Womens Beach Volleyball Champions Coaching on Pro Tour

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Pro Beach Volleyball:Womens Beach Volleyball Champions Coaching on Pro Tour
By April Chapple

The summer of 2006 was noticeable for the depth of Female Volleyball Coaches, all former Champions who returned to the beach to coach some of the AVP Beach Volleyball Tournament Tour's promising womens volleyball teams. Here is a breakdown of who's coaching beach volleyball ....

Liz Masakayan

Liz Masakayan is coaching Elaine Youngs and Rachel Wacholder. Liz still looks like a regular top 5 competitor on the tour. Still gorgeous, Liz and I caught up for a few minutes before she had to get busy videotaping, keeping stats and coaching EY and Rachel against Jen Pavley and her partner Paula Roca at the the first AVP tournament this summer in Fort Lauderdale.

Liz was named to USA Volleyball's All ERA Beach Team 1998 to 2003. According to USA Volleyball.org with her partner Karolyn Kirby, Liz compiled 29 titles which ranks third on the all time women's team title list. "She also won pro beach titles with five other players (Elaine Youngs, nine; Linda Chisholm, six; Dianne DeNecochea, one; Bev Lidyoff, one; and Anna Prousalis, one. Every competitive year Liz won a player's award including Most Valuable Player of the WPVA in 1992, co-MVP in 1993, in 1991 and 1992 she was the "Top Defensive Player", voted "Best Hitter" in 1993 and 1994, and was the Most Inspirational award-winner in 1995 when she was recovering from her fifth of sixth knee surgeries. "Masakayan was a member of the USA Women’s National Team (indoor) for five years and was a starter at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games."

Karolyn Kirby

Karolyn Kirby and I shared a laugh about females athletes and females in general with their multiple personalities before she went to coach her team of Alicia Polzin and Denise Johns. "Kirby has won more event titles (67) than any other women on the pro beach circuits" (AVP) Denise is quoted as calling Karolyn "the greatest coach ever".

According to USAVolleyball.org "With a total of $681,471 Kirby ranks sixth having played in 187 pro beach events to rank sixth overall. Kirby, who won 61 domestic and six international titles, posted 115 podium placements and 124 “final four” appearances in her career.

To list just a few of the titles given to Kirby "she was named the WPVA’s Most Valuable Player in 1990, 1991 and 1994, co-MVP in 1993, Top Offensive Player in 1990, Best Setter in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 and the league’s Best Hitter in 1992". Kirby is a member of the All ERA Beach Team 1998- 2003.

Danalee Bragado

Danalee is coaching a number of players on the tour. One of her successful teams is the pair of Suzanne Stonebarger and Michelle More.

Suzanne and Michelle were seeded 20th in the first tournament of the season and finished in an amazing 5th place! Obviously the work they did this winter paid off as well as the coaching! Look out for the new kids in town!

Bragado earned $25,250 in 14 events in 2001 with two FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour “challenger” Silver Medal finishes with Ali Wood (Greece) and Lia Young (Thailand). Bragado had her best season on the FIVB Tour in 2001 with $18,950 in earnings. Bragado and Wood placed fifth in the 2001 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Austria. Bragado teamed with Pat Keller to finish second in a 1996 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event in Japan where they dropped the finals to Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst of Australia. Bragado and Gracie Santana teamed to capture the Gold Medal at the 1998 Swiss challenger event

Angela Rock

Angela Rock, who doesn't look any different from when she played is currently coaching one of my favorite teams of Diane DeNocochea and Tammy Liley Leibl.

These guys, Tammy and Diane are both mothers of two children each and just by watching them play you would never guess that there biggest problem is to coordinate their schedules to find time to practice together with each other. Former US National Team and college teammates of mine, these two have great chemistry on the court and continuously finish in top 5 teams on the tour..

A member of the US ALL ERA Beach Volleyball Team in 1998 - 2003 Angela Rock, according to USA Volleyball.org was one of the top servers of all time in women’s pro beach history, "Rock ranks among the all-time leaders in tournaments played (168), titles (27) and earnings ($489,725). During her career, Rock posted 81 podium placements and 104 “final four” appearances. Rock captured pro beach titles with five different partners (Karolyn Kirby, 18; Nancy Reno, four; Linda Hanley, three; Jackie Silva, one; and Holly McPeak, one). Rock won the WPVA’s Ace Awards in 1992, 1995 and 1996 and was the tour’s Top Hitter in 1991. She also was an indoor Olympian at the 1988 Seoul Games.'

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April Chapple created Volleyball Voices.com where high school and club female volleyball players learn about the indoor volleyball game and its heroes, with news and stories of college and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching information, volleyball pictures and videos. The former USA Volleyball national team member and pro indoor/beach volleyball professional is a regular columnist for the AVCA Coaching Volleyball magazine, the USA Volleyball magazine and the Active.com volleyball newsletter in addition to writing numerous articles on playing and coaching elite volleyball. Author of the upcoming ebook "How to Stop Serving Like a Wimp" April can be reached at april@volleyballvoices.com.

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