Battling against the elements of wind, sand and rain may have some people unsure about playing beach volleyball. But teammates and seniors Abigail Ward, Athena Trewyn, and sophomore Grace Schoneman believe it’s all part of the fun.
“Running in sand is no joke,” Schoneman said. “It’s definitely been a learning experience for me, ’cause in indoor, I just try to hit the ball as hard as I can, but I can’t really jump very high on the sand. So I’m starting to have to think more and place the ball.”
Since a majority of the team’s players were seniors who graduated last year, this season’s roster is composed of players with varying levels of skill: some, like Schoneman, are playing their first season, while others play their sixth, like Ward.
“A lot of the team’s inexperienced with beach, because most of these girls mainly play indoor, and they’re just doing beach for fun,” Schoneman said.
There are a few key differences between beach and indoor volleyball: in beach volleyball, a duo plays the whole round without substitutes, whereas indoor volleyball is played with six players and six rotations of substitutes.
“In beach, it’s more like a team … because it’s just you and your partner,” Ward said. “You get really close with your partner and your coaches.”
Trewyn is especially close with her partner, senior Kaela Emmanuelle-Raquel–the two are a staple pair.
“My friend and I, we’ve been partners since sophomore year, and we’ve just always connected, on both indoor and beach,” Trewyn said. “We’re permanent. We’re together.”
Part of the appeal of playing with a teammate you know so well is the mental synchronicity that comes with hours of shared practice.
“We know who covers what: I got short, she got deep, she got seam, I got tape,” Trewyn said. “We can rely on each other if the ball drops, and we can always get back again.”
Beach volleyball may be a more trying sport, but its opportunities to utilize easier techniques make it easier to play than indoor.
“I prefer indoor [volleyball] more than beach, because beach is only two people, and it’s a lot of court to manage. But I think beach is a little easier because there’s a lot more roll shots,” Trewyn said.
Beach volleyball counteracts physical demand with its uplifting and fun atmosphere.
“It’s a lot more fun and more chill,” Schoneman said. “I feel like people can get way too competitive at indoors sometimes, but everyone at beach is always so nice.”
Beach volleyball hones the player’s ability to consistently place, receive, serve and pass the ball. With only three touches to make in the game, and only two people to run after it, there is little to no room for error.
“You learn how to place things a lot more exactly, and be smart,” Ward said. “There’s a lot people don’t realize, like, calls and sets.
So you’re always talking with your partner, like a secret code.”
The secret code in question are hand signals called line pools. The communication is used to inform a player where the other will be after a serve.
“It’s like numbers you put up on the back of your hands,” Ward said. “We let our partner know where we’re gonna go after they serve, we put numbers on our backs.”
Beach volleyball may center around a ball, but the sport extends beyond the material and into a player’s heart.
“For me, it comes down to the partner, ’cause I feel like the sport’s more about your partner than actually playing the ball,” Schoneman said. “I just really like how it’s just you and one other person. You guys have to work together.”
This season, the team is looking to continue volleyball’s success and make a deep CIF run, capitalizing on their larger roster.
“We want to get to CIF,” Trewyn said. “We did last year. I really hope that we just win a lot more games, because there’s a lot more people. So hopefully we have a higher chance of just getting to CIF, because that’s always the goal. We got it indoors, so hopefully we can carry that into beach.”
Girls varsity beach volleyball will play their first game of the season at 3 P.M on March 4, at Moorpark Community College.
