118 named to Spring 2025 SLC Commissioner’s Honor Roll
By Lion Athletics East Texas A&M University set a record for most honorees on the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll list, with 118 student-athletes named to the Spring 2025 list, on Monday morning. The Spring Commissioner’s Honor Roll list recognizes student-athletes in the sports of men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, and women’s golf, softball, […]
East Texas A&M University set a record for most honorees on the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll list, with 118 student-athletes named to the Spring 2025 list, on Monday morning.
The Spring Commissioner’s Honor Roll list recognizes student-athletes in the sports of men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, and women’s golf, softball, men’s track & field, and women’s track & field who maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in the semester of their respective sport.
For the Lions, the men’s track and field program had 35 honorees, followed by 27 from women’s track & field, 21 from softball, 13 from women’s basketball, 11 from men’s basketball, six from men’s golf, and five from women’s golf.
The 118 honorees for the Lions are the most since 112 honorees for the Fall 2024 semester. During the 2024-25 academic year, the Lions had 230 student-athletes named to the SLC Commissioner’s Honor Roll across the 14 programs.
The full list of honorees across the conference can be found at the Southland Conference website.
Here are the Lion student-athletes who earned commissioner’s honor roll recognition for the Spring 2025 semester.
Name
Class
Sport
Major
Hometown
Khaliq Abdul-Mateen
Gr.
Men’s Basketball
Organizational Development
Houston, Texas
Demarco Bethea
Jr.
Men’s Basketball
Sport & Recreation Management
Sellars, S.C.
Luke Coughran
Fr.
Men’s Basketball
Finance
Katy, Texas
Adonis Holiman
Fr.
Men’s Basketball
Sport & Recreation Management
McAlester, Okla.
Camerin James
So.
Men’s Basketball
Business Administration
Apopka, Fla.
Tay Mosher
Jr.
Men’s Basketball
General Studies
The Colony, Texas
Evan Phelps
So.
Men’s Basketball
Sport & Recreation Management
Duncanville, Texas
Yusef Salih
Sr.
Men’s Basketball
General Studies
Gainesville, Va.
Mykol Sanchez-Vega
Jr.
Men’s Basketball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Orlando, Fla.
Brandon Taylor
Sr.
Men’s Basketball
Communication Studies
Coppell, Texas
TJ Thomas
Jr.
Men’s Basketball
Business Administration
Memphis, Tenn.
Makenna Armstrong
Fr.
Women’s Basketball
Psychology
Rockwall, Texas
Ahmya Boyce
Sr.
Women’s Basketball
Computer Science
Newport News, Va.
Nyaluak Dak
Fr.
Women’s Basketball
Criminal Justice
Lincoln, Neb.
Jamy De Kock
Jr.
Women’s Basketball
General Studies
Woudrichem, The Netherlands
J’Unti Franklin
Jr.
Women’s Basketball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Natchitoches, La.
Alva Hedrich
Jr.
Women’s Basketball
Mathematics
Muecke, Germany
Cora Horvath
So.
Women’s Basketball
Sport & Recreation Management
Oberwart, Austria
Nina Horvath
So.
Women’s Basketball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Oberwart, Austria
Hannah Humphrey
Sr.
Women’s Basketball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Kendleton, Texas
Trinity Moreland
Jr.
Women’s Basketball
General Studies
Charlotte, N.C.
Jordyn Newsome
Sr.
Women’s Basketball
Sport & Recreation Management
Irving, Texas
Jasmine Payne
Gr.
Women’s Basketball
Organizational Development
Montgomery, Ala.
Nykesha Sanders
Sr.
Women’s Basketball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Detroit, Mich.
Sam Benson
Jr.
Men’s Golf
Business Administration
Gilmer, Texas
Janis Erll
So.
Men’s Golf
Business Administration
Lich, Germany
Nicke Kaajavirta
Jr.
Men’s Golf
Business Administration
Kajaani, Finland
Blake Taylor
So.
Men’s Golf
Business Administration
Mansfield, Texas
Matt Walters
Jr.
