SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter24 Jan 2018

Sara Hughes: Beach volleyball's next top role model, part 1

On one of the walls in Sara Hughes’ bedroom is a poster of Misty May-Treanor. It’s been there since she was little, when Hughes began getting into volleyball, serving as a reminder of what she might become one day should she continue to pursue this beach volleyball dream of hers.

So it struck her when, during a tournament this season, a parent of a young fan approached her and told Hughes that, on one of the walls in her daughter’s bedroom, is a poster of Hughes.

“I was like ‘No way that’s actually happening,’” Hughes recalled on SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. “I am so grateful for that and I hope I can keep being a person young people can look up to for a long time and thank you to everyone who does.”

Did you catch that, at the end? Hughes thanked the fans for looking up to her, not the other way around. In an era where celebrities grow more and more closed off, taking instead to social media to communicate behind iPhones and laptops, Hughes remains open, willing to talk to anyone, pepper with anyone, give back any way she can.

“I’m always just trying to help people,” she said. “If anybody wants to ask, just come up to me, you can ask me directly.”

No different than May-Treanor continues to treat her.

When her age could still be measured with a single digit, Hughes would head down to the Huntington Beach Pier and sit on the wall, waiting for a chance, any chance, to simply shag balls for May-Treanor. Sometimes May-Treanor would let her pepper or hop in for a drill or two, creating an indelible memory that Hughes will cherish more than likely the rest of her life.

“I love talking to people and I love talking to young girls because I don’t think I’d be in the position I am today if I didn’t have the coaches I had and people like Misty May taking the time to talk to me,” she said. “I love doing the same to everyone else.”

She’s a sponsor’s dream, Hughes. She has the looks – blonde hair, blue eyes, Colgate smile – the smarts – she’s currently on a one-year track to earn her Master’s degree, just a year after delivering a graduation speech at USC – the media savvy, the talent, a voracious competitive drive juxtaposed with a disarmingly charming personality.

Oh, yes. She has earned this position, the right to have Mikasa run her through photo shoots and turn those shoots into posters for young girls to hang on their walls, to point to each night and morning and say “I want to be like that.”

Her accolades at USC could fill a small book’s worth of pages, and it’s a wonder if some of her records – four consecutive national titles, a winning streak that eclipsed 100 matches, a perfect 48-0 junior season, four-time All-American – will ever be broken.

Justifiably, this drew no small amount of media coverage, and while she was appreciative – always thanking anyone for taking the time and interest in her – it drove her a bit insane, how those reporters would invariably walk right past her exceptionally talented teammates. On the occasion that the media showed interest in the rest of USC’s indomitable team, more often than not they’d ask questions not about how their match went, but what they thought about Sara and her partner, Kelly Claes.

“I hated that when it was just ‘Oh! Sara and Kelly and Team USC!’” Hughes said. “I was like ‘No, you don’t realize, these girls who are on [teams] two, three, four, to the eighth team, they’re our support system. We would not be close to being good or successful without our teammates. They deserve just as much fame and respect as we do because we’re out there on the same hot court at USC and we’re training, every day, together.”

Her teammates, as she said, were plenty talented, and a number of them – Nicolette Martin, Terese Cannon, Jenna Belton, Sophie Bukovic, Allie Wheeler, to name a few – have already begun making a name for themselves on the AVP Tour.

Yet Hughes, as May-Treanor was, will be the name fans point to as the next in this massive wave of beach volleyball talent rising from the college ranks. She will be the one on the posters, and in the commercials for Oakley and KT Tape and Mikasa and any other sponsor wise enough to sign her.

She’s becoming the next generation’s version of May-Treanor – the one everyone looks up to – quicker than she could have possibly realized.

The final question of SANDCAST is reserved for the athletes to discuss anything else they’d like to discuss, anything the hosts may have missed. Most demur, maybe shout out a sponsor or two, thank us for the time.

Hughes, instead, had a message for her fans: “For the young players and any parents who are listening, I love the indoor game and the beach game, of course. So a lot of players are making this decision where they love the indoor but they have to play the beach in college because they think that’s the only thing they can play. I just think it’s huge for young girls to play both if they love both.”

You can teach any volleyball skill there is. But to become the next face of a sport, as May-Treanor once was?

That’s a trait passed down, from one legend to the one who might just become the next.

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Rio Elite16 Recap: Hello Bello!

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is our recap of the Rio Elite16, where Travis and Kyle Friend broke down all of the action, including: Javier Bello and Joaquin Bello going off for a most unexpected of gold medals Another huge tournament for Nico Capogrosso and Tomas Capogrosso, who took a career-high silver medal How Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots have become the giant killers, knocking off Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig and Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum in the same tournament A fitting end to the season for Barbara and Carol, who began 2024 with a gold in Doha, and ended it with a gold in Rio And, per usual, much, much more. The full video with all of Frito’s sexy highlights will be on the Beach Volleyball World YouTube video! ENJOY! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

11 Nov 202434min

Dain Blanton, Madison White, And USC Beach Volleyball's Quest For FIVE STRAIGHT NCAA Championships

