Introduction
Big South prides itself on being the best volleyball organization we can be, but before everything else, we are a volleyball family. Almost all involved have participated in volleyball in some capacity, whether it's been at the high school, club or collegiate level; our lives have been dedicated to this sport for decades. Thank you for choosing to be apart of this family!
Lauri Dagostino
Tournament Director and CEO
After starting her career in the fashion industry, Lauri always had her eye on the volleyball. Along with her husband Randy, Lauri started their first volleyball tournament. That tournament exploded into the Big South National Qualifier. The tournament outgrew its original home in Tampa and relocated to Atlanta where it has remained since 2005 filling close to a million square feet with over 170 courts. The tournament attracts more than 50,000 people and over 1,200 teams from around the country, all vying for a bid to the Girls Junior National Volleyball Championship. Lauri has added more tournaments to the lineup with Capitol Hill Classic in Washington D.C., Music City Volleyball Championships in Nashville, Lil’ Big South in Atlanta and the newest tournament, Music City Volleyball Championships in Nashville. Lauri expanded a hobby into a business model and attracted the attention of national sponsors including Mizuno, Molten, Gatorade, Sportwide and Audi.
Randy Dagostino
Tournament Director and CEO
Randy Dagostino has always been an athlete. As a high school student, he competed in three different sports and played baseball at the collegiate level for the University of Illinois, Chicago. After college, Randy became a coach in Chicago for baseball, golf and basketball. To escape the harsh winters, Randy moved to Florida and became the head girls’ volleyball coach for Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa unknowingly starting a dynasty. Since then, Randy’s girls’ volleyball teams have won 15 state championships and boasted a postseason record of 96-10 making 17 FHSAA Finals appearances. His career coaching record of 829-161 helped him receive the Coach of the Year honors seven times and be inducted into the FHSAA Hall of Fame in 2008. Randy played a major role in the development of girls volleyball in Florida by starting the first club volleyball program in 1984 starting the popularity of the sport that has since grown to more than 100 clubs across the state. He served as a member of the FHSAA’s Volleyball Advisory Committee and organized the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Volleyball All-Star Match for 7 years.
Jeremy Rubin
Head of Sponsorships and Exhibitors
Jeremy has worked on multiple major events in the city of Atlanta, including the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, 2005 Nokia Sugar Bowl, 2007 & 2008 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, 2009 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, 2007 & 2013 NCAA Final Four, 2011 WWE Wrestlemania, and since 2002 the SEC Football Championship. He was also involved in Atlanta and U.S. bids for 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup. Jeremy formed Synergies21 in 2013, and it’s now responsible for developing new business partnerships for the series of national girls club volleyball events, as well as implementing sales and marketing efforts for those partners. He is responsible for securing partners including Gatorade, Clean and Clear, Audi, ASICS, Sportwide, Traveling Scout and more.
Mackenzie Tichenor
Head of Social Media, Public Relations and Marketing
Mackenzie grew up in gym surrounded by volleyball since the day she was born. Whether it was on her father Randy's back, or sitting on the floor with a ball in her hands, it is safe to say that the exposure lead to her unwavering love for the sport. Mackenzie followed that passion through mini club and finally began playing competitively at age 10 for the Tampa Bay Juniors 12 Purple team with her eight year old brother, Kyle. From there on out it was season after season of club traveling around the country. Mackenzie followed her volleyball passion into high school where she competed for three State Champion titles under her father, Randy. Volleyball lead Mackenzie to her first year of college at the University of Maryland and after her freshmen season, she transferred to the University of Florida where so finished out her remaining three years. Throughout college, Mackenzie participated on a numerous amount of USA Volleyball teams, representing the country in places such as China. Mackenzie graduated from UF after leading her team to two Sweet 16 finishes in the NCAA Tournament, two All-American titles, as well as multiple SEC accolades.
Eugene Tichenor
Head of Tech & COO of SportWrench LLC.
Eugene has been immersed in the sport of volleyball since a young age, the true definition of a "gym rat". Although his heart truly lies in the sand, he took a liking to the intricacies of the indoor game once he arrived in Gainesville at the University of Florida in 2006. Eugene was a 4 year starter for the University of Florida Men's Club Volleyball team, and earned All-American honors at Nationals his senior year. While attending UF, he was a practice player for the University of Florida Varsity Women's volleyball program. He graduated in 2011 with a Computer Engineering degree from the University of Florida. The close relationship he developed with Mary Wise and the rest of the volleyball staff garnered him an opportunity to become the first Video Coordinator in the history of the Florida Volleyball Program immediately after graduation. He served as video coordinator and assistant coach for 4 years with the Gators. After resigning from UF to pursue other opportunities, Eugene was hired by SportWrench to assist in development, lead the technical support side, and assist in the sales department. He has now taken over the sales department, and has helped the growth of SportWrench immensely.