Head coach Jeff Nelson, assistant coach Lisa Beauchene and four student-athletes talked with the media for UNM sand volleyball’s inaugural media day at StoneFace Courts.
Jeff Nelson & Lisa Beauchene
Head Coach Jeff Nelson: Lisa and I are here together because we’re kind of tag-teaming on this because we have indoor going on and now sand has started, so with both things going, we’re going to be at different events at different times. It’s a little bit crazy for us. Right now, I’m in the sand Monday, Wednesday, Friday and I think Lisa’s out here Tuesday and Thursday to get the kids going. We had our first practice yesterday. It was fun. We’ve also got a new volunteer assistant, Daniel Foo, who’s with us and is doing a great job. He kind of got things started yesterday with some great conditioning out here in the sand. But it’s a lot of fun. We’ve built a really tough schedule for the first year, especially since this first year and we’re really operating on a kind of a minimum budget getting going. But we’ve put together a great schedule with great teams. 12 of the 14 matches are top-20 or honorable mention teams this year in sand. But that was one of our goals because we need to see what’s out there. We talked about it’s all new. We don’t know a lot. Like the average team, to play USC (USC’s on our schedule) they were one of the original sand teams. And I think we can gauge a lot. Are we at the bottom? Are we in the middle? Where do we need to go? Lisa really does a lot of our recruiting. What do we need to identify to get going? We’re getting more and more videos all the time from people. I think Lisa can talk a little more about that. We just need to find what’s happening and really get our hands and feet dirty this first season. And see where we’re at so we can build a really quality, solid program for the university here.
JP Murrieta, KOB: Do you look at sand volleyball as a separate entity? Is it about bringing better recruits?
Nelson: I’m going to let Lisa answer most of this, but one of the reasons we originally took the proposal to Paul [Krebs, UNM’s Vice President for Athletics], was we felt like we were losing a pool of recruits and I’ll let Lisa talk about that.
Assistant Coach Lisa Beauchene: Recruiting to sand, it translates very directly to indoor. A lot of the players that are really well-rounded athletes and volleyball players in getting trained in all aspects of the game are also becoming really great sand players. So it’s a way for us to get an edge on some of the teams that are very good programs. But, we’re recruiting the same kids, but we have sand and maybe they don’t. It’s a way for them to get more training and more well-rounded training. It really complements our weather here and brings some interest from the northern states and the east where maybe they don’t have that opportunity. So we’re creating an extra opportunity for recruits.
Nelson: I think the other thing I would add to that, is Lisa spends a lot of time in Arizona recruiting and sand volleyball has become huge in Arizona. They have it in the high schools, all the clubs have it. So we were finding that we were losing kids. They were saying, “Well, if you don’t have sand, we’re not interested.” So it really became something that, for us, we needed to go this direction.
Murrieta: What are the differences between court and sand volleyball? Do some player take to it more easily?
Beauchene: There’s a lot of difference between sand and indoor. The most obvious is having two players, which creates a lot more responsibility for each player and they have to do a lot more. They aren’t specialized like they are in indoor. In indoor, for example, in the middle-blocker position, they’re specialized in blocking and hitting. But in outdoor, in sand, they have to be able to do it all. They have to be able to pass and serve and set, which is a very difficult skill, and hit different shots. So the strategy is completely different. There’s a lot more communication with their partner in the sand, whereas in indoor, you can rely a lot on five other players on the court. So it’s just a completely different strategy. But the great thing is, for our players, they’re getting so much more experience having that responsibility of passing and helping their teammate, taking on more of a role as a volleyball player.
Orlando Sanchez, KOAT: How many of the players are just court players? How do you manage it? What about injuries?
Nelson: First, speaking to the injuries, I think the sand game is actually more forgiving. I think from that standpoint, you’re not diving on a hard surface and all that. Physically, it’s probably more difficult, but it’s also more forgiving. I think we have seven players right now that are sand only for the spring, and seven more that are crossovers. And what a crossover is, they’re playing their indoor season when they’re playing their outdoor season. It’s a little bit complicated with counting dates and everything with the NCAA, but we’re about half-and-half right now. And that’s where I’d like to be. I think it’s a good place for us to be. Half our kids train all year outside, about half will go back and forth.
Jared Chester, KRQE: How competitive is sand volleyball across the country?
Beauchene: At this point, it’s difficult for us to answer that kind of question in term of how competitive we’re going to be, because the majority of the player we’re training in the sand don’t have previous experience in the sand besides playing in tournaments outside of our regular season and outside of our competitive season. So I think our first tournament is really going to be a test for us to see where we’re at, were we stand and what improvements we need to make. But every year, this sport is adding more colleges. And so now there’s finally going to be a championship segment, whereas there wasn’t because there wasn’t enough teams for the NCAA to sponsor it. I think we have a really good chance of doing very well because our players that we have playing are very well-rounded players.
Chester: What do think the crossover players are having the most trouble with?