Men’s Golf
General Studies
Ballito, South Africa
Cooper Watt
Fr.
Men’s Golf
Finance
Rockford, Ill.
Marie Baertz
So.
Women’s Golf
Construction Engineering
Luxembourg
Julianna Crow
Sr.
Women’s Golf
Construction Engineering
Odessa, Texas
Jordan Dusckas
Sr.
Women’s Golf
Marketing
Highland Village, Texas
Fahsai Inmee
Sr.
Women’s Golf
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand
Marie Naeher
Jr.
Women’s Golf
Political Science
Neuenbuerg, Germany
Charli Anger
So.
Softball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Lubbock, Texas
Maddie Cason
Gr.
Softball
Business Administration
Telephone, Texas
KK Cosek
Jr.
Softball
Business Administration
Helendale, Calif.
J’Lailah Dotson
Jr.
Softball
Biological Sciences
Hitchcock, Texas
Lexi Gamez
Jr.
Softball
General Studies
Anaheim, Calif.
Darby Hickey
Sr.
Softball
Communication Studies
Plano, Texas
Kate Houser
Sr.
Softball
Psychology
Lorena, Texas
Jenna Joyce
So.
Softball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Royse City, Texas
Kasey Kuyrkendall
Sr.
Softball
Sport & Recreation Management
Royse City, Texas
Victoria Masters
Fr.
Softball
Veterinary Biomedical Tech
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Emmie Miehe
Jr.
Softball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Cameron Park, Calif.
Hailey Montemayor
Jr.
Softball
Education
Lubbock, Texas
Maddie Muller
Jr.
Softball
Public Health
Frisco, Texas
Emma Olsen
Jr.
Softball
Sport & Recreation Management
Elk Grove, Calif.
Emma Rodrigues
Jr.
Softball
General Studies
Little Elm, Texas
Avery Rohlman
So.
Softball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Littleton, Colo.
Julia Sanchez
Sr.
Softball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Houston, Texas
Stephanie Tapia
Sr.
Softball
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Yuma, Ariz.
Tori Tiumalu
Fr.
Softball
Veterinary Biomedical Tech
Indio, Calif.
Aaliyah Wilcox
Fr.
Softball
Chemistry
Covington, Ga.
Tatum Wright
Jr.
Softball
Biological Sciences
Frisco, Texas
Seniru Amarasinghe
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Finance
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Kingsley Ayebide
So.
Men’s Track & Field
Public Health
Sapele, Nigeria
Eddie Barrientes
Jr.
Men’s Track & Field
Criminal Justice
Fort Worth, Texas
Naatannii Collins
Jr.
Men’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Elsa, Texas
Joe Cruz
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Computer Science
Hillsboro, Texas
Nicholas Deutsch
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Frisco, Texas
Jean Duparay
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Business Analytics
Servian, France
Evan Ealy
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Public Health
Spring, Texas
Noah Fernandez
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Finance
San Antonio, Texas
Chris Flores
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Rocksprings, Texas
Jeremiah Garcia
So.
Men’s Track & Field
Construction Engineering
Lubbock, Texas
Cash Goodman
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Industrial Engineering
Blue Ridge, Texas
Jonas Gran
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Biological Sciences
Riehen, Switzerland
Trent Granberry
So.
Men’s Track & Field
Communication Studies
Douglassville, Texas
Christian James
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Accounting
Rosharon, Texas
Kai Johnson
So.
Men’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Murrells Inlet, S.C.
Chandler King
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Computer Science
Hughes Springs, Texas
Joshua Kommer
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
General Studies
Balingen, Germany
Philip Krenek
Jr.
Men’s Track & Field
Sport & Recreation Management
Prague, Czech Republic
Armani Modeste
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Business Administration
Castries, Saint Lucia
Hope Tomabari Nagbi
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Social Work
Lewe Gokana, Nigeria
Joshua Nate
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
San Antonio, Texas
Casey Novelo
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Electrical Engineering
Bedford, Texas
Tahje Parrish
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Health Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Picayunne, Miss.
