Hope Blossoming On Beach For Ducks

When she was in middle school, Reagan Hope looked up to a fellow up-and-coming volleyball star from the state of Arizona, Brooke Nuneviller.

Now, the two are paired together on Oregon’s beach volleyball team, which opens play in the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday. Hope and Nuneviller are looking to parlay their chemistry together into an extended stay for the Ducks this week in Tucson, Ariz. – and also into success for Oregon’s indoor volleyball team come fall.

A 6-foot-2 middle blocker indoors, Hope planned all along to double as a beach player for the Ducks. When an injury kept her off the court last fall, this spring’s beach season gained even more importance, as Hope returned to competition and got her first taste of collegiate volleyball.

She’s getting it while playing with her former idol, who also happens to be one of the elite players in UO volleyball history.

“I think having Brooke as a partner is a huge deal,” Hope said. “She pushes me every single day. And I think it shows.”

Hope and Nuneviller have a 15-10 record together, all while playing in the No. 1 spot. Those 15 wins lead the team, though not by much – Ally Haden and Savannah Siegrist have won 14 times together. The team’s Alex Laita–Bea Wetton and Ashley Schroeder–Ella Tyus duos have 13 wins each.

Hope and Nuneviller have held their own against some of the top teams in the country. Beach matches are best-of-three, with two sets played to 21 and the third to 15; against the top tandem from No. 3 UCLA on April 10, Hope and Nuneviller forced a third set, and later in the day they extended the first set to 24-22 in a loss to the top tandem from No. 1 USC.

“They’re two indoor kids with some beach experience, so it’s not like they don’t know what they’re doing, but the teams they’re coming up against are specialized – they’ve been playing beach, and only beach, for a number of years now,” UO coach Jason Dillard said. “So the fact they’re able to go out there and perform and compete against those teams, and find a great deal of success, is very impressive.”

In Nuneviller’s case, it no surprise. She’s an immensely versatile player, elite on an international level as a libero but one of the most explosive hitters in the Pac-12 as well. With only two players on the sand in beach, both must be capable of doing a little of everything, and Nuneviller is a prototype.

Hope, though, grew up specializing as a middle blocker indoors, focused on skills suited for the front row. She only began playing beach…