Kerri Walsh Jennings Archives

Central Oregon’s Beach Volleyball Scene Thrives Without a Beach

A couple of days each week during summer, Kendra Gulley and her friends gather before dawn at Bend’s Pine Nursery Park to get in a few touches on one of its five sand volleyball courts. Sure, they’re able to beat the heat by playing so early. But that isn’t the main reason for the pre-work sand sessions.

“If you’re not out there by 5:30 in the morning, you’re not getting a court,” Gulley said.

Other days, just before midnight on the other side of Bend, the group can be found wrapping up league night on the courts at Lifty’s Bar off Southwest Century Drive. Gulley isn’t alone. From sunup to well past sundown, where there’s a sand volleyball court in Central Oregon, players are bumping, setting and spiking.

“It’s a huge, growing sport here,” said Bob Trapnell, a leader of Bend’s adult sand volleyball scene, “and I love the camaraderie we all have.”

How This Differs From Traditional Volleyball

Those who frequent the sand courts say you get more touches on the ball compared to traditional, indoor 6v6 volleyball. And it’s a sport just about everyone can play. You don’t have to show up to the sand with a resume like Olympic sand volleyball teammates Kerri Walsh Jennings or Misty May-Treanor to have fun. (Although you likely will run into players with elite competitive backgrounds. Remember, this is Bend.)

Photo courtesy of Bend Parks and Recreation

Gulley’s immersion in the local sand volleyball scene has happened over the course of the past decade. She’d pop over to the Pine Nursery courts with her dad looking for a game and to meet some new people. “It’s a great community builder,” Gulley said. “I’ve met all my closest friends through the sport of volleyball. As you get older, it’s harder to meet new people. This is a great way to bring people together and stay active.”

How to Get Better at Volleyball

For those looking to sharpen their skills or simply learn the game, Trapnell and others host lesson clinics on Wednesday nights at 5:30 p.m. on the Pine Nursery Park courts. Roughly 150 people out of the 1,100 members of the Bend Beach Volleyball Facebook group regularly schedule games and hitting sessions there.

“The focus is on helping to deepen the talent pool in Bend over time,” Trapnell said. “I love giving back at this stage of my life. There’s so much to offer the different levels of players to enhance their game.”

With more local kids playing competitive beach volleyball, and the continued surge of new residents in the area, Gulley foresees the scene here continuing to grow.

Youth Indoor Volleyball

Youth indoor volleyball is a popular sport for students, beginning in third grade. High school teams and club volleyball programs feed the love for the sport, and sand volleyball is a