Ushan Perera
Gr.
Men’s Track & Field
Health Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Mahabage, Sri Lanka
Ethan Pham
So.
Men’s Track & Field
Business Administration
Houston, Texas
Myles Redding
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Animal Science
Waco, Texas
Levi Robertson
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Sport & Recreation Management
Georgetown, Texas
Joseph Rolland
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Wills Point, Texas
Josh Shanahan
Fr.
Men’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Noosaville, Australia
Connor Stockerl
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Business Administration
The Woodlands, Texas
Oguz Uyar
So.
Men’s Track & Field
Sport & Recreation Management
Canakkale, Turkey
Colten Van Voorhis
Sr.
Men’s Track & Field
Computer Science
Prosper, Texas
Justin Vincent
So.
Men’s Track & Field
Business Administration
Agde, France
Cam Wooley
Jr.
Men’s Track & Field
Finance
Plano, Texas
Hailey Ayers
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Public Health
Houston, Texas
Justice Babbitt
Fr.
Women’s Track & Field
General Business
Valley View, Texas
Magdaline Campo
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Marketing
Montpellier, France
Cece Charles
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Business Administration
Morne Fendue St.Patrick, Grenada
Anayah Copeland
Sr.
Women’s Track & Field
Management
Copperas Cove, Texas
Amaka Ezukanma
Gr.
Women’s Track & Field
Healthcare Leadership
Fort Worth, Texas
Dejah Fuller
Sr.
Women’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Lancaster, Texas
Oriana Gee
Sr.
Women’s Track & Field
Business Administration
Cypress, Texas
Romi Griese
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Biological Sciences
Salzkotten, Germany
Savannah Harvey
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Psychology
Shawnee, Kan.
Mareva Heck
Fr.
Women’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Marseille, France
Jenneil Jacobie
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Biological Science
Piat Grand Riviere, Saint Lucia
Adalyn Kobs
Fr.
Women’s Track & Field
Psychology
Lindale, Texas
Veronika Kramarenko
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Health Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
Bre’Anna Lacy
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Waxahachie, Texas
Roane Lion
Fr.
Women’s Track & Field
Kinesiology & Sport Studies
Georgetown, Texas
Valentine Mesas
Fr.
Women’s Track & Field
Business Administration
Divonne-les-Bains, France
Goodness Okoh
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Public Health
Garland, Texas
Leah Pettis
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Psychology
McKinney, Texas
Emma Phillips
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Animal Science
Tomball, Texas
Analice Pursley
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Marketing
Tucson, Ariz.
Anete Randma
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Technology Management
Tallinn, Estonia
Cassandra Rendon
Sr.
Women’s Track & Field
Wildlife and Conservation Science
San Antonio, Texas
Haleigh Risner
Jr.
Women’s Track & Field
Biological Sciences
Winnsboro, Texas
Riley Roberts
Fr.
Women’s Track & Field
Marketing
Bullard, Texas
Tina Samson
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Business Administration
Benin, Nigeria
Blessing Samuel
So.
Women’s Track & Field
Computer Information Systems
Ghana
Featured photo: The number of honorees breaks the record previously set last semester | Photo by East Texas A&M Marketing and Communications
PT Assistant Track & Field Coach in Cupertino, CA for De Anza College
Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley.
• De Anza College has a comprehensive, highly regarded athletics program, known for its success in both academics and sports. The college fields 17 sports programs, with 9 for women and 8 for men, and has a large number of Student-Athletes who consistently achieve high academic […]
Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley.
• De Anza College has a comprehensive, highly regarded athletics program, known for its success in both academics and sports. The college fields 17 sports programs, with 9 for women and 8 for men, and has a large number of Student-Athletes who consistently achieve high academic standards. De Anza’s athletic program is a significant contributor to the college’s positive reputation in the region and statewide
• Tops in Transfer – De Anza has the highest transfer rate of all Silicon Valley community colleges, and is always at or near the top statewide in community college transfers to the University of California, California State University and private universities, as confirmed in research by the Public Policy Institute of California
De Anza College offers
• Nearly 200 associate degrees and credit certificates, plus 30 noncredit certificates, and more than 1,800 courses.
