Cranes Volleyball Club
Founders & Directors
Cranes Volleyball Club was founded by Mandy Cao, Dusty Zhao, and Chris Chen, all former professional volleyball players and well accomplished coaches, shared by one common vision: to inspire and develop the next generation of volleyball players, through expert coaching, purposeful training, and a supportive team culture.
Guided by their deep love for the sport and enriched by years of experience at the highest levels of competition, Cranes Volleyball Club is created where young athletes can grow not only as skilled players, but also as confident and resilient individuals. At Cranes, hard work, respect, and joy for the game defines everything we do.
Chris Chen
Honorary Technical Director
Chris Chen played as a professional volleyball player for almost two decades as a middle blocker with China’s 8-1 Men’s Volleyball Club. He also represented the Chinese junior and senior national teams, competing in World Championships, World Cups, World National Leagues, and Olympic games.
More recently, Chris has been involved in a variety of volleyball projects across Canada, USA, China, and Europe. One of his most recent projects included bridging Team Canada's U20 team participation at the Shanghai Future Stars Tournament.
Chris is a FIVB licensed sports manager who has worked with and represented many internationally recognized volleyball players, including Max Holt, Saeid Marouf, Melissa Vargas, Samanta Fabris, Michelle Bartsch-Hackley, Tori Dixon, Uroš Kovačević, and Gong Xiangyu. Through his global network, he plays a key role in connecting players with professional opportunities around the world.
At Cranes Volleyball Club, Chris serves as our Honorary Technical Director, helping to build pathways for young athletes and guide them to explore opportunities at the post-secondary and professional levels, creating a bridge between grassroots development and the highest levels of competition.
Mandy Cao
Club Founder
Mandy Cao has built an exceptional career in volleyball, both as a professional athlete and as a dedicated coach. She spent nearly 11 years competing at the professional level with the Beijing Women’s Volleyball Team in China before transitioning into coaching, where she has continued to share her knowledge and expertise with athletes of all levels.
After concluding her professional playing career, Mandy quickly established herself as a respected coach in both collegiate and national team settings. She served as an assistant coach with Simon Fraser University’s Women’s Volleyball program from 2019 to 2021, and has more recently contributed to Canada’s National Team Elite Summer Program in 2024 and 2025. Earlier in her career, she gained valuable NCAA experience as an assistant coach at Emporia State University, a Division II institution in Kansas.
Mandy’s academic achievements further reflect her commitment to sport and education. She holds two master’s degrees from Emporia State University. One in Science in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and another one in Instructional Design and Technology. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from Capital University of Physical Education in Beijing.
As the founder of Cranes Volleyball Club, Mandy is committed to providing athletes with a high-performance environment that emphasizes growth, discipline, and character. Her philosophy centers on developing the complete athlete-helping players reach their maximum potential, both on the court and in their personal lives.
Dusty Zhao
Club Founder
Dusty Feng Zhao, is a former professional volleyball player with the Beijing Men’s Volleyball Team with a B. Sc. in Education from the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, and a seasoned volleyball coach with distinguished international experience in high-performance volleyball and long-term athlete development.
Following his professional playing career, Dusty transitioned into coaching in 2016 and has since worked extensively with athletes across a broad spectrum of age groups and competitive levels. In 2017, he was selected to join the staff of the Chinese Junior Women’s National Team, contributing to the country’s high-performance development system. The following year, he served as an assistant coach at the Western Academy of Beijing.
In Canada, Dusty has further advanced in athlete development through coaching roles with Volleyball BC and Simon Fraser University’s summer programs. Currently Dusty is in his third season as an assistant coach with the University of Calgary Women’s Volleyball program, where he helped prepare student athletes to compete and excel at the highest collegiate level.
Having worked closely with athletes from grassroots to advanced stages, Dusty brings both technical expertise and a lifelong passion to the game to Cranes Volleyball Club. Looking ahead, he is dedicated to advancing the club's mission by preparing athletes to compete successfully at the post-secondary, provincial, national, and international levels, while fostering a culture of excellence, discipline, and integrity within the program.