Savvy Simo, UCLA's favorite 'pain in the butt,' returning for one more year

Savvy Simo, UCLA's favorite 'pain in the butt,' returning for one more year

On the evening of January 14, UCLA women’s volleyball coach Mike Sealy had the mic. As he expounded on the tremendous careers of his seniors, of which there were just two – setter Cali Thompson and outside hitter Savvy Simo – he turned to Simo and, instead of gushing about her laundry list of accomplishments, said a joke.

“You’re one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached,” he said.

At least, Simo thought it was a joke. Over the past four years, she had been, by her own admission, a “pain in the butt,” something her beach coach, Stein Metzger, will readily, if not warmly, agree to. But Sealy didn’t laugh. Didn’t betray a single sign of amusement. He couldn’t have been more serious, and afterwards, he’d hug Simo and tell her that she’s the best, and to keep in touch.

That’ll be easier to do than Sealy could have known.

Savvy Simo’s coming back to UCLA for one more year.

When the NCAA initially granted an extra year of eligibility for all spring athletes who had their 2020 seasons cut short, Simo had no designs on returning to Westwood. She’d done her four years, playing both beach and indoor. She’d won two NCAA Championships on the beach, piled up 91 wins, completed her sociology major.

She was ready to move on.

“When I found out everything was cancelled I was like ‘Screw it, I’m not coming back, I’m over college, I’ve had my time, I already feel old, I want to play AVP, I want to do interviews, I want to move on,’” said Simo, who went 13-2 on court one with Abby Van Winkle in the truncated 2020 season.

Already, she had plans to move to the South Bay to room with LMU transfer Iya Lindahl. She was going to play on the AVP Tour, launch what is already a promising career in sports media. Move on with her life. As the reaction to Covid-19 spread, and the economy was shuttered and sports, including the AVP, were postponed indefinitely, if not altogether cancelled, reservation began to take root.

With no AVP to play at the moment, few if any jobs readily available, many of her rivals – Kristen Nuss and Claire Coppola at LSU, for instance – returning to school, her roommate, Lindahl, remaining in college, was there any real reason to move on?

It was a picture painted by Rachel Morris, Simo’s old coach at WAVE in San Diego, that ultimately convinced her.

“Look, Savvy,” Morris, a former setter for Oregon, told her, “next May you’re going to be sitting on your couch watching your team compete for a national championship and, win or lose, you’re going to regret not being there.”

“That,” Simo said, “was the tipping point for me. I was like ‘You’re so right, I cannot imagine watching this team play, knowing I could have had an opportunity.’”

She called Metzger. She wanted to come back. It’s simple in concept, but not in execution. There was the academic side of things to work out, since Simo can’t exactly return with no classes on the schedule, only to play beach volleyball for a few months in the spring semester. There is still the thorny scholarship issue as well, something that schools around the country are dealing with. But there was zero chance Metzger would let that interfere with Simo returning. He’d make it work, because if there’s one thing UCLA could use most on its young and talented team, it’s the Bruins’ phenomenal pain in the butt leader.

“I friggin love Stein, I love Jenny [Johnson Jordan], I think they’re both incredible humans,” Simo said. “Literally yesterday, I said ‘I’m sorry for being such a pain’ and he said ‘You really are a total pain but I love you kid.’ I’m so excited to come back.”

The Bruins will be equally excited to have Simo back as well. Simo’s fellow seniors, Lily Justine and Madi Yeomans, are moving on, making Simo, already the vocal leader of the bunch, the de facto captain of a team that featured underclassmen in 50 percent of its starting lineup: Van Winkle (sophomore), Lindsey Sparks (sophomore), Lexy Denaburg (freshman), Devon Newberry (freshman), Rileigh Powers (freshman).

“I took on the leadership role with the other seniors and it was a challenge but I just kinda took it and ran with it and no program is ever perfect but we were on the ups and it was a bummer it was cancelled but thankfully I’m back and I’m fired up to see the potential this team has,” Simo said.

“Me and Stein, we have a really great relationship and I think a reason why we kinda go back and forth is because I do have a really high level of respect for Stein. I listen to everything he says and he is one of the best coaches I’ve had on the beach and he is so smart and I think especially this year, I wanted to win so bad and I know he did too.

