August 16, 2022
Men's Beach Volleyball Season Preview
By: Chase Dodge
Men's Beach Volleyball is set to begin their 2022 season. They look to improve on last season success. Last season we had two pairs with out a tournament in the CBVA to upgrade their rating.
This season a lot of warriors will play in the CBVA but will also take part in in the IVC Men's Beach league filled with SoCal schools that have Men's Beach. At the end of the season the Men's Beach Volleyball team will take part in the Inaugural AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Men's National Championship in Huntsville, Alabama.
We sat down with Associate Head Coach Chris Vu to talk about the players and the upcoming season.
What are some of your expectations and goals for this season?
"We are very excited to be hitting the sand with our guys again this season. Considering we have an elite group of hard working, highly dedicated guys, I am expecting us to really excel in all aspects of the game together this year. By that, I mean the technical, tactical, physical, mental, and emotional part of the game.
A lot of these guys come from many different backgrounds and coaching styles from all over the US, and the world, so it will be exciting to not only coach them up, but to also learn a thing or two from many of them as well--coaches are life-long learners too. My goal is to continually bring as much knowledge, passion, and experience from the professional & USA Beach National Team level as I can to this program.
A lot of our guys are playing at a very high level, some even on the world stage already, and they have strong aspirations of playing professionally long-term and hopefully in an Olympic Games one day.
All things considered, our goal as a program is to holistically develop these guys for the highest level of competition while also coming out on top in all that we compete in along the way.
Some of those major events are the IVC Men's Beach Volleyball League, CBVA tournaments, tournaments with other institutions that have Men's Beach, and ultimately, the Inaugural Men's Collegiate Beach National Championship Event in Huntsville, Alabama this year."
There are a few of newcomers to the team heading into this season, who are they and what do they bring to this team?
"Yes, we have a ton of top talent continuing to reach out and trickle through which is exciting not only for us, but for the growth of the sport on the men's side as a whole as well. A couple notable new standouts include: DJ Klasnic, Jacob Titus, & Gabriel Pizza.
All three guys are high level players who have collectively done some amazing things at the National Team level (for their respective countries) as well as on the world stage.
In fact, as a group, these 3 have competed in several different World Championship events, numerous major domestic & international events, and countless professional & semi-professional events from all over the world, resulting in several Gold, Silver, & Bronze Medals, and countless top 10 finishes.
To say the least, they are bringing a wealth of knowledge and playing experience to our program, which in turn will only continue to grow the Westcliff name and the overall exposure of our program."
You also have a few returners whose names we may not be familiar with yet, but we will be by the end of the season.
"We have some really solid returners who were actually some of our best players last year. Some names to take notice of are, Dane Johnson, Cole Aidnic, and Andy Jaszczynski.
All great players with high IQ, athleticism, and solid ball control. They are hard to beat when they are in rhythm."
Talk about your team captains this year, who are your leaders and why are they your leaders?
"There are several that will likely fill the role this year. While we are still anticipating some of their arrivals, I believe our core leaders will be, Dane Johnson, Ghie Lubrica, DJ Klasnic, and Jacob Titus will likely be our captains this year.
They are experienced players with a strong and reliable work ethic who also bring immeasurable leadership characteristics to the program. I trust them in helping guide our squad to a successful season."
Talk about the schedule coming up this year, what are some opponents we should be looking forward to facing, please talk about the CBVA and your goals and expectations in those open and ranked divisions. Also talk about the Irvine Valley league and talk about that with your expectations and goals?
"Compared to previous years, we actually are looking at probably what's considered the busiest men's beach season yet. We will be having a tournament set up with 3-4 other schools who will be traveling out to us. Some of those schools will be Stevenson, Webber International, USK, and our local friends IVC.
We will also be competing in the men's beach league at IVC all October, which is a league consistent of many other men's collegiate teams. We look forward to competing and doing our best to come out on top in this league.
CBVA's are also in the mix for our schedule as they normally are every year. We had a lot of success at these events last year and we plan to win as many tournaments as we can again while also helping guys rank up. End goal is to get everyone their AAA rating.
Lastly, we are looking at competing in the inaugural AVCA Men's Collegiate Beach National Championships in Huntsville, Alabama this year, which will take place in November. We have high expectations for ourselves going into this last event of the year.
It's been incredible to see the growth and success of this program since we first stepped in Fall 2019. We went from not even having 10 guys to now about 20 guys who can all compete and succeed at a high level.
In fact, we've got a group of elite guys who have played and competed for Team USA at several World Championships as well as guys who play for their own National Teams, we've got guys who currently play on the FIVB World Tour enroute to the Olympic Games, and several others who have qualified for events on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
To say the least, we are excited for the growth of Westcliff University Men's Beach Volleyball."
Men's Beach Volleyball will begin their season by the end of the month