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Mark Patton: Strand Clan Made East Beach Volleyball Courts a Family Gathering Place | Sports

Published

8 months ago

May 5, 2025

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Overview:

The legacy of the Strand Family has continued through the sands of time with both AVP and Olympic volleyball stars

East Beach may be a playground, but twin sisters Kelly and Lisa Strand had to work their way there a half-century ago.

They’d follow their older siblings by riding their bikes for six miles, packing nothing but a sack lunch and the hunger to play some beach volleyball.

“We wouldn’t even bring a towel, just an apple and a peanut butter sandwich,” recalled Kelly, who was a junior-high teen at the time. “We’d stay all day.”

Older brother Warren and sister Kathy were often already there.

They’d be holding court with such local volleyball gentry as Karch Kiraly, a future Olympic gold medalist in both the indoor and beach games.

It took countless hours of playing and pestering before the little sisters were included with all the “Queen Kathies of the Beach”: Kathy Gregory, Kathy Hanley and sister Kathy Strand.

“There was definitely a pecking order,” Lisa told Noozhawk. “We worked hard to get to play on the big girl court.

“We’d beg people to let us play. Thank God we were twins because we always had each other to play with.”

Twins Kelly, left, and Lisa Strand learned their volleyball on the sand courts of East Beach. Credit: Strand family photo

Lisa and Kelly will be paired again later this month when the Friends of East Beach Association dedicates “The Strand Court” in their honor.

The festivities will be held at Court No. 3 beginning at 10 a.m. May 31.

The organization has dedicated itself to improving the 16 permanent courts at East Beach. It renovated the first one in the name of the late Henry Bergmann in 2010.

Other courts have been named in honor of Kiraly, siblings John and Kathy Hanley, Gregory, Paul Hodgert and Jon Lee.

“It’s a pretty proud moment for us,” said Kelly, who’s now known by her married name of Kelly Van Winden. “It’s really cool because the name of the court will be The Strand Court.

“I just love that my family gets to be honored.”

Don of an Era

She and Lisa caught the volleyball bug while watching their siblings star for coach Rick Olmstead’s indoor teams at Santa Barbara High School.

Brother Warren played with Kiraly and Hanley on the Dons’ CIF-Southern Section championship boys team of 1978.

“We’d go and watch all those games as the tag-along, little sisters,” Kelly said. “It was so much fun.

“Warren and our sister, Kathy, were really good friends with Karch. They were always together, all three of those guys.”

Lisa Strand, left, and twin sister Kelly were fixtures at East Beach during the summer of 1979, between their sophomore and junior years at Santa Barbara High School. Credit: Strand family photo

Their father, Leon Strand, even hired Kiraly to help dig the foundation for their house.

“Our dad was the one who was always driving us to the beach or taking us to the park for tennis lessons,” Kelly said. “He taught us how to swim.

“He wanted us to be active, and all of that.”

Their father, who died last October, also took them sailing, skiing, and even backpacking in the mountain ranges of the High Sierra.

“He got us involved with a youth church group,” Lisa said. “He was trying to raise us up right and keep us out of trouble, so he kept us busy.

“We all had to get jobs pretty young … He had us pay for all our shoes and skis.”

He also facilitated their passion for volleyball.

“We’d stay up late in the front yard rallying, so our dad set up a night light,” Lisa said. “With only one volleyball, we had to wait till Warren and Kathy were done to go out and rally.”

Kelly and Lisa, like their older siblings, played for Olmstead at Santa Barbara High. They were both named to the All-CIF Southern Section Division 4A First Team during their senior season in the autumn of 1980.

“I don’t remember how far we went into the CIF playoffs every year, but I do remember all the fun we had and what great shape we were in,” Lisa said. “Our biggest rival was San Marcos.

Lisa Strand, left, and sister Kelly played together in several professional tournaments after having honed their games on the sands of Santa Barbara’s East Beach. Credit: Strand family photo

“We’d go to Frimple’s for breakfast and do car rallies down State Street prior to those games.”

Girls volleyball at that time was in only its ninth year of sanction by the California Interscholastic Federation.

“I didn’t even recognize how lucky I was at the time, I was just riding the wave,” Kelly said. “It was like these doors opened and I just walked through them.

“I’m not saying that it didn’t come with hard work — the drive to play the game came from inside — but I had no idea about all of that.”

The twins also had no clue that volleyball could be the path to a college scholarship. Olmstead took them aside after their senior season to show them an envelope full of recruiting letters that had been addressed to them.

