Boys HS beach volleyball continues growth in San Diego, Orange County, L.A.

In the past 10 years, Southern California high school coaches have formed high school club beach volleyball leagues that run from six to eight weeks in the fall. 

With high school girls beach volleyball becoming a CIF sport, there is hope the boys will become a sanctioned sport. 

In San Diego, Orange Country and Los Angeles, club boys high school leagues and tournaments have been making the case. This report highlights some of those results.

San Diego

Cathedral Catholic won the end-of-the-year team tournament, its league and finished 9-0.

Cathedral was led by seniors Lenny Liem and Alex Engles and while they took the team title, Carlsbad seniors Parker Tomkinson and Hayden Hewitt the pairs title. 

“After a long first day of pool play and four playoff matches on day two, it was a relief to walk away as tournament champions,” Tomkinson said. “I am grateful Coach Jones put on this tournament and I hope that boys beach volleyball becomes a sanctioned sport in San Diego,” said Tomkinson.

Coach Jones is David Jones, who has been teaching and coaching indoor varsity boys volleyball at La Jolla High School for over 25 years. Many of his players have gone to play in college. Ten years ago, Jones started a boys beach league.

“It’s been great to see the level of competition grow, natural rivalries build, watch the addition of non-indoor volleyball players/athletes delve into the sport, and the continued growth of the love for the game,” Jones said.

Many of the dominant teams reside in the North County, including Cathedral Catholic, Carlsbad, La Costa Canyon and Torrey Pines. Jones places each high school in a league that geographically makes sense. In late August the schools start training, and the season is complete by the end of October. 

Every team is placed in one of four postseason brackets, depending on where it finishes in the league standings. After the team championship, each school sends its top pair to the tournament that crowns the best duo in San Diego County.

In the inaugural 2013 season, 13 high schools participated. By 2023, there were over 500 athletes playing varsity and JV at 26 participating schools in four leagues throughout San Diego County.

Liem, whose Cathedral Catholic team won the tournament, said practices were very competitive and it paid off.

“Our squad was open to playing with different partners. That was one of the main reasons we won the championship,” Liem…