When Jess Vastine hung up her Lopes' NCAA Beach Volleyball jersey for the final time last spring and began her college coaching career for Grand Canyon University Club Beach Volleyball a few months later, she was told that it was a young and growing program that needed a spark.
 
It didn't take her long to figure out how to give it that: build slowly, find your leaders, and let them flourish.
 
"This year, we began at Level Zero, and we didn't have a lot of seniors, so we had to really start with fundamentals and work our way up," said Vastine. "Our roster numbers were better this season than they ever were before, though, which was a benefit to all, because the kids were happy they got to play more matches than doing drills all the time."
 
The fall schedule was a busy one as Vastine loaded it up with a lot of Saturday and Sunday morning tournaments. However, they were considered scrimmages, since with 2/3 of her two dozen players ages 18 or 19, and with her in her first year, she had to be gradual with the curriculum.
 
"It was a fun learning curve for me, since I was learning to coach those around my age group where I wasn't their buddy – although that can be a challenge in itself," said Vastine. "Sometimes, people think of beach volleyball as a fun backyard sport where everyone and their brother just tosses the ball around. I really wanted to see them play actual methodical, purposeful volleyball. I wanted to teach them both skills and the strategic side of the game."
 
The two months between the end of the fall season and the Lopes' first actual match against South Mountain Community College was the turning point.
 
They really started to come together right around springtime, because we had 6:45AM practices throughout the year, and once it got cold, those less committed didn't always come," said Vastine. "Those that were really dedicated, though, started taking leadership roles on themselves."
 
The Lopes' two spring matches against South Mountain and Mesa Community College both resulted in 4-1 losses, but it was readily apparent to both coach and players just how much progress the Lopes had made in a few months.
 
"Both of those matches were 'tornado-like wind days', and for beach volleyball, wind can be everything," Vastine said. "For those duals, we had three different pairs playing at one time, and there was only one of me, so I could only coach them for snippets at a time. They had to make correct decisions on their own, and for the most part, they did just that. To see them to grow on the mental side of the game and be able to translate that part to their skills was a total 180 from the beginning of the season to the end."
 
To Vastine, who's been around different environments throughout her playing and club careers, the crowning achievement was what was accomplished off the sand. The California Beach Volleyball Association Tournament the team traveled to in March - without Vastine - was proof of that.
 
"Going to California, taking leadership roles in the tournament and on the trip, and doing well in that tournament really showed me how far they had come," Vastine beamed. "My team did a lot of team bonding stuff without me, and it was cool to see them come together not just as teammates, but as friends. Throughout the season, I did a 'question of the day' at practice. At our last one, I asked what their favorite thing about the season was. The most prevalent answer was that they made friends."
 
Which hopefully means automatic progress come September.
 
"It's encouraging to me that we'll be able to start a step ahead next fall," said Vastine. "The undergrads from this year have said they want to come back next year, so we can start "one peg up" next year, and I can spend more time showing them better and different techniques."