Friday, Aug. 01, 2008

Tough Day on the Beach

Lady Mustangs Volleyball Hopeful Finds Sand Game a Unique Challenge

By Kevin Lonnquist

Staff Writer

Taylor Nyquist will begin working her way toward making the Grapevine varsity volleyball roster starting Monday.

The junior probably has a good chance based on the summer of unorthodox volleyball she played. From early May through the end of July, Nyquist worked with Kelsey Odom and Hayden Berryhill in the demanding beach volleyball schedule.

In fact, Nyquist had a very successful beach season. She and Berryhill worked together to win the North Texas Region-USA Volleyball under 18 event on June 8 in Coppell to qualify for the USAV National Beach Volleyball Tournament.

But Nyquist actually participated in the under 16 division on July 19 in Manhattan Beach, Ca. because Odom, her original teammate, returned from a toe injury. Still, the duo finished 9th out of 60 teams. It was a respectable finish for the group she represented, Club 692.

"It was pretty exciting how we did," Nyquist said. "We learned a lot about competing against a lot of great teams."

Since there are only two players per team in a beach volleyball match, and their footing is anything but stable, the beach version of the game is considered tougher by many players, including Nyquist’s summer teammate, Berryhill.

"It’s a lot harder to move around in the sand, because you really have to build up your speed," Nyquist said. "I learned a lot from coach [Dr. Steve Stover] and how to split the court and made the right reads."

Nyquist, who will likely be competing for a right side or outside hitting position for Grapevine, gained quickness, agility and balance. She said she also gained a lot of strength.

She said the key to playing two-on-two volleyball was making sure she and her teammate had divided up the halves of the court. A sand volleyball court consists of 692 square feet. A regulation indoor court is comprised of 900 square feet.

"Usually, Kelsey or Hayden had the left and I had the right," Nyquist said. "We played it a little differently than most beach teams, because we were tighter against the net than they were. We had a pretty good idea on if a hitter was going to go long or short on shots."

Club 692 was made up of 54 girls who represented age divisions from 12-18. At this event, Nyquist and Odom, a Grapevine teammate, went 3-1 in their pool play before losing their first match in the championship round.

But the consolation prize was that she and Berryhill earned the No. 1 ranking in the NTR under 18 division because they won the regional tournament.

"They made a very nice showing and competed against some very good teams," said Robyn Barlow, executive director of the NTR. "When you compete against kids who play a lot of volleyball on the beach, it’s a great accomplishment."