• State-of-the-art facilities, equipment and technology – thanks to the generosity of local community members
• 112-acre campus with murals, fountains, trees, green space and a vast amount of trails along the foothills near the campus.
Five Newberry College Track & Field athletes earn CSC Academic All-District honors
NEWBERRY — Five Newberry College track and field athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Track and Cross Country Team. Irma Watson-Perez, Andrea Pascual Rivera, ShaNadia Marshall, Drew Benson and Addison O’Cain all earned the honor. Student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) […]
NEWBERRY — Five Newberry College track and field athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Track and Cross Country Team.
Irma Watson-Perez, Andrea Pascual Rivera, ShaNadia Marshall, Drew Benson and Addison O’Cain all earned the honor.
Student-athletes must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and must rank in the top-50 regional ranking in single event to earn academic all-district honors.
Watson-Perez (Biology), Pascual Rivera (Psychology) and Marshall (Exercise Science & Human Performance) all graduated in May.
Benson (Nursing) and O’Cain (Exercise Science) are both undergraduates.
K-State volleyball prioritizes roster retention, head coach says
MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) – The K-State volleyball team is one of two Division I programs nationwide that didn’t have a single player enter the transfer portal at the end of last season. “We’re really proud of that and I think it speaks to their love for K-State,” Mansfield said. “It really speaks for how much […]
MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) – The K-State volleyball team is one of two Division I programs nationwide that didn’t have a single player enter the transfer portal at the end of last season.
“We’re really proud of that and I think it speaks to their love for K-State,” Mansfield said. “It really speaks for how much they love each other. I think they really, genuinely like being around each other.
“You gotta believe in kids, you know?” Mansfield continued. “I think in this transfer portal phase there’s a lot of, oh, we could’ve gotten a better player or there’s someone better out there. For us it’s always about development.”
Mansfield said when you show loyal to players, they’ll pay it back.
“We’re trying to coach kids for four or five years and stay on the path that they’re on and help them grow and get better,” he added. “Loyalty is a big deal to me, I want them to know we care about them and want to see them get better and continue to grow.”
Beach volleyball in the Intuit Dome? AVP players embrace their new digs
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label. The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand […]
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label.
The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand while weaving through sunbathers and surfboards. She’s used to hearing provisional bleachers creak under sunscreen-slathered fans as music buzzes through nearby portable speakers.
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There’s charm in that chaos. But it’s nothing like the entrance Newberry made Friday at the Intuit Dome.
Above her, the sweeping halo scoreboard glowed, flashing beneath the thump of blasting pop anthems. Around her, where NBA chants once echoed, beach volleyball fans cheered. And strangest of all, tons of sand created a faux indoor shoreline.
After two years chasing it, Newberry found her label.
Read more: 300 tons of sand trucked into Intuit Dome to create unique AVP beach volleyball venue
“I walked into the Intuit Dome today and I was like, ‘I feel like a professional athlete walking in,’” Newberry said. “I haven’t felt like that as a beach player. There’s very rare moments when you’re like, ‘Wow, I am really a professional athlete.’ And when I was going underground here and looking all around me, I was like, ‘I really am a professional athlete.’ And that’s because we’re playing at the Intuit Dome.”
Advertisement
In what began as a head-scratcher for the players themselves, 300 tons of sand were poured into the Intuit Dome, turning the Clippers’ arena into a pop-up beach — where the L.A. Launch kept their perfect run afloat for the start of AVP League Week 5.
The Launch struck first and last — with Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon opening with a win, and Hagen Smith and Logan Webber closing it out — both pairs dismantling the San Diego Smash. Sandwiched between those victories, Palm Beach Passion’s men’s and women’s teams both made quick work of the Miami Mayhem.
The moment Newberry described — descending into an NBA arena re-imagined as a sand-strewn battleground — was the AVP’s moonshot: to re-imagine the sport in lights, not solely sunlight.