“I’ve learned and matured and figured out when to pick my battles and when to not. Even this year, there were times where I was like ‘Stein we need to be doing more of this’ and agree or disagree, I think we both have a common goal and we want to win. He has so much experience but I also have the side of the players and the team and we worked out a balance to find out what’s best. Jenny also plays an incredible role in that balance as a female figure too. People like Sarah [Sponcil] and people like Zana [Muno] were the same: We all just want to win. And that’s an incredible part of UCLA’s culture and I hope it carries out.”

Episoder(500)

New partners. New Tours. Welcome to beach volleyball in 2022

New partners. New Tours. Welcome to beach volleyball in 2022

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features a wide-ranging look-ahead at what's to come in the 2022 beach volleyball season. We have new tours, with the AVP being bought by Bally's, and Volleyball World replacing the FIVB. We have new partnerships, on both the men's and women's side. The hosts have new goals. New mindsets. It's new everything in 2022. On this episode, we chat about: - Breaking down the new partnerships for the 2022 season - What to expect from Volleyball World this upcoming year - Why the Elite 16 is actually a great format for the sport - Travis and Tri’s plans for the year And much, much more. ENJOY! *** Like our content? Leave us a tip :) We don't charge a subscription fee, so everything is much appreciated: https://motivated-author-4500.ck.page/products/sandcast-tip-jar We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

26 Jan 202259min

Devon Newberry and the UCLA Bruins are ”guns-a-blazing” heading into 2022

Devon Newberry and the UCLA Bruins are ”guns-a-blazing” heading into 2022

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features UCLA rising star – well, she already is kind of a star – Devon Newberry. Just a sophomore at UCLA, Newberry is already a regular in AVP main draws, having made back-to-back main draws as a 17-year-old with good friend and teammate Lindsey Sparks, becoming the first U-18 team to make consecutive main draws in AVP history. In her freshman season at UCLA, Newberry went 24-8, helping the Bruins seal up a Pac-12 Championship. Now, alongside Sparks, Rileigh Powers, and Lexy Denaburg, she’s a leader of the Bruins and an NCAA Championship contender. On this episode, we discuss: UCLA’s prospects during the 2022 NCAA beach volleyball season Newberry’s growth as a player, and how much she has transformed since entering UCLA The value of back-to-back crushing losses to USC and Pepperdine prior to the COVID pandemic Her mindset shift from valuing low expectations for herself, to embracing high expectations And, as always, much, much more. You can follow Devon on Instagram: @devonnewberry Follow UCLA’s beach volleyball team on Instagram: @uclabeachvb And if you enjoyed this episode, check out our podcast with USC star Hailey Harward! ENJOY! *** Like our content? Leave us a tip :) We don't charge a subscription fee, so everything is much appreciated! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

19 Jan 20221h 14min

Hailey Harward, and the constant search to find and bring joy to the beach

Hailey Harward, and the constant search to find and bring joy to the beach

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features USC standout Hailey Harward. In her lone full season with the Trojans – Harward previously played for Long Beach State – she won a National Championship, and is returning to the lineup as a heavy favorite to do so again. In fact, it was Harward and her partner, Haley Hallgren, who provided the NCAA Championship-sealing victory in 2021. Harward has also proven her mettle on the AVP, qualifying for three main draws, with a high of ninth in the 2018 Hermosa Beach Open. On this episode, we discuss: What the culture is like at USC, surrounded by Olympians (coach Dain Blanton and Tina Graudina), World Champs (Delaynie Maple and Megan Kraft) and nearly a dozen AVP main draw talents Why joy has become her greatest source of improved play on the court How she was able to use the new NCAA NLI rules to snag a sponsorship from Raising Cane’s Her approach to becoming a professional after she graduates this spring And, as always, much, much more. You can follow Hailey on Instagram @haileyharward ENJOY! *** We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

12 Jan 20221h 6min

Zana Muno: Beach volleyball’s hustling, diving, gritty ’chic farmer’

Zana Muno: Beach volleyball’s hustling, diving, gritty ’chic farmer’

