Beach volleyball players started their season yesterday. This was the first practice of the season, which followed a team meeting on Feb. 14. 

The practices are held three times a week — either at Ocean Beach or the Mission Bay Park System. All the factors and conditions that must be considered to play the sport make it difficult to find a location to practice, according to sophomore Siena Bianchi.

“Many things like the sun, the wind, and the weather all have to be considered when it comes to beach volleyball,” Bianchi said. “That’s why the locations have to be so precise — to accommodate the players,” 

Although many indoor volleyball techniques are used in beach volleyball, there are specific rules to beach volleyball that are unique. These new rules can be hard to navigate, especially to players who are used to indoor play, according to freshman Francesca Lauterbach.

“I find that beach volleyball can help me prepare for the indoor season as well, since there are a lot of similar techniques,” Lauterbach said. “It’s also great to be outdoors, in the sun, and exercising,”

Beach volleyball consists of two people on each side of the court, which means two people have to cover the entire court. Last year, the team only had seniors and two sophomores, according Bianchi.

“Last year was a much smaller team, but this year, over twenty people have signed up for beach volleyball,” Bianchi said. “Since so much of our team this year consists of freshmen and sophomores, we all have a few more seasons ahead of us, which is exciting,”

The team competes in tournaments against other schools instead of regular season games. This is a different style of competition, according to freshman Adania Cooper.

“I also like having a different variety of playing styles,” Cooper said, “It’s fun getting to play regular and beach volleyball and seeing how they compare to each other,”

Beach volleyball is a spring sport. The team’s season will run until May and they will play multiple tournaments throughout the season, in places like Ocean Beach and Santa Cruz.

“I’m excited about the newcomers,” Bianchi said, “I can’t wait to see how our team turns out.”