“He told us, ‘I want you to look through this … You can go to college to play volleyball,’” Kelly said. “We were like, ‘What are you talking about? Are you crazy?’

“We had no idea. We were just playing the game.”

The Next Level

Kelly first went to UC Santa Barbara, serving as a team captain her sophomore season, before transferring to Cal Poly.

She earned first-team all-league honors in 1984 and led the Mustangs to a 32-8 record and the championship of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. (The league was later renamed as the Big West Conference).

Kelly Strand Van Winden angles a shot past a blocker during one of her professional beach volleyball tournaments. Credit: Strand Family photo

Lisa, a versatile middle blocker, enjoyed even greater success at the University of Hawai‘i, earning All-America honors in both 1982 and 1983 while leading the Rainbow Wahine to back-to-back NCAA championships.

But both twins were just getting started with their lives in volleyball.

Kelly competed on the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association beach circuit for more than a decade, finishing as high as third in the Austin, Texas, event.

She also played two seasons with Major League Volleyball’s San José Golddiggers and four more on the four-person Bud Light Pro Beach Tour. She served as captain of the 1993-1994 championship team.

Kelly also coached at Napa Valley College as well as at Sonoma State College, earning three coach of the year honors.

Lisa, like her sister, competed in both Major League Volleyball and on the Bud Light circuit. She also played on the Association of Volleyball Professionals Tour.

She partnered with Janice Opalinski in 1990 to win the AVP’s Salem Fresh Tokyo Tournament — the richest tour event of that year.

They also got busy starting families.

Lisa Strand competes in the 1990 WPVA Flamingo Hilton/PCH John Shaw Open in Manhattan Beach. Credit: Strand family photo

Kelly married her college sweetheart, Cal Poly basketball player Jim Van Winden. Their daughters, Adlee and Torrey, both earned AVCA All-America honors at their parents’ alma mater.

“Much as we exposed our kids to other things, they chose the sport,” Kelly said. “We sort of led them all away from it, but at the same time they all chased it … They all fell in love with it.”

Torrey now plays on the AVP Tour with cousin Katie Spieler, Kathy’s daughter.

Her sister, now known by the married name of Adlee Kass, also still plays volleyball and is expecting her first child this summer.

“She plans on playing six months pregnant in the Santa Barbara Open,” Kelly said.

Lisa and former University of Hawai‘i men’s volleyball star Pono Ma’a are the parents of four former collegiate volleyball stars: Misty (Miami), Micah (UCLA), Mehana (UCSB) and Maluhia (Kent State).

Micah Ma’a made the Men’s National Team as a setter and helped the United States win a bronze medal at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.

“I went to Paris with Warren, Kathy and Kelly,” said Lisa, who’s served as a color analyst the last two decades for University Hawai‘i volleyball telecasts.

“We spent 12 days there and it was the most incredible trip I’ve ever been on.”

She claims that watching her children play volleyball doesn’t make her nervous even when an Olympic medal is at stake.

“I am just happy that they loved the sport,” Lisa said.

Beach Party

East Beach has always been their happy place.

Kelly and Jim even held their wedding reception at a venue that overlooked the area.

“East Beach was just such a comfortable place to be,” Kelly said. “It was like my backyard growing up.

“We’d go down there without a towel … Lie in the sand … Then we’d dive into the ocean, come back out, and lie in the sand once more to get warm.”

Lisa recalls that time as “those lazy, crazy days when all you’d do is play and then swim in the ocean.”

“It was like our yard … Our front yard and our back yard,” she said. “We lived to go down there and play.”

Lisa Strand, center, who led the University of Hawai‘i women’s volleyball team to a pair of NCAA championships, has been a color analyst for the school’s volleyball telecasts for the last two decades. Credit: University of Hawai‘i Athletics photo

She also remembers how satisfying it was when they were accepted by the older players.

“If you lost, you had to wait like forever to get another chance,” Lisa explained, “so it helped with our motivation, and trained us to always win.”

Kelly, who still coaches aspiring players on the sand court that Jim built in their backyard, said “all those women at East Beach have no idea of how influential they were, and in so many ways.”

“They were so wonderful and kind, 99% of the time, to everybody in my family,” she said. “That was pretty huge.”

And it’s something she and her sister have devoted themselves to paying back, over and over again.

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Several Hornets Make Season Debuts at Burg Open

Published

19 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg indoor track & field teams hosted the Burg Open to resume competition for the 2025-2026 season at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

Although the Hornets competed in their third indoor meet, several distance athletes made their season debuts following an extended training block. On the field events side, Lynchburg posted 23 top-10 performances, including individual victories in the women’s weight throw and men’s high jump.

