Starting this semester, Sacramento State’s off-season women’s volleyball team has found a new way to bide time by trading in its indoor tennis shoes for bare feet in the sand.

 Sac State has introduced sand volleyball as its 21st intercollegiate sport since the last addition of women’s soccer and women’s rowing in the 1994-95 school year. Sand volleyball was approved as an NCAA emerging sport and held its first season in 2011-12 with 15 schools competing. 

Though 10 of our Hornets with years of volleyball experience under their belts have decided to join the sand team, each player is discovering the vast differences in the transition from gym floors to sand courts.

“A lot of the drills that we do indoors we can’t emulate outside. It’s simpler drills, but it’s way harder on our bodies,” said senior outside hitter Jessie Genger. “I think that was a big shock to a lot of us. We’ve been doing weights and conditioning throughout the spring, but when we get out there, the only thing that can get us into shape for sand volleyball is through the drills we do moving and running in the sand.”

Genger said it wasn’t necessarily more difficult than indoor volleyball, but that it is a new concept to all of them. She said at this point, indoor only seems easier because of the different aspects in each.

In order to cope with these adjustments, the team is working on ways to be quicker and move efficiently. Head coach Ruben Volta says that movement and controlling the ball is something they are focusing on.

“You’re playing on a different surface – a looser surface. You have to learn how to move on the sand and control the ball while you’re doing that,” Volta said. “Everything you do is about balance. If you’re in balance, you’re going to do things in control. It’s a little different technique than indoor.”

In addition to playing on a different terrain, sand volleyball reduces the normal six-man team to a skilled duo. This requires two people who are well-rounded in all skills and excel in specific ones.

“In trying to balance teams, you want to have players of similar ability with different skill sets,” Volta said. “So much of doubles is trusting your partner. So there were some natural fits in terms of some seniors who have known each other and been together for a while.”

With just six or seven practices, the team defeated UC Berkeley in its first set of matches (3-2). There are five matches total and each match is best two out of three.

Seniors Breanne Menees and Kelsey Elson started the game off with a win in just two sets (21-14, 21-19). The next two matches were losses but the Hornets wouldn’t go out without racking up two more wins. Seniors Jessie Genger and Sydney Kordic won the tiebreaker, taking the game to three sets (21-9, 17-21, 15-8).

Due to minimal practices and not knowing what to expect competition wise, the team was on edge waiting for its first game.

“We were all so nervous when we were playing against Cal,” Genger said. “We’ve been playing against our own teammates for the last two weeks. To go against a different team that we haven’t seen, you have to be able to recognize certain things and do change-ups on the fly.”

Despite the nervous jitters, the team and the coaches said they were happy with the performance. They see it as a good beginning to an eight-game season.

“I was really happy with how they played. I was pleased ball control wise and, for the most part, with how we served and passed – we kept the game in control,” Volta said. “I know that they go through some moments of frustration because it’s tough. There are only two of you out there and it’s tiring, hot and dusty at times.  Our only weakness is our inexperience.”

The team is excited to learn new techniques and the change of pace. Sand volleyball allows them to continue training after their indoor volleyball season instead of routine conditioning.

“It gives us a chance to get out of the gym and try something I’ve never done competitively,” said junior hitter Kayla Beal. “I’ve played indoor since I was 14 and only played sand for fun. So, right now, I enjoy sand a lot more because it’s new and exciting.”

Genger also said the addition of sand volleyball to the Sac State athletics program will be a big attraction while recruiting new players.

“If I was going through the recruiting process at some school and seen sand volleyball, that would’ve been the top of my list,” Genger said.

Overall, the team welcomes this fresh sport with open arms. Genger said breaking up the spring indoor volleyball seasons with a sand volleyball league will only strengthen the team as a whole and prepare them for upcoming seasons.

“The thing that I like is that I feel the players are really excited. It’s something new for them but it’s the same sport – a sport that they love playing,” Volta said. “I think they’re really enjoying it – at least it looks like that out there – and that makes it more enjoyable to coach them.”

 

Maikalina can be reached on Twitter at @sh_sports