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Zana Muno one of the brightest young talents on the AVP and one of the coolest people you’ll ever meet. In just three seasons on the AVP, Muno has finished third three times – twice with Crissy jones, once with Kelley Kolinske – won a gold medal on the FIVB Tour, and throughout it all, she’s raising chickens! It’s a fun life she’s living, and one we dove into on the podcast. In this episode, we chat about: Muno’s ranch, where she has 11 chickens and built a chicken coop herself How she’s so dang good at defense, and the simple piece of advice she has for defenders Why she is able to look back on a crazy 2021 season, in which she played six events with five different partners, with satisfaction and pride Her career goals, both on the court and for the ranch, which intertwine with one another And much, much more. Such a fun episode with Zana, who is as fun to hang with as she is to watch dig a million balls on stadium court. You can follow Zana in two different places on Instagram: @zanamuno And for all of her farming endeavors: @zee_farmer Enjoy! *** We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

5 Jan 20221h 2min

Ed Ratledge: At 45 years old, The Eagle is still flying high

Ed Ratledge: At 45 years old, The Eagle is still flying high

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features one of the most beloved players on the AVP Tour, and in all of beach volleyball: Ed Ratledge. At 45 years old, Ratledge has been playing professionally for more than half of his life. A vault of knowledge, and one of the most interesting and well-spoken people on Tour, our conversation was a wide-ranging one. We discussed: Ratledge’s San Francisco win in 2018 with Rafu Rodriguez How that victory divided time for Ed: Pre San Francisco, and After San Francisco How he manages to stay present as a competitor while entertaining fans between every point His plans as a player, both this year and down the road ENJOY! *** We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

29 Des 20211h 9min

Gabby Reece is still kicking a**

Gabby Reece is still kicking a**

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is so dang epic. We brought on Gabby Reece, one of the most influential voices in women’s sport of this past generation, and one of the coolest people on the planet (seriously, just listen). Reece is one of the best players of all-time at Florida State, an author, host of her own podcast, co-founder of Laird Superfood and XPT Training – she’s a little bit of everything. This podcast is full of wisdom from an athlete, mom, entrepreneur, and all-around fantastic human being. On this episode, we discuss: Her journey through volleyball, picking it up as a teenager when she moved to Florida How fear can be used for good, as a driving force of her entrepreneurial spirit The Island mentality, being raised in the Virgin Islands, now living part time in Kauai, HI Her underwater XPT Training she founded with her husband, Laird Hamilton And so, so, so, so much more. Absolute gold all over this episode. ENJOY! *** We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

22 Des 20211h 14min

Finn Taylor, Volleyball World CEO, is out to build a legacy in beach volleyball

Finn Taylor, Volleyball World CEO, is out to build a legacy in beach volleyball

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. We brought in Finn Taylor, the new CEO at Volleyball World, and we chatted all things volleyball. If you’re wondering what the new world International Volleyball will look like, and how Taylor plans on finally capitalizing on the massive untapped market of beach volleyball, this is an absolute must-listen. On this episode, we discuss: The first steps Taylor took when he accepted the job as CEO of Volleyball World How he plans on CHARGING FOR ADMISSION (clap clap clap) at events A new plan for scheduling events and building traditions at each site The necessary feedback, and how Volleyball World is listening, from the players And so, so, so much more. ENJOY! *** We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

15 Des 202152min

Taylor Sander: ‘We‘re going to put on a show‘

Taylor Sander: ‘We‘re going to put on a show‘

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features probably our most-asked-for guest of the 2021 year: Indoor sensation, and new beach convert, Taylor Sander. For the past decade or so, Sander has been one of the best outside hitters in the United States, a four-time All-American at BYU, Olympic bronze medalist in 2016, and a member of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic team. Now, he’s a beach guy, teaming up with Taylor Crabb to make a push for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on the beach. In this episode, we discuss: What in the world beach volleyball players do in the off-season months, when Sander would normally be playing indoors overseas How his transition to beach began, and a surprising text from Taylor Crabb His beach volleyball debut in Itapema, Brazil, where he and Crabb finished ninth The improvements he’s seeking to make during the off-season And, as always, much, much more. ENJOY! *** We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/ SHOOTS!

8 Des 202155min

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