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features USC Beach Volleyball head coach Dain Blanton and his most recent star, Maddie White. Coming off a fourth straight NCAA Championship, now heading for an astonishing fifth, USC is, per usual, the team to beat in 2025. On this episode, we chat about: The growth of the sport at the NCAA level, and how recruiting has changed to a national and global level The benefits of college athletics, and how it has changed the game forever Dain Blanton’s experiences at the Olympics, and the dynamics of team leadership. How the landscape of beach volleyball has evolved, particularly in terms of player development and the increasing competitiveness of the sport. The differences between the college model and professional beach volleyball. And, as always, much, much more. SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

6 Nov 20241h 23min

Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader: Trailblazing a Dominant Swiss Era

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Switzerland's Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader, a trailblazing team who won a European Championship, Olympic bronze medal, and pioneered an era of Swiss dominance, which now includes Nina Brunner and Tanja Huberli, and Esmee Bobner and Zoe Verge-Depre. This episode was recorded at the Hamburg Elite16, where Anouk and Joana played their last tournament as a team. On this episode, we chat and reflect upon: The many ups and downs of their partnership, which had the highest of highs – Olympic medals, European Championships – and the lowest of lows – injuries and more injuries. How Anouk switched both sides and positions so seamlessly What it was like to help Switzerland become such a power in the beach volleyball world What the future looks like for Switzerland beach volleyball This episode originally appeared on the @BeachVolleyballWorld YouTube Channel. Follow and subscribe there to get more content like this! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

30 Okt 202428min

Matt Levoe: A Ref's Guide to Beach Volleyball

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Matt Levoe, one of the most respected referees in the game of beach volleyball and also the first ref we’ve had on since John Rodriguez quite some time ago. It was a much-needed episode, as we chatted: The never-ending, constantly revolving debate around calling doubles and lifts. How do refs call it, and how has it changed in recent years? Why would anyone in their right mind want to become a referee? Troy Fields catch and release joust, and other nuanced rules of the game Adapting between reffing indoor and beach, professional and college And so much more. This is a fully comprehensive discussion on the rules and how the sport of volleyball and beach volleyball is called. SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

23 Okt 20241h 39min

Joao Pessoa Elite16 Recap: Norway Remains King; Brazil Women Reload

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is an international Beach Access, where Travis and Kyle Friend traveled to Brazil for the Joao Pessoa Elite16. After a week in Brazil on the Beach Pro Tour, we recapped a tremendous event in Joao Pessoa, chatting: How Anders Mol and Christian Sorum are still King, fending off Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig and a rejuvenated Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar No Ana Patricia and Duda? No problem for the Brazilian women, who are reloading the talent pipeline with Victoria Lopes and Thamela Coradelli A pair of unexpected American semifinalists in bronze medal winners Kim “Hurricane” Hildreth and Teegan Van Gunst, and Deahna Kraft and Lexy Denaburg The emergence of Argentina’s Tomas Capogrosso and Nico Capogrosso The full video, with Frito’s sexy recap thrown in, can be found on the Beach Volleyball World YouTube page! SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

21 Okt 202425min

Leon Luini, Ruben Penninga: The Good Friends Reuniting for a Rising Dutch Federation

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Leon Luini and Ruben Penninga, two of the rising starts of the Dutch Federation. In this episode, we explore: - The journey of beach volleyball athletes as they navigate the highs and lows of competition, the dynamics of partnerships, and the emotional challenges they face. - Leon and Ruben’s experiences from early successes to dealing with setbacks, the importance of maintaining relationships, and the need to redefine their purpose in the sport. - They emphasize the significance of personal growth, the balance between professional and personal lives, and the joy of playing despite the pressures of competition. - Tri Bourne discusses the emotional and competitive aspects of beach volleyball, reflecting on the privilege of competing, the importance of processing losses, and the dynamics within teams. - The differences between the Dutch federation and USA Volleyball - The financial landscape of beach volleyball, particularly the AVP. And, per usual, much, much more. SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

16 Okt 20241h 26min

Troy Field: Growing the Game While Growing His Own Game

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Troy Field. Long one of the most entertaining players on the AVP Tour, Field is a fan favorite for reasons that we could list for pages and pages and pages. We run the gamut with this one, as you can tell by the length of the podcast, chatting: - Growing a brand in beach volleyball - Why Troy still has Olympic aspirations - His plans growing the Right Siiide with Taylor Crabb - His thoughts on the AVP League - What makes Tim Bomgren such an incredible human being And so much more. Such a blast with Troy, as always. PHOTO: MPU DINANI SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

9 Okt 20241h 56min

Mailbag! Answering ALL of the Questions Around the AVP League

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne, Travis Mewhirter, and Savvy Simo, features, well, us – and you! We answered all – or as many as we could – of your questions about the AVP League in this one, including: How did the tiebreaker between Savvy and Abby Van Winkle and Hailey Harward and Kylie DeBerg go down? What do we honestly think of the AVP League? How did the AVP decide on sets to 15-15-15? Would we prefer the new League format or a season with 10 traditional tournaments? And much more. Thank you for all of your submissions! SHOOTS! *** Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST63. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Introducing Balltime, the AI platform making breaking down film and statistics EASY (FINALLY!). Use our link for a discount and give it a try! Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products! We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link. We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! 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/ 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

2 Okt 202459min

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