For the men’s team, Lamont Victoria and Alex Jordan earned first-place finishes against stellar competition. Victoria bested the field in the men’s high jump by clearing the 6′ 9″ (2.06m) bar, while Aidan Hipp finished second at the 6′ 5¾” (1.98m) height. Elijah Rose and Jaren Lee (6′ 3¾” or 1.93m) earned third and fourth, respectively.

Alex Jordan posted an 8:24.78 performance in the men’s 3,000m to win the race, which featured 11 Hornets. Jack Weddle clinched second with an 8:32.30 result, while Mercer Alden accelerated into third with an 8:45.82 finish.

Delaney Saulsbury led the women’s 3,000m coast-to-coast and registered a personal-best 10:40.53 for first place. Winter Tietjen posted 10:46.70 for second place in her collegiate track debut, while Mya Baker earned 10:48.84 for third.

Rylee Turner also secured a pair of podium finishes, clocking 7.95 for third in the 60-meter dash finals and 26.02 for second in the 200-meter dash. In the 400m, Kaitlyn Ruiz crossed the line in 59.99 for second, while Parker Marshall finished fifth in the men’s race with a 51.33 result.

In jumping events, Kacey Kelly displayed her versatility with three top-10 finishes. The senior placed second in the women’s triple jump with a 36′ 3¼” (11.06m), fourth in the women’s long jump (16′ 8¾” or 5.10m) and sixth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles (10.84).

First-year Audrey Lacombe joined Kelly with a sixth-place mark in the women’s triple jump (30′ 11″ or 9.42m) and an eighth-place finish in the women’s 60-meter hurdle final (11.11).

Kenzie Swicegood earned her third first-place finish of the season with an individual victory in the women’s weight throw, posting a 53′ 4½” (16.27m) throw. The former Old Dominion Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week also claimed a fourth-place finish in the women’s shot put with a 37′ 1″ (11.30m) performance.

The Hornets registered 11 top-ten finishes between the women’s weight throw and shot put, and Kya Rucker joined Swicegood on the podium for the weight throw with a 46′ 3¾” (14.12m) mark.

To round out the day, the women’s 4x400m relay team clocked 4:04.72 for second in the field, while the men’s 4x400m squad clinched 3:20.39 for second.

Lynchburg returns to action on Friday, Jan. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 17 with a split-squad weekend, traveling to the Virginia Tech Invitational and Finn Pincus Invitational, hosted by Roanoke College.

For full results from the Burg Open, click here.

Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Give Lynchburg Sports a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg athletics on Instagram, Threads, and X.

–LYN–

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CSUN Improves to 2-0 After Holding Off Harvard in Four Sets

Published

1 hour ago

January 10, 2026

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GOLETA, Calif. — Joao Favarim and Hank Kaufman powered a balanced attack as CSUN defeated Harvard 25-16, 25-19, 26-28, 25-18 to improve to 2-0 at the Asics Invitational Friday afternoon at UCSB’s Rob Gym.

CSUN (2-0) struggled a times offensively, hitting .206 as a team, but controlled the match with steady serving and a strong block. The Matadors finished with a 9.5–7 edge in total team blocks as Favarim had a match-high six block assists. The sophomore middle also led the Matadors offensively with 10 kills on 17 swings to hit .471. Kaufman finished the match with nine kills (.065), two aces, and two blocks, while senior Shane Nhem chipped in six kills (.455) and a pair of blocks.

Setter Owen Douphner helped CSUN to a sizable 10-4 edge in team aces as he served a career-high five in the win. Doughner directed the offense with 30 assists and chipped in five kills, as CSUN placed four players in double figures in points. Shane Nhem added six kills on .455 hitting, and Joao Avila contributed a match-high 10 digs, seven kills (.214), and two aces.

CSUN jumped out early, rolling to a convincing win in the opening set behind efficient sideout play and four aces. The Matadors carried that momentum into the second set, pulling away late to take a two-set lead.

Harvard (0-2) extended the match by outlasting CSUN in a tightly contested third set, but the Matadors responded with their most complete effort in the fourth. CSUN broke open a close set with a decisive run midway through and closed the match on a kill by Grayson Albers.

Sawyer Nichols led Harvard with 15 kills, but the Crimson hit just .037 for the match and struggled to find consistency against the CSUN block and serve pressure.

HEAD COACH THEO EDWARDS SAID

“I thought we were inconsistent at times today. We had four guys out there that are starting to really learn how to do this and how to play at a consistent level. There were some great performances; Owen (Doughner) commanded the match for the most part. For me, it’s just about us learning and making progress throughout the season. Part of the struggle for us today was playing back-to-back days. We’re having some conversations about that and how to get the proper rest and get ready for tomorrow.”

