Katie Spieler is a key component of Hawaii’s sand volleyball team, ranked No. 2 in the country. (Hawaii Athletics Photo)
Eight former local prep athletes are playing Division 1 NCAA Sand Volleyball this spring, many for the top teams in the country.
Eve Ettinger represents the No. 1 USC Trojans. Katie Spieler and Sami Brown play for Hawaii, currently the No. 2 team in the country. Taylor Racich plays for No. 3 Pepperdine, while Marina Boulanger and Anastasia Kunz also play for top-10 programs in No. 6 Florida International and No. 8 UCLA, respectively. Santa Barbara High alums Dani Rottman (Santa Clara) and Bailey Roach (Cal Poly) are also playing this spring.
Hawaii, Pepperdine, LMU, Long Beach State and USC will be playing together at the USAV Beach Collegiate Challenge in Hermosa Beach on April 11 & 12.
The AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama is scheduled for May 1-3. The first NCAA Tournament for sand volleyball has been approved for 2016.
Editor’s Note: This item was updated to include USC senior Eve Ettinger.
Scarvelis named Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Week
The defending Pac-12 shot put champion cracked UCLA’s top-10 all-time throws on Sunday at the Legends Invitational with a new personal best of 65 feet and 1/2 inch. It’s No. 10 all-time at UCLA.
Scarvelis had just been recognized by the Pac-12 the previous week. He opened his outdoor campaign with a winning mark of 64 feet and 1 inch at the Jim Bush Team Invitational held in Los Angeles. Soon after, at the Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Invitational held at Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona, Scarvelis equaled his personal best with a throw of 64-4.50.
Scarvelis also helped the Bruins to a team victory at the Jim Bush Invitational by placing second in the discus with a throw of 173-3. The Dos Pueblos High School alum entered the outdoor season on the strength of All-American honors in the shot put during his indoor campaign. Scarvelis finished 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships three weeks ago.
Next weekend the Bruins host the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational in Drake Stadium.
NEXT LEVEL WATCH: Presidio Sports keeps tabs on athletes who played high school or college athletics in Santa Barbara and went on to compete at a higher level outside of our area.
