ASU became the 42nd affiliated NCAA beach volleyball alongside indoor in 2014. Today, more than 50 NCAA colleges and universities sponsor beach volleyball.
The formation of this Division I sport at ASU has led several girls to compete in indoor and sand volleyball. Currently, three athletes double-dip: sophomore Blair Robalin and seniors Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follette.
The latter two are ASU's top pair. Arellano commented on the initial transition.
“From the beginning, it was the entire indoor team and they tried to train us out on the sand, and it worked well because we’re athletic girls and we know the volleyball game,” Arellano said. “We just didn’t know much about the beach game, and at first it was a disadvantage.”
In comparison to indoor, where six players take each side, players are in pairs on a smaller court. That being said, each player must be efficient in hitting, blocking, digging, setting and serving.
Playing setter in indoor, Arellano struggled at first because hitting and passing are equally as important in beach.
“Setting is so different out here,” Arellano said. “If I tried to hand set out here, it completely throws off my release and connection. So, when I would come out to the beach in between seasons, I would always be bump setting.”
Not only do the players tire quicker because they are vital to every play in the game, but they face weather elements such as wind, rain and heat. These elements lead to the learning curves of playing with a heavier ball on a shrunken court.
However, the recruitment of coaches with beach knowledge led to the training of appropriate strategies and skills for the sand. ASU beach volleyball interim coach Jacquelyn Bunker focuses on mental drills as the girls adjust to playing simply with one partner.
“A lot of first ball side out and first ball transition side out where we have to execute the first time we have an opportunity to score a point, which can be pretty mentally challenging because you have to get a good pass, good set and a good call,” Bunker said. “Everything has to be on task in order for that to happen.”
While the learning curve is a minor setback, the pros outweigh the cons. Naturally, beach is more demanding physically, which attracts junior Madison Berridge.
“I like to be a part of every play, pretty much,” Berridge said. “In indoor, you can go a full play without even touching it. In beach, the responsibility is on you. No matter what, you’re having something to do with it.”
With pressure applied by Bunker at the practice, the team heads to the New Mexico Spring Break VB Tournament. In their first game of the season, the Sun Devils fell short to New Mexico, losing 3-2.
Berridge believes the loss could have been avoided by sticking to the basics.
“Honestly, the biggest thing to fix is hydrating,” Berridge said. “We came out that day and we weren’t used to playing in the middle of the day, but no excuses. Those are little things that just have to be done.”
Meanwhile, Bunker felt the team made uncharacteristic errors in its first game of the season, including a lack of testing the opponents with hits.
“We need to pass and set a little better and open up our offensive options,” Bunker said. “Also playing better throughout the whole match, rather than just being good for short periods of time.”
The Sun Devils (3-4) will hit the road to take on Colorado Mesa, New Mexico and New Mexico State University this upcoming weekend.
Related Links:
ASU beach volleyball showcases talent at Maroon and Gold Scrimmage
ASU beach volleyball sweeps Loyola Marymount, swept by USC
Reach the reporter at ncorr@asu.edu or follow @natalieorr19 on Twitter.
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