Carson Barnes
6-4
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 27, 2024) – USA Volleyball is proud to announce the two pairs and two reserve pairs who will represent the Beach U23 National Team at the 2024 NORCECA Continental Tour on Oct. 6-10 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The U.S. women opening in the main draw are Ella Connor (Cal Poly) and Isabella Martinez (Cal Poly). The U.S. men starting in the main draw are Carson Barnes (Webber) and Ayden Keeter (Webber). Connor is a previous winner of the event with partner Piper Ferch in 2022.
Reserves for the women’s team are Emma Donley (Cal) and Brooke Rockwell (Stanford). Reserves for the men’s team are Gage Basey (Colorado) and Thomas Hurst (UC Irvine). Basey and Hurst took gold at the event in 2022.
Pool play begins on Oct. 7 and the Round of 16 elimination phase begins on Oct. 8. The quarterfinals, semifinals and the medal matches will all happen on Oct. 9.
Supporting the athletes of the 2024 Beach U23 National Team are Men’s Head Coach Nicole Christner (Beach NTDP Coach), Women’s Head Coach Cesar Benatti (Loyola Marymount University, Assistant Coach), Athletic Trainer Emma Stratmoen (USA Volleyball, Athletic Trainer), and Team Leader Chelsea Tupuola (USA Volleyball, Beach NTDP Coordinator).
At the 2023 U23 NORCECA Continental Tour, the U.S. brought home two silver medals courtesy of men’s pair Tate Calles and Brendan Onishchenko and the women’s pair of Sierra Caffo and Ella Larkin. The U.S. pair of Xolani Hodel and Delaynie Maple also earned the U.S. a bronze medal in the women’s tournament.
U.S. Women’s Roster for the Beach U23 National Team
Name (Height, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
Ella Connor (6-1, Kihei, Hawaii, Cal Poly, Aloha)
Isabella Martinez (5-9, Winnetka, Calif., Cal Poly, Southern California)
Emma Donley (6-4, Los Altos, Calif., Cal, Northern California)
Brooke Rockwell (5-9, Fayetteville, Ark., Stanford, Delta)
U.S. Men’s Roster for the Beach World University Championships
Name (Height, Hometown, College, USAV Region)
Ayden Keeter (6-1, Yorktown, Va., Webber, Old Dominion)
Carson Barnes (6-4, Ocean View, Del., Webber, Chesapeake)
Gage Basey (6-5, Lyons, Colo., Univ. of Colorado, Rocky Mountain)
Thomas Hurst (6-4, Plano, Texas, UC Irvine, North Texas)
Women’s Head Coach: Cesar Benatti (Loyola Marymount University, Assistant Coach)
Men’s Head Coach: Nicole Christner (Beach NTDP Coach)
Athletic Trainer: Emma Stratmoen (USA Volleyball, Athletic Trainer)
Team Leader: Chelsea Tupuola (USA Volleyball, Beach NTDP Coordinator)
Ayden Keeter
6-1
Ella Connor
6-1
Gage Basey
6-5
Thomas Hurst
6-4
Piper Ferch
5-10
Tate Calles
5-10
Delaynie Maple
5-10
Ella Larkin
5-10
Sierra Caffo
6-0
Xolani Hodel
6-1
Brooke Rockwell
5-9
Emma Donley
6-4
Izzy Martinez
5-9
USA Volleyball Announces 2024 Beach Collegiate National Teams
Sixteen women and 15 men have been selected for the 2024 USA Volleyball Beach Collegiate National Team, part of the National Team Development Program (NTDP).
Beach Update: U.S. Earns Five Medals Across Two NORCECA Events
In the final beach update of 2023, we take a look at the results of the two most recent NORCECA tournaments, both of which took place in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. The U23 Continental Tour and the Beach Finals closed out the competition schedule until the new year, so we will look one more time at the rankings. The U.S. also did well at the King and Queen of the Court series.
U23 Beach National Team Ready for NORCECA Juan Dolio
The U.S. U23 Beach National Team is set to compete at the 2023 NORCECA U23 Beach Championship in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. The tournament runs from Dec. 11-15 and will feature four U.S. pairs for both the men's and women's tournaments.