that are not top notch-tradeoff for substantially lower club fees. Note: Coach Sorin is probably not a good fit if your daughter does not have a thick skin to take constructive criticism, doesn't have passion to play a lot, and most importantly is not willing to give 110% consistently in games and practices! Coach makes himself available for extra practice and tutoring in the sand and outside of club calendar which we have also benefited from. read more

Coach Sorin in a great volleyball coach. He takes the game seriously and expects his students to do the same. He uses a wide variety of drills designed to train students in the skills they will need in game situations and he gives constant constructive feedback so the students will know how to improve. read more

Austin Stars was the first volleyball club for my daughter. At the time I chose it because it was the most affordable. My daughter really liked her team mates and she recieved tough yet fair coaching. It's rare to find a coach who doesn't play favorites, he plays the girls to each of their abilities and pushes them a little harder and in my opinion, gives them a taste of what the real world in upper class volleyball has to offer. This is a coach who truely loves the sport and is dedicated to making girls the best they can be. read more

I played volleyball for Austin Stars a few years ago and I had a great experience with the club. The coach was intimidating at first, but he turned out to be a great coach. I learned a lot from him because he taught differently than other clubs I had previously played for. It was interesting to see his outlook of the sport since he was from a different country. The practices were very long and intense, but I learned a lot during them and it was an amazing workout. His daughter Stephanie was on my team and we became very close through volleyball. He is a good father and coach. I would recommend this club for kids that aren't going to complain and whin. The coach won't accept that, so suck it up and play volleyball. I got very injured part way through the season. The coach was great about it and still made me feel like I was part of the team. I came to the practices and he would give me different exercises to do that I could manage since I was hurt. He was great and I truly appreciate what he did for me. read more