Beach volleyball takes center court on signing day
The rule at the beach volleyball court near the Anderson’s house in Makawao, Hawaii, was 10 passes in a row or no dinner.
Bailey Anderson and her younger sister, Emily, usually got to seven or eight touches before making an error.
That’s when the taunting from their father, Bryan, and cousins ensued.
“They’d start crying and stuff,” Bryan Anderson recalled. “And, of course we were kidding, but that’s part of the joke now. We’ll do the same thing. ‘Oh, no dinner for you. You missed that.’
“It was a blast, and it’s been the fun part of the journey because it was one of those deals that you could do it as a family.”
What began as a hobby on the beaches of Maui more than 10 years ago grew into a passion for Bailey Anderson.
Now a senior at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, Anderson is set to sign a letter of intent with Arizona State for beach volleyball during the fall signing period that starts Wednesday.
“Beach (volleyball) is just growing at an incredible rate,” Bailey Anderson said. “Everyone is out on the beach now, like, ‘Wow, there’s serious potential to go to college for this,’ which is really amazing. I think I got really lucky, sort of one of those right-place-at-the-right-time kind of things.”
Anderson started playing beach volleyball at age 7 after attending a clinic in Maui run by well-known local coach Scott Zucco, and spent most of her days in the sand or the ocean kiteboarding.
“It was really just a way of life that we grew into,” Anderson said.
When the family moved back to Las Vegas in 2011, Anderson turned her focus from the beach to indoor volleyball.
She learned to play setter and was a three-year varsity player for Centennial, but the 5-foot-10-inch Anderson said she prefers the strategy of the beach game to the power of the indoor sport.
“I think the creativity kind of appealed to her because she’s really cerebral and creative,” said Bailey’s mother, Brenda. “There wasn’t structure. It could be whatever you wanted it to be, and I think that’s really why she came back to the beach game once we came here, because she didn’t really fit the mold of indoor, power, all of that stuff.”
Bailey Anderson competed in several AAU beach volleyball tournaments locally and in Southern California over the past few years and is coached by former beach pro Tori Grafeman, according to Brenda Anderson.
Last summer, Emily Anderson wrote to then-Arizona State assistant coach Jacquelyn Bunker and asked her to watch the Andersons play at a tournament in Hermosa Beach, California.
Bailey Anderson earned a scholarship offer from the Sun Devils based on her performance and made an oral commitment after visiting the school in September 2015.
Emily Anderson is committed to Arizona State for the class of 2018.
“I could have gone for indoor or beach,” Bailey Anderson said, “but when I got contacted on Sept. 1 (2015) that I had an offer from a beach school or an indoor school, I just realized my true passion is out on the sand.”
Bailey Anderson, who turns 18 on Thursday, credits Zucco for having the foresight to predict the growth of the game at the college level.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association held the first national tournament for collegiate beach volleyball teams in 2012, and it is now an NCAA-sponsored sport with 47 sponsoring schools in 2015, according to the NCAA.
Southern California defeated Florida State in May to win the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship.
Arizona State went 12-13 in the program’s third season and hired former professional beach volleyball player Brad Keenan as coach in May.
“I think eventually, one day, indoor is going to dwindle and beach is going to be the new women’s sport,” Bailey Anderson said. “I think it’s going to turn into such a great thing for everybody, and there’s so many opportunities for people that are just getting into beach that are looking for the next level.”
Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
Commitments from local athletes
Local athletes expected to sign a national letter of intent during the early signing period, which runs Wednesday through Nov. 16:
BASEBALL
Name, School, College Commitment
Cade Adams, Desert Oasis, UNLV
A.J. Amelburu, Green Valley, CSN
Jarrod Billig, Bishop Gorman, Seattle University
Brett Brocoff, Desert Oasis, Utah
Bryce Bullock, Spring Valley, UNLV
Jay DeSoto, Bonanza, CSN
Frankie Fitzgerald, Green Valley, Colorado Mesa
Joe Fitzhugh, Arbor View, Arizona
Noah Hemphill, Coronado, Kansas State
Nick Hernandez, Bishop Gorman, CSN
Kyle Horton, Centennial, CSN
Blake Kaplan, Sierra Vista, Chicago State
Garett Lake, Coronado, UC San Diego
Drake Maningo, Green Valley, Seattle University
Matt Mitchell, Bishop Gorman, Pepperdine
Dylan Orlando, Palo Verde, Washington State
Jaxon Otis, Spring Valley, Salt Lake Community College
Kevin Pindel, Silverado, CSN
Jacob Rogers, Liberty, UNLV
Nick Rupp, Spring Valley, UNLV
Jordan Sadovia, Bishop Gorman, College of Southern Idaho
Donta Williams, Legacy, Arizona
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Name, School, College Commitment
Bailey Anderson, Las Vegas Academy, Arizona State
BOYS BASKETBALL
Name, School, College Commitment
Troy Brown Jr., Centennial, Oregon
Tristan Clark, Findlay Prep, Baylor
Kennedy Koehler, Coronado, UC San Diego
Christian Popoola, Bishop Gorman, Brigham Young
Darian Scott, Centennial, Missouri State
Capri Uzan, Desert Pines, Air Force
Demetrius Valdez, Durango, Benedictine University (Ariz.)
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Name, School, College Commitment
Jayden Eggleston, Centennial, Iona
Megan Jefferson, Centennial, Academy of Art University (Calif.)
Shyla Miller, Centennial, Academy of Art University (Calif.)
Samantha Thomas, Centennial, Arizona
Pam Wilmore, Centennial, New Mexico State
BOYS GOLF
Name, School, College Commitment
Charlie Magruder, Faith Lutheran, Gonzaga
Jack Trent, Palo Verde, UNLV
BOYS LACROSSE
Name, School, College Commitment
Christian Marshall, Faith Lutheran, Air Force
SOFTBALL
Name, School, College Commitment
Breanna Alvarez, Liberty, Holy Names University (Calif.)
Taylor Austin, Coronado, Kentucky Christian
Makenzie Ball, Centennial, Southern Utah
Skyler Ball, Centennial, Southern Utah
Taylor Beaman, Arbor View, Fort Lewis (Colo.)
Cara Beatty, Palo Verde, UNLV
Brianna Benoit, Centennial, Regis University (Colo.)
Mary Dungey, SWCTA, Iowa Central
Elsy Guzman, Desert Oasis, Arizona Christian
Erica Hardy, Coronado, Western Washington
Breanne Henricksen, Arbor View, Black Hills State (S.D.)
Brittany Henricksen, Arbor View, Black Hills State (S.D.)
Bryce Henricksen, Arbor View, Black Hills State (S.D.)
Marissa Kopp, Coronado, Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.)
Katelyn Long, Pahrump Valley, Regis University (Colo.)
Haylee Lupinetti, Palo Verde, Saginaw Valley State (Mich.)
Sophia McCann, Coronado, Trinidad State Junior College (Colo.)
Taylor Okamura, Coronado, Hawaii-Pacific
Marisa Olmos, Liberty, Tulsa
Samantha Pochop, Rancho, Tulsa
Alessandra Ponce, Silverado, George Washington
Ashleigh Rodriguez, Liberty, Duke
Kayla Rutledge, Arbor View, Texas-El Paso
Jaden Tate, Centennial, Seton Hall
Dylan Underwood, Coronado, South Dakota
Kalei Watkins, Sierra Vista, Southern Utah
BOYS SWIMMING
Name, School, College Commitment
Carter Grimes, Centennial, Missouri
GIRLS SWIMMING
Name, School, College Commitment
Abby Richter, Green Valley, Virginia
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Name, School, College Commitment
Paige Poggione, Bishop Gorman, Cal Lutheran