Nelson: Well, let me first go back to your last question, there are 50 programs with sand volleyball. The anticipation is there’ll be 90 program next year for ’16. It’s growing that fast. So the NCAA, just a few weeks ago, voted. There was a champion being held that was an invitational, and they’ve now voted to make it an actual championship. They’re putting together an NCAA volleyball committee now. It’s being taking off the emerging sport list onto the regular sport list. So there’s a lot of things happening that’s really going to help the sport. You’re second question, I first want to say, Albuquerque has a great volleyball community, and it has a great sand volleyball community. We’re training at StoneFace. It’s a great, as you can see, facility for us to train and play our matches this year. We’re grateful for that. But the leagues in the different places and stuff are really full. There’s a lot going on. And so we feel like there’s a lot of interest in our local community. We feel like that really helps raise the interest even of our players. In the summer, there’s opportunity to play almost every weekend.
Julia Warren & Devanne Sours
Warren: I think, for all of us, it is only improving our skills for indoor. It’s two people covering a large amount of the court. You really have to work on communication and all of the things that we don’t spend on when we are indoor. I think for those of us going indoor and outdoor it is only going to benefit us. I think it’s a great addition to UNM.
Murrieta: How do you find the right partner?
Warren: Right now we are kind of doing a lot of skill work, working on a lot of shots. They are seeing our strengths and weaknesses out in the sand because we are all different. We all play different positions in indoor. So it’s different on the sand. They are going to partner us up and then from there on out we will work with that partner. Right now we aren’t really sure.
Chester: Is it nice coming out to play on a different surface?
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| Julia Warren & Devanne Sours |
Warren: It’s definitely refreshing. I know we work long hours in indoor and now we are in the sand. We get to be in the sun. It’s a really nice change of pace. And I think we are all going to benefit from it and be really refreshed for when indoor season comes.
Sanchez: Will this effect recruiting?
Warren: Definitely. All the big programs in division I have sand and indoor volleyball, so this is definitely going to put us out there with a different demographic in recruiting. A lot of the girls will only talk to schools if they have both programs. It is only going to benefit recruiting and up the hype for UNM volleyball. I think it’s a great addition.
Murrieta: How is sand different from indoor from a player’s perspective?
Sours: The sand in general and how tough it is to move and how much quicker you can move indoor than you can outdoor. In sand you can’t just swing for every ball. You have to be smart. We have been talking a lot about volleyball IQ and I think sand has a really high volleyball IQ. That’s what we need to work on.
Murrieta: Has the popularity of sand volleyball in the Olympics help create more excitement around starting a program like this?
Sours: I think so. I think it is something that people can look up to. We can aspire to hopefully go farther than just playing in college. I know I get excited. I go on YouTube and watch videos and I’m like, ‘Oh, I want to be like that’. It is something to aspire to be.
Sanchez: What does it mean to be a part of history at UNM and a part of the first ever UNM sand volleyball team?
Sours: It’s pretty amazing. I can’t really explain it. It hasn’t sunk in yet that it is actually happening. But I am really happy to be a part of something this big.
Warren: I think it is just so great to get sand volleyball out there and to get recruits and to just start a new culture of volleyball her in New Mexico that hasn’t been here. I think for all of us, it is an amazing feeling. Because we have goals and we want to get UNM’s name out there. I think sand volleyball is only going to up that. It’s amazing and we are excited to get started.
Ashley Newman & Eastyn Baleto
Newman on how it feels to be back.
Newman: I’m super excited about it. I feel extremely lucky. It’s weird to come back after a year, maybe two years off. I am not entirely sure. But I am so excited to be back. I missed it. This is the perfect way to come back.
Murrieta: After a knee injury, is it easier on the sand?
Newman: I guess I am still worried about my knee because I’m scared of hurting it again but it feels good and I feel fine. Kate has been taking good care of me so I feel pretty good.
Murrieta: How is sand different than indoor?
Baleto: Just in general it is harder to run in the sand and you have to work with all the elements of being outside. But I think both have their differences and challenges and just the sand is the biggest challenge for beach volleyball.
Murrieta: What kind of chemistry do you have to have if there is only two of you?
Baleto: You have to have good communication and chemistry with your partner and trust each other. It is just you two out there so you have to trust that the other person will get there and do their job while you do yours.
Chester: What has been the hardest thing as you transition from indoor to outdoor?
Baleto: I think just getting my sand legs back. Even though we are in shape indoor, it’s different than being on the beach. They will definitely get us in shape by our first tournament.
Murrieta: How are the weather elements going to play a factor?
Newman: Definitely. Everyday is different. Some days it might snow and then the next day is 100 degrees. But really it’s wind that makes a big difference. When it is windy it is really hard to play. You just have to know how to work with your partner and get through the difficult times and work with the elements.
Sanchez: Have you played competitively out here?
Baleto: I have back at home in Washington. I play tournaments. I started playing as a junior and then I started playing with women as I grew up. I have played a couple tournaments here at Stoneface with my teammates from UNM but that;s about it.
Sanchez: How beneficial is it to have some type of experience?
Baleto: I think it is really beneficial but I think with the girls that haven’t played before, the great coaching will coaching will get them up to speed. They will be able to do really well this season.
Murrieta: How do you think UNM will be with the new program?
Newman: I wish I could say. I don’t have a clue what the competition is like. I haven’t played in any competitive sand volleyball tournaments or anything like Eastyn. I know we are working really hard and I know the coaches are pushing us. Hopefully that will pay off. We are working really hard.