“Playing in such an amazing place, brand new building, with everything going on, with the new building around here, it’s really cool,” said 2016 Olympian Chaim Schalk. “To get to play at such an iconic arena is an honor.”
Logan Webber of the L.A. Launch spikes over Chase Budinger of the San Diego Smash at the Intuit Dome on Friday night. (Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)
Beach volleyball rarely has ventured beyond its coastal roots. But at the Intuit Dome, the sport embraced a new direction.
Advertisement
“This shows that beach volleyball is growing and it’s trying to adapt to the world we live in, finding a new way for fans to interact with the players, and new ways for the sport to be exciting,” said Chase Budinger, a former NBA player who became a beach volleyball player. “This will get more people in the stands because it’s so new and so different.”
In place of sun-worshiping fans camped out on makeshift bleachers, parents lounged on cushioned seats as kids nestled beside them balancing chicken wings and pizzas on their laps.
The sport welcomed a combination of newcomers hunting for Friday night entertainment and AVP devotees.
“There’s so many people who love beach volleyball, and so many people who would love beach volleyball if they were just given the opportunity to go watch,” Newberry said. “And not everybody can make it out.”
Advertisement
Read more: How Chase Budinger went from the NBA to playing beach volleyball in the Olympics
Change comes with tradeoffs. With no wind, the court became something of a power chamber — the compact sand lending itself to higher and cleaner jumps, the still air enabling blistering serves and monstrous spikes that might have drifted wide on the beach.
Rallies became quicker and tighter. The margin for error shrank, tightening the grip on the crowd.
“For a lot of people watching beach volleyball for the first time, it’s really hard to conceptualize how wind, how deep the sand is, might affect play,” Newberry said. “So it feels like more of an even playing field which allows everybody to watch really entertaining volleyball.”
Advertisement
By re-imagining the boundaries of where its sport can potentially thrive, the AVP might have sketched out a novel blueprint for other sports.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if other sports follow and start expanding their ideas of where they could play,” said Olympic silver medalist Brandie Wilkerson. “I’m excited to see where this is going to go and see other sports try to catch up.”
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ten members of SAU cross country/track and field named to CSC Academic All-District Team | Southern Arkansas University Sports
Ten Southern Arkansas University student-athletes for cross country and track and field have been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. Representing the Muleriders on the 2025 CSC Academic All-District team are Lyndon Orr, Garrett Hughes, Bo Rogers, Jason Patrick, Korbin McAuliffe, Logan Warren, Alyzah McGlasson, Breyonna Steward, Kailyn Thomas, and Anaya […]
Ten Southern Arkansas University student-athletes for cross country and track and field have been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Representing the Muleriders on the 2025 CSC Academic All-District team are Lyndon Orr, Garrett Hughes, Bo Rogers, Jason Patrick, Korbin McAuliffe, Logan Warren, Alyzah McGlasson, Breyonna Steward, Kailyn Thomas, and Anaya Ervin.
Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field
Lyndon Orr (Junior)
Major – Accounting
Minor – Criminal Justice
GPA – 3.80
Garrett Hughes (Sophomore)
Major – Engineering
GPA – 3.98
Bo Rogers (Sophomore)
Major – Chemistry: Pre-Health Prof Biochem
GPA – 3.77
Jason Patrick Jr. (Junior)
Major – Physical Education & Health K-12
GPA – 3.66
Korbin McAuliffe (Senior)
Major – Business Admin: Supply Chain Management
GPA – 3.81
Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
Logan Warren (Senior)
Major – Biology: Pre-Health
GPA – 3.58
Alyzah McGlasson (Grad.)
Major – Public Admin: Social Entrepreneurship
GPA (Undergrad) – 3.96
GPA (Grad) – 4.00
Breyonna Steward (Junior)
Major – Exercise Science: Strength & Conditioning
GPA – 3.61
Kailyn Thomas (Senior)
Major – Chemistry: Forensic Science
GPA – 3.70
Anaya Ervin (Junior)
Major – Biology: Pre-Health
GPA – 3.50
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Beach volleyball in the Intuit Dome? AVP embraces its new digs
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label. The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand […]
Devon Newberry is closing in on two years as a professional beach volleyball player. Yet for the last 731 days, “professional” has always felt like an elusive label.
