Olympia High beach volleyball maintains high standard through player and new coach

Olympia High beach volleyball team embarked on a new journey this season after losing a core group of seniors who had helped the Titans post a 14-2 record en route to a regional semifinal appearance. 

The new roster features a mixture of some returning contributors and emerging underclassmen. Some of the younger players have stepped up into key roles this season to help maintain the program’s competitive standard. 

But not all the faces are new, and one returning player has consistently been standing out in her four years as a Titan: Madison Wehr. 

As a team, Olympia has posted a 9-1 record this season, earning the Titans the No. 1 slot in their district and the West Metro Championship crown. Wehr and her partner, sophomore outside hitter Julie Barry, have recorded a 9-1 record themselves. 

Whether it’s directing the offense, diving for balls on the sand or stepping in to help guide her teammates mid-match, Wehr has continued to be a centerpiece of Olympia’s beach volleyball success. She’s built her court presence in indoor and beach over the years. 

Head coach Semei Tello said he doesn’t remember the last time Olympia had a freshman starting setter, but Wehr has done it all four years. Wehr had turned her opportunities into a historic career. This season in indoor, she broke the school’s all-time assists record.

“She’s broken records left and right,” Tello said. “She could have gone even further if we had played full schedules.” 

But the statistics are merely the evidence of just how impactful Wehr has become. Unlike indoor volleyball, in which setters focus primarily on organizing the offense, beach players must do everything. They even have to set differently by holding it longer. 

Tello said typically setters don’t have the best defense, but Wehr actually is one of Olympia’s best defensive players. 

Wehr said the most challenging part of beach has been serve receive, which she doesn’t play at all during indoor volleyball. So she focused on the skill during practices and have came to understand it. 

“(In) beach, you just really have to be smart and strategic,” she said. “It’s not really all about hitting the ball down. … I don’t even set with my hands in beach because you have to carry it, and I’m scared for indoor that I’d carry it. Mostly everyone pass sets.” 

She understands how crucial it is to be intentional with her shot choices. Rather than tipping — which in beach the players are required to used a closed hand and in indoor they used an open hand — Wehr simply swings at all balls. She’s able to know when to let out a true swing, compared to pulling back and rolling the ball over the net or deep in the back court. 

The court IQ has developed over the years, and now she uses it to help guide the younger players. At the West Metro Tournament, Tello saw Wehr help guide her teammates through critical points, reinforce strategies and point out the opponent’s tendencies. 

“She’s always going to do what we ask of her,” Tello said. “And she takes initiative.” 

The entire team has taken the initiative to maintain consistency throughout the season and make adjustments needed to find success. Middle blockers have learned how to become well-rounded players — passing and setting their opponents, rather than simply standing at the net. Beach volleyball adds a new level of challenges, such as the heat and the unknown of the weather conditions. 

One of the additions to Olympia’s roster this year who has helped break down exactly what to do in each scenario is assistant coach Ricardo Santos. 

Santos has won three Olympic medals in four appearances between 2000 and 2012 for Brazil. He was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Brazilian Olympic Committee Hall of Fame. 

“His international experience as a player and as a coach, it brings a completely different perspective,” Tello said. “Obviously in my world, the indoor world, there are some (things) that transfer into beach, but (Santos) has a completely different approach. He has been very successful in the beach world as a coach and he has taught that to our athletes from the very beginning.” 

Wehr said she instantly noticed a switch when Santos came in at the beginning of the season. 

“He makes us do actual drills, where Tello would just make us do scrimmages against each other,” Wehr said. “We would just scrimmage against each other and get playing experience, but (Santos) makes us do skill-based drills.” 

Santos’ expertise especially proved to be helpful during the West Metro Tournament, where the wind patterns constantly were changing. He directed the players to serve more aggressively if the wind was coming at them or pull back if it was behind their backs. He also has worked with Olympia’s roster of players who particularly are indoor players, learn how to pass the ball lower on every touch to limit the effects weather could have on it. As soon as the wind picks a ball up, it will go flying. 

Every day is another opportunity to learn. Olympia’s players already have had the fundamentals down through playing club and indoor high school, but they have bought into the new coach who understands the technicality of beach.