This spring, a new sport has joined the Campolindo athletics program. Beach volleyball, also known as “beach,” includes an all-female team ranging from freshmen to seniors. The powerhouse of a team spends multiple days a week in the sun practicing in the sand to prepare for games against nearby high schools.
Junior Charlotte Goodman spoke about the practices and games, “We have practices and home games at the Moraga Commons beach volleyball courts and play nearby schools who also have a beach team.”
Beach volleyball shares some similarities with indoor volleyball, but has some stark differences. In beach, athletes play two-on-two instead of the indoor six-on-six. Because of this, the court is a few feet smaller than a typical indoor court.
Furthermore, playing in a duo means more individual work must be put into the game. Sophomore Evey Uziel explained: “It’s different from indoor volleyball because it’s more like an individual sport. There is no coach in your face telling you what to do. You can decide what to do for yourself.”
Goodman agreed, “Beach is a very personal game because you are only playing with one other person. It’s very mental and a lot more about building connections and working on yourself, whereas in indoor [volleyball] you’re more focused on the success of a team.”
With only yourself and one other person to rely on, the games get competitive and exhausting. Senior Hanna Bjornson commented on this saying, “You definitely have to be in a certain shape. In club volleyball, we always talk about how you’re in shape, and then you’re in sand shape. Because moving on the sand is probably the hardest part and being able to catch your breath and move quickly in different directions in the sand is tough.”
Playing outside and on sand also comes with many difficulties. Senior Charlotta Bell described “[The hardest part is] probably all the different factors like the heat and the wind and just the weather in general, like if it’s raining.” In beach volleyball, a strong wind can change the movement of the lightweight ball. This requires the players to stay more alert on the court and have more control over the ball.
With the season just beginning, the team is still forming a relationship with each other, “I think the team dynamic is still very new…I think we are all still getting to know each other, but I think since many of us have already played indoor so we are sort of familiar with each other,” Bjornson commented.
Leading the team in practices and to victory in games are coaches Mimi Full and John Vuong. When asked about the coaches, Uziel responded, “Mimi can be really intense but she’s really good, and John is really funny.”
Goodman added, “Mimi is the head coach and she’s awesome. She coached the freshman indoor team and she’s had a lot of beach volleyball background. She’s also very nice and makes sure everyone knows each other and connects.”
Despite the unknowingness for this season, the team is excited to play. Bell mentioned, “I’m not really nervous, I’m excited to see how the season goes with the new team this year. So I think I’m more just excited to see how it goes.” With players with experience in the sport, Campolindo’s beach volleyball team is sure to dominate the sand for their first season ever.
