The Top 10 SANDCAST podcast episodes from 2023
This year was, in every way, the best year we’ve ever had at SANDCAST. It may have taken us more than five years, but we alas upgraded our mics, to the world-class Shure MV7s. Midway through 2023, Gabby Bourne put the final touches on our studio, making it look like a legitimately professional endeavor. Our camera, too, received a facelift, upgraded from a blurry Mevo shooting in 720 to an excellent Canon.
Maybe it’s correlation, maybe causation, but our numbers, both on audio and YouTube, have exploded.
Our downloads shot up by more than 50 percent year-over-year. We hit monthly highs in six consecutive months. Half of the top-10 episodes you’ll see below currently rank in our top-10 all-time.
The most recent podcast growth research shows that more than 50% of listeners discover new podcasts through personal recommendations. The best way, by far, for SANDCAST to grow is from our listeners, viewers, and, in this case, readers, sharing it with volleyball fans, so these suggestions to friends are hugely appreciated. A massive thank you to everyone that’s been sharing and supporting the show over the years, through our awful audio and shoddy camera work to still-sometimes-suspect audio and relatively less shoddy camera work.
Merry Christmas everyone, happy New Year, and enjoy our top-10 beach volleyball podcasts from 2023.
1. Miles Partain
Little surprise here. Prior to Miles Partain coming on SANDCAST, he was mostly a mystery, a scintillating 21-year-old who had won an AVP tournament, trailblazed a new style of American beach volleyball, abruptly left the UCLA indoor team, yet also somehow avoided the grips of social media. This episode was, as far as I know, the first extended conversation he’d had in a relatively public setting. Not only was it the most popular episode of the year, it also ranks No. 2 all-time.
2. Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander
Love them, hate them — you’re interested in Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander, and you know it. At least, that’s how it seems from the volume of downloads, views on YouTube, and the steady stream of comments, which range from fanboys to a deep and amusing loathing. They’re the most interesting team in the country, one of the finest indoor talents quickly cutting his teeth on the beach with perhaps the most gifted American player of this generation. It’s a combination that leads to anything we do with either Crabb or Sander landing into our top-10, be it audio or YouTube.
3. Sarah Pavan
Sarah Pavan is currently the greatest Canadian blocker to ever live. A World Champion, she has known success of every type save for one: An Olympic medal. Until she gets it, she might not attain the last intangible she seeks: Peace. This was a tremendous and vulnerable conversation with one of the most misunderstood players on the Beach Pro Tour.
4. Troy Field
The most entertaining player on the AVP, Troy Field is also one of the funniest — and, secretly, well-spoken and a wonderful guest. Fans love him, and this conversation ranged from serious to hysterical to inspirational and all the way back again.
5. Hagen Smith
Like the player above him, Hagen Smith is a serial entertainer, one of the most physically built players on the AVP who gives off a stoic demeanor until, in a blink, he’s chopping it up with the crowd, rocking bucket hats and ripping massive serves. It goes without saying that being the son of one of the all-time greats in Sinjin Smith makes Hagen an intriguing story, but he’s also blazing his own path in this sport.
6. April Ross
When April Ross won her long-awaited gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, there was nothing left for her to conquer in the beach volleyball world. But in life? There was one major aspect that had yet to be fulfilled: Becoming mom. She took care of that this year, giving birth to her son this fall, and the chat that preceded it on the podcast was all about the transition from elite athlete to pregnant coach anticipating motherhood.
7. Zana Muno
Our resident chic farmer, our 2022 SANDCAST with Zana Muno still holds our spot as the No. 1 episode of all-time. Our pre-season conversation in 2023 landed at No. 7 for the year and also No. 10 all-time. A talented defender and wonderful human being, Muno has found her way into the hearts of volleyball fans — and chicken farmers — the world over.
8. Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth
This was the episode that proved more prescient than any we’ve done. When Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth came into the studio this past March, they were the Adorable Engine That Maybe Could, perpetually on the cusp of medaling yet routinely finishing just off the podium. Oh, how a few months can change things. Now they’re the No. 2 ranked team in the world, winners of the Beach Pro Tour Finals, and favorites to medal in Paris 2024. We will absolutely be having them on SANDCAST again in 2024 — maybe pre- and post-Paris medal.
9. Jake Dietrich
Beard Guy, as Jake Dietrich was known during his breakthrough 2022 season with Hagen Smith, alas was formally introduced to the volleyball world this year. Not many people really knew who Jake Dietrich was, aside from a few basic facts: He had a spectacular beard, he could hit a volleyball quite hard, and he was displaying a latent ability to compete at the highest levels of the game. And yet: Who in the world was this hirsute dude, with a McKibbin beard and a Casey Patterson wingspan and flair for entertainment? We introduced the fans to our most voluble guest, in our longest episode to date — and also one of the most popular.
10. Andy Benesh
The rise of Andy Benesh has been an absolute blast to follow: A doughy 20-something who couldn’t decide if he wanted a normal working career or to play beach volleyball, then a decently in-shape blocker showing potential, then a pup who was picked up by Phil Dalhausser and won a tournament, then a physical monster winning three straight Elite16 medals and reviving a dormant USA Volleyball men’s program. We chatted about his tremendous growth, and a little someone named Miles Partain.
Spotify
YouTube
Andy Benesh blocks Cherif Samba at the Beach Pro Tour Finals/Volleyball World photo
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