The former UCLA standout is accustomed to life as a beach volleyball player — hauling her equipment on the beach, tugging her bag across the uneven sand while weaving through sunbathers and surfboards. She’s used to hearing provisional bleachers creak under sunscreen-slathered fans as music buzzes through nearby portable speakers.
There’s charm in that chaos. But it’s nothing like the entrance Newberry made Friday at the Intuit Dome.
Above her, the sweeping halo scoreboard glowed, flashing beneath the thump of blasting pop anthems. Around her, where NBA chants once echoed, beach volleyball fans cheered. And strangest of all, tons of sand created a faux indoor shoreline.
After two years chasing it, Newberry found her label.
“I walked into the Intuit Dome today and I was like, ‘I feel like a professional athlete walking in,’” Newberry said. “I haven’t felt like that as a beach player. There’s very rare moments when you’re like, ‘Wow, I am really a professional athlete.’ And when I was going underground here and looking all around me, I was like, ‘I really am a professional athlete.’ And that’s because we’re playing at the Intuit Dome.”
In what began as a head-scratcher for the players themselves, 300 tons of sand were poured into the Intuit Dome, turning the Clippers’ arena into a pop-up beach — where the L.A. Launch kept their perfect run afloat for the start of AVP League Week 5.
The Launch struck first and last — with Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon opening with a win, and Hagen Smith and Logan Webber closing it out — both pairs dismantling the San Diego Smash. Sandwiched between those victories, Palm Beach Passion’s men’s and women’s teams both made quick work of the Miami Mayhem.
The moment Newberry described — descending into an NBA arena re-imagined as a sand-strewn battleground — was the AVP’s moonshot: to re-imagine the sport in lights, not solely sunlight.
“Playing in such an amazing place, brand new building, with everything going on, with the new building around here, it’s really cool,” said 2016 Olympian Chaim Schalk. “To get to play at such an iconic arena is an honor.”
Logan Webber of the L.A. Launch spikes over Chase Budinger of the San Diego Smash at the Intuit Dome on Friday night.
(Joe Scarnici / Getty Images)
Beach volleyball rarely has ventured beyond its coastal roots. But at the Intuit Dome, the sport embraced a new direction.
“This shows that beach volleyball is growing and it’s trying to adapt to the world we live in, finding a new way for fans to interact with the players, and new ways for the sport to be exciting,” said Chase Budinger, a former NBA player who became a beach volleyball player. “This will get more people in the stands because it’s so new and so different.”
In place of sun-worshiping fans camped out on makeshift bleachers, parents lounged on cushioned seats as kids nestled beside them balancing chicken wings and pizzas on their laps.
The sport welcomed a combination of newcomers hunting for Friday night entertainment and AVP devotees.
“There’s so many people who love beach volleyball, and so many people who would love beach volleyball if they were just given the opportunity to go watch,” Newberry said. “And not everybody can make it out.”
Change comes with tradeoffs. With no wind, the court became something of a power chamber — the compact sand lending itself to higher and cleaner jumps, the still air enabling blistering serves and monstrous spikes that might have drifted wide on the beach.
Rallies became quicker and tighter. The margin for error shrank, tightening the grip on the crowd.
“For a lot of people watching beach volleyball for the first time, it’s really hard to conceptualize how wind, how deep the sand is, might affect play,” Newberry said. “So it feels like more of an even playing field which allows everybody to watch really entertaining volleyball.”
By re-imagining the boundaries of where its sport can potentially thrive, the AVP might have sketched out a novel blueprint for other sports.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if other sports follow and start expanding their ideas of where they could play,” said Olympic silver medalist Brandie Wilkerson. “I’m excited to see where this is going to go and see other sports try to catch up.”