UP NEXT

CSUN concludes the 2026 Asics Invitational on Saturday afternoon, meeting Kentucky State (0-1) at 4:30 p.m.

#GoMatadors

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2026 Season Opens in a Five-Set Thriller

Published

1 hour ago

January 10, 2026

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IRVINE, CALIF. – In a thrilling five-set showdown to kick off the 2026 men’s volleyball season, the Golden Eagles showcased heart, hustle, and plenty of promise in front of a spirited home crowd – ultimately falling in a close 3-2 (19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 27-29, 13-15) to Rockhurst. Despite the loss, CUI took numerous positive takeaways from an electric night of volleyball that highlighted depth, leadership, and grit.

Fresh into his Golden Eagle debut, Aidan Case delivered a standout performance, delivering 54 assists, which is currently tied for ninth in the CUI record books for a five-set match. His ability to distribute the ball kept the Green and Gold competitive through every set and provided real momentum swings for the Golden Eagles.

CUI’s offense was firing on all cylinders at times, with several players stepping up to the plate. Christian Galoppo led the Green and Gold with 15 kills and eight digs. Logan Whitaker and Nathan Habermas added 13 and 11, respectively.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles were active at the net, finishing with 10 total blocks. Players like Paul Schulties and Logan Whitaker were particularly disruptive to the Hawks’ offense, recording nine blocks between the two of them. The back row also made key plays that extended rallies and pressured Rockhurst’s offense. The energy never wavered, even as the match went the distance.

While the Green and Gold came up just short in their home opener, the performance laid a strong foundation for the rest of the season. The Golden Eagles will be on the road Sunday, January 11, to take on #1 UCLA at 5:00 PM in their first MPSF match-up.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON

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Men’s Volleyball Sweeps St. Thomas Aquinas to Begin 2026 Campaign

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2026

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MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men’s volleyball team (1-0) took three straight sets from the Spartans of Saint Thomas Aquinas (0-1) to open the 2026 season in Firestone Fieldhouse Friday night.

“It was great to start off our season with a win,” head coach Jonathan Winder said. “Our serving was really strong for a few stretches with Aidan Tune and Grant Lamoureux in different sets that opened up the games. All in all, pleased with the effort and focus of the group and ready to get prepared for Sunday’s game.”

In the closest of the three sets, the Waves went back and forth with the Spartans in the first, withstanding opposing runs while maintaining the lead. Hitting a monster .700, Cole Hartke led the squad with seven kills to give Pepperdine a 25-18 win in the opening set of the 2026 season.

Forcing a negative hitting percentage for STAC in the second set, the Waves kept the foot on the gas. Ryan Barnett and Lamoureux split the heavy lifting for Pepperdine with three kills on five attempts a piece. After a close set through the opening 14 points, Tune took his turn at the service line to compose the Waves, aiding in a 6-0 run on seven-straight serves to give Pepperdine a 20-11 lead. From there, it was smooth sailing as Pepperdine took the second set 25-17.

Five aces by Lamoureux highlighted the third and final set of the night as Pepperdine shut down the Spartans completely to close the night out. Six errors by the opposing side helped the Waves hold STAC to 12 points, finishing the sweep with a 25-12 set win.

WAVES VS. SPARTANS

PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set     K         E        TA       Pct
1         13      2         19       .579
2         12       2         22       .455
3         7         1         13       .462

STAC ATTACK BY SET
Set     K         E        TA       Pct
1         10       3         25       .280
2         7         9         24       -.083
3         7         6         19       .053

The Waves have the second home match of the weekend Sunday against Daemen. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. with streaming available on B1G+ (subscription required) and live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com

GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the Waves offensively, hitting .381 on 21 attempts.
• Grant Lamoureux shined from the service line, leading the Waves with five aces.
• The Waves only recorded five errors on the night, compared to the Spartans 18.
• Noé Matthey had a hand in the most blocks tonight, with three assists and one solo block.
• Andrej Polomac recorded over 85 percent of Pepperdine’s assists with 26.
• Polomac also led the team in digs with five.
• Zach Chapin, Matthey, Polomac, Lamoureux, and Ford Harman made their Wave debuts tonight.
• Chapin recorded an ace in his third collegiate set.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine men’s volleyball boasts one of the richest histories in collegiate volleyball, with five NCAA National Championships. Four of those championships came under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy who totaled 612 victories in 34 seasons at the helm. With 19 NCAA Appearances and 63 All-Americans, the program has consistently been a destination for top talent across the country. Under current head coach Jonathan Winder, the Waves reached the NCAA Final Four in his third season at the helm in 2025.

TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.

FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women’s soccer news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .

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Men’s Volleyball Falls In Season Opener At #3 Long Beach State

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2026

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LONG BEACH, CA. – The Lindenwood Men’s Volleyball team (0-1, 0-0 MIVA) fell in their season opener on the road at #3 Long Beach State in three sets by scores of 21-25, 16-25, 20-25. Luke Kraft led the Lions in kills with seven in his first game in a Black and Gold uniform while Zach Solomon led the team in assists with 22.

In the first set, both teams went back and forth early. Trailing 6-4, the Lions went on a 4-0 run as Caden Whiteside had a kill during the run to put LU in front 8-6. The Beach responded with an 8-2 run of their own to take control of the first set by a score of 14-10. Amir Grant and Brendan Louthain each had a kill following the LBSU run to cut the deficit to three at 17-14, but the Beach were able to use their run in the middle of the opening set and protect their lead to take the first set by a score of 25-21. In set two, Long Beach State was able to limit the Lions to a hitting percentage of 0.033% and recorded five blocks in the middle set. LBSU won the set by a score of 25-16 and Luke Kraft led the Lions with three kills in the middle frame.

The third set saw the Lions take a 15-13 lead into the media timeout thanks to two kills each from Grant and Kraft. Kraft also had a block assist and solo block in the third set which helped give the Lions the lead in the middle of the set. However, out of the media timeout Long Beach State went on a 7-1 run and took a 20-16 lead. The Beach never gave the lead up after that and went on to complete the sweep over the Lions, winning the final set by a score of 25-20.

Lindenwood will now head to Costa Mesa, CA tomorrow where they will wrap up their first road trip of the season at Vanguard University. First serve is set for 4 p.m. CT.

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Men’s Volleyball Drops Rematch With Loyola Chicago In Four Sets

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Your Sports Nation

HONOLULU – The second-ranked University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team valiantly battled back from an 2-0 deficit before falling in four sets to No. 7 Loyola Chicago Friday to close out a two-match series at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25-23, 25-22, 24-26, 29-27.

The teams split the season series for the second time in three years after UH took the opener in straight sets on Thursday.

The Rainbow Warriors (3-1) would not fold easily, rallying from a seven-point deficit in Set 3 and fending off five match points in Set 4. Ultimately, the Ramblers pulled off the upset with a block on their seventh match point.

Hawai’i committed 25 attack errors and allowed eight service aces and 15.5 blocks in virtually a repeat of the teams’ 2024 series in which the Warriors won the opener in straight sets and dropped the rematch in five.

Louis Sakanoko recorded his first career double-double with 18 kills and 12 digs along with two service aces and two blocks. Kristian Titriyski added 16 kills before giving way to Kainoa Wade in the third set. Wade finished the match with four kills, one ace, and three digs.

Adrien Roure added nine kills in 26 errorless attempts, nine digs and five blocks while Ofeck Hazan, who started in place of Trevell Jordan, posted five kills and five blocks. Tread Rosenthal dished out 50 assists along with seven digs and four blocks and Quintin Greenidge tallied 13 digs.

The Ramblers (1-1) were led by Aleksandar Sosa’s match-high 19 kills. Setter Ryan McElligott had five of the team’s eight aces along with 11 digs and four blocks.

Loyola led big early in Set 1 after McElligott fueled an 8-0 run with three aces. UH chipped away and tied it at 22 after an ace by Wade but McElligott’s fourth ace closed out the set. In Set 2, the Ramblers rallied from a 21-19 deficit and out-scored Hawai’i 6-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

UH trailed by as much as seven in Set 3 including 20-13. But again, the Warriors would not go away, scoring four straight, including two kills by Wade and an ace by Sakanoko to tie it at 23. After a Rambler point, UH’s block came alive during a 3-0 run to steal the set.

Hawai’i reeled off five straight points for a 13-11 lead in Set 4. The Ramblers tied it and surged ahead 20-18 after a three-point run before the Warriors tied it at 20. Loyola jumped back ahead but Hawai’i rallied to tie it at 23. From there, the teams traded side-outs until the Ramblers blocked Hazan to end it.

The Warriors will next host a pair of doubleheaders next week against Roberts Wesleyan and Rockhurst, Wednesday, Jan. 14 and Friday, Jan. 16 at Bankoh Arena. Match times are 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. each day.