Beach volleyball is a sport typically played on hot summer days at the beach. It has been an Olympic sport since 1996 and is widely considered a very physically demanding sport. Over 50 million people worldwide play the sport, and the number continues to grow. The sport has spread across the world, including here at Miramonte High School. In the spring sports season of 2026, Miramonte introduced its first Women’s Beach Volleyball Team.
Beach volleyball, though it may seem similar to the more common Indoor Volleyball, has many different rules and regulations that make it a completely different sport. According to the Association of Volleyball Professionals, better known as AVP Volleyball, the obvious difference is that beach volleyball is typically played on an outdoor sand court, which is slightly smaller than a regular indoor court. Beach courts are 16 by eight meters while indoor courts are 18 by nine meters.
Indoor volleyball requires a team to reach 25 points first with a two-point margin, while beach is played to 21 points with a two-point margin. Beach volleyball has rules similar to indoor play, but also has specific rules that accommodate the small number of players on the court. For example, in beach volleyball, you are not allowed to open-hand tip the ball into the other court. You must punch or knuckle it over. If you are going to set the ball onto the other side, the path of the ball must be perfectly perpendicular to your shoulders.
Beach volleyball is considered a team sport, but instead of a group of six athletes on the court, it is played in pairs, with no substitutions throughout the game. Because beach volleyball only has two players on the court, athletes must be able to do everything that comes with playing, including defense, offense, and setting with little to no spin.
This season was the first time the Miramonte Athletics Department had enough enrollment to create the beach volleyball team. In the past, Miramonte had not gotten many sign-ups for the team; therefore, it did not have a team in the first place. This year, the team is a relatively large group of first years, some of whom play solely beach volleyball.
“I play beach volleyball and not indoor volleyball. [Both] are played very differently, and I prefer to play beach volleyball,” first year Olivia Morrow said.
The team practices five days a week, typically at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School (JM), and plays their games at several different locations, including JM, Heather Farm Park, and Moraga Commons.
The following is Miramonte’s 2026 Women’s Beach Volleyball roster:
Sylvia Colucci – Head Coach
Addison McBride – First Year
Gianna Caspari – First Year
Lucy Targonski – First Year
Madeline Stout – First Year
Olivia Gotts – First Year
Olivia Morrow – First Year
Payla Batt – First Year
Scarlett Cisternino – First Year
Scarlett He – First Year
Gigi Yancey – Sophomore
Lexi Lee – Sophomore
Madeleine Yun – Junior
Eva Chevalier – Senior
While anyone can try beach volleyball, it takes hard work and dedication to play the sport. Beach volleyball is considered a more physically demanding sport than indoor volleyball. Due to sand’s energy-absorbing and unstable nature, athletes need to engage more muscle groups to move and maintain balance, according to RPS Academies. The physically demanding challenge led some to not want to participate, but that didn’t stop this year’s team from working hard.
“Honestly, this group is pretty special. They’re talented, yes, but what stands out even more is how hardworking and dedicated they are. They show up, they put in the effort, and they’re eager to learn and get better every single day,” head coach Sylvia Colucci said.
The hard work by these athletes shows through the outcome of their games, winning against Acalanes, California High School, etc.
“We’ve had early mornings, long days, and a lot of growth along the way, and they’ve embraced all of it. They compete hard, they support each other, and they genuinely enjoy being out there together.”
So far, Miramonte’s first beach volleyball team has done a great job at representing the school and athletic program. Many can hope that the program will stay next season and the following years, anticipating its growth and popularity as a sport at Miramonte.
