Sarah Sponcil, Pac-12 Champ, National Champ, AVP finalist

Sarah Sponcil, Pac-12 Champ, National Champ, AVP finalist

It may seem difficult to imagine at first, what with a Pac-12 title, an NCAA Championship and an AVP final under her belt in the span of just a few weeks, but yes, Sarah Sponcil does struggle from time to time.

Take Spanish, for example.

“I have not taken it since I was in fifth grade,” she said on SANDCAST: Beach volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. “A lot of people take Spanish in high school, so it was elementary Spanish and I was like ‘Ok, we’re chillin’ with the colors and the weather and all that stuff and the lady is like ‘Ok so the next class we’re going to be speaking in full Spanish. And I was like ‘Wait, what? What did I sign up for? Is there a level below this?’ So that’s been kind of a struggle.”

But on the court? It may take some digging to find a soft spot in Sponcil’s game. Partnered with Lauren Fendrick for Austin, Sponcil won her first four career AVP main draw matches in straight sets, setting up a final against April Ross and Alix Klineman.

“I think I just had that mentality – people are going to be stronger, faster,” Sponcil said. “I think I just tried to put the pressure on, trying to stay aggressive. I think a lot of people go to shots if they get blocked, they kind of just do that. I felt like I was full force. I just want to swing, if I get blocked, I’ll just work around.”

She worked around Angela Bensend and Olaya Pazo, Caitlin Ledoux and Kendra VanZwieten, Janelle Allen and Kerri Schuh, Karissa Cook and Katie Spieler.

It was one thing to play alongside an Olympian and Stanford’s assistant coach. It was an entirely different feeling to play against Ross, the player Sponcil has looked up to since she began playing volleyball.

“I mean, you’re playing against April Ross,” Sponcil said. “I literally had pictures of her when I was like, 14 and 17. Just to be playing against her and seeing me stack up against her was really cool. It was a really great experience.”

She watched the film a few times, enough to know that she stacked up just fine. Ross and Klineman had only dropped a single set prior to the finals, yet there was Sponcil, pushing the two-time Olympic medalist to a 24-22 first set, and again to a 25-23 second set.

“We basically played a third game,” Sponcil said, laughing. “I felt like I was taking it point by point. I don’t know. I thought it was an amazing challenge. You look up to someone for so long and you don’t want to miss this opportunity. You want to show them like ‘Ok, I deserve to be here. It wasn’t a fluke that we were here.’

“Right after we lost, as long as we gave them a run for their money, that was ok with me. Just to be that close and within striking distance gives me hope and just makes you want to play that much more and get that much better so you have the opportunity to face off with them again.”

She will. There is no doubting that. She had to skip New York for her finals, though she plans on playing Seattle and the remainder of the AVP season, and she’s entertaining the possibility of sprinkling in some FIVB stops as well.

At the end of the day, it is this: Sarah Sponcil just wants to keep winning.

“I’m just trying to get to know the beach volleyball world,” she said. “Now it’s like ‘Ok this is a completely different world. Book your own flights, book your own practices with different people.’

“I’m just going to keep trying, keep getting into AVPs, and I’ll see what happens from there.”

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Rio Elite16 Recap: Hello Bello!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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