Erik Shoji: The beauties, challenges of life as the best libero in the world
HERMOSA BEACH, California — There would be no daycare services needed. Not for Dave and Mary Shoji. They had a free one available, any day of the week, Monday-Sunday. Plenty of babysitters, too. Lots to do. It just so happened that those baby-sitters were a...
Plummer, Jordans lead USA to Volleyball Nations League win over Canada
Kathryn Plummer attacks against Canada/Volleyball World photo Kathryn Plummer had 14 kills, Jordan Thompson had 13 and Jordan Larson 12 as the USA women beat Canada 25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20 Tuesday to open the second round of Volleyball Nations League play. The outcome in UT Arlington’s College...
Grateful for time spent with Bill Walton, some volleyball ties, and a favorite story
Bill Walton/UCLA photo Like so many of us who covered basketball the past five decades, we interviewed, got to know and couldn’t help just loving Bill Walton. And we all had stories. The greatest player when healthy. The Grateful Dead. The best guy. My favorite, a little...
Olympic Beach Volleyball Rankings: Chase Budinger, Miles Evans nearly lock up Paris berth
Chase Budinger, left, and Miles Evans, last weekend in Espinho/Volleyball World photo The race for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games officially began in February 2023 in Doha, Qatar, with the Volleyball World Elite16. The 2024 season began the first week of March back in Doha, and...
Olympians Hancock, Thompson, Washington join USA’s VNL Arlington roster
Haleigh Washington attacks last month for Scandicci against Conegliano/Filippo Rubin, LVF photo An Arlington overhaul. The USA women’s 14-player roster for the second round of Volleyball Nations League includes eight players who did not compete in the first round. The Americans open play Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Central...
29 kills for Hanes as USA men get first Volleyball Nations League victory
Jake Hanes watches, we presume, Arslan Eksi of Türkiye/Volleyball World photo Jake Hanes went off for 29 kills as the USA men salvaged their four-match trip to Antalya, Türkiye, for the first round of Volleyball Nations League with a four-set victory Sunday over the home team. After...
“Outrageous” comeback leads Nuss-Kloth to gold in Espinho Elite16
Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss after winning the Espinho Elite16/Volleyball World photo “Outrageous” is how Taryn Kloth described it, and that word could have been applied to any number of matters on Sunday morning at the Espinho Elite16. The six match points she and Kristen Nuss fended...
Kristen Nuss’ “weird feeling” proves prophetic in huge win over Ana Patricia and Duda
Taryn Kloth knuckles deep against Brazil/Volleyball World photo Kristen Nuss isn’t entirely sure what came over her, or why. But on the bus ride over from the hotel to the site of the Espinho Elite16 on Saturday afternoon, she texted her mother, Audrey. “Today’s the day,” she...
USA men play Bulgaria after loss to France in Volleyball Nations League
France’s Yacine Louati hits past the USA block of Matt Knigge and Gabi Garcia/Volleyball World photo The USA men play Bulgaria at 1 p.m. Eastern Saturday, trying to get their first Volleyball Nations League victory. It’s one of six matches Saturday, starting with Slovenia (2-0) vs. Canada...
Kloth-Nuss, Budinger-Evans, Benesh-Partain get through Espinho Elite16 pool play
Taryn Kloth watches Kristen Nuss dig against Portugal/Volleyball World photo Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, and Andy Benesh and Miles Partain got through pool play Friday at the Volleyball World Beach Tour Elite16 in Espinho, Portugal, as three of the four...
Tough day for Americans at Espinho Elite 16 beach volleyball tourney
Andy Benesh blocks David Ahman/Volleyball World photo What a rough Thursday for USA Volleyball at the Volleyball World Beach Tour Espinho Elite16. On the men’s side, the pair of Chase Budinger and Miles Evans came away with a victory, thought it came after losing earlier in the...
Matthew Knigge’s unlikely path to USA gym: “Now I play volleyball”
Matt Knigge attacks against Poland/Volleyball World photo When the USA men played Poland in Volleyball Nations League on Wednesday, Matthew Knigge had four kills, an ace and a block. On the surface, stats not normally worth noting. But in Knigge’s case, and in the case of the men’s...
“Job’s not done” for Chase Budinger and Miles Evans, but a big step taken at Espinho Elite16
Nicolas Capograsso tries hit past Chase Budinger/Volleyball World photo There aren’t many beach volleyball players in the world who can quote Kobe Bryant and get it away with it. There is, in fact, just one. Chase Budinger. Budinger is the only player on the beach who ever played...
Poland sweeps as USA men begin Volleyball Nations League play
Kyle Dagostino goes for the kick save against Poland/Volleyball World photo The USA men got swept by Poland as they began Volleyball Nations League play Wednesday. None of the 12 players nor alternate named to the USA Olympic team made the trip to Antalya, Türkiye, including coach...
Taylor Crabb, Taylor Sander, and the bigger mission of America’s most popular team
Taylor Sander, left, and Taylor Crabb/Mark Rigney photo HERMOSA BEACH, California — As the 2023 season bled into 2024, and Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour raged on, the Olympic race winding ever tighter, it did not go unnoticed that perhaps the best team in America was...
Best AVP Huntington Beach photos from Rigney, Atwood, Chu, Szto, Wolf
The AVP season kicked off with the Huntington Beach Open this past weekend and our full contingent of photographers were on the scene: Mark Rigney, Rick Atwood, Will Chu, Allen Szto and Jim Wolf. They shoot thousands of photos at a tournament and then spend hours...
2024 International Volleyball Hall class: Hovland, Henkel, Bell, Zorzi, Guimares, Rezaei, Pereyra, Lemaire, Panini
Tim Hovland, left, with Mike Dodd at the 2018 California Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame induction/Ed Chan, VBshots.comBrazilian coach Jose “Ze Roberto” Guimaraes/Volleyball World photo American beach legend Tim Hovland and one of the most versatile players to ever pick up a volleyball, Brazilian Ana Paula...
Taylor Crabb-Taylor Sander dominate AVP Huntington Beach; Mel-Brandie win thriller
Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes celebrate/Rick Atwood photo HUNTINGTON BEACH, California — In the moments after Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander closed one of the most dominant AVP performances in recent memory, winning five straight matches in 10 straight sets while hardly breaking a sweat en...
USA women sweep DR; men ready for Volleyball Nations League opener
The USA after sweeping the Dominican Republic/Volleyball World photo The USA women finished the first round of Volleyball Nations League with a sweep of the Dominican Republic. Now it’s the men’s turn. A USA team of reserves — the Olympians and coach John Speraw are staying home —...
USA women play Dominican Republic to conclude first round of Volleyball Nations League
Canada’s Vicky Savard attacks against Thailand/Volleyball World photo The USA women play the Dominican Republic in Rio de Janeiro at 1 p.m. Eastern Sunday to wrap up the first round of Volleyball Nations League. The Americans, who opened with a four-set win over Thailand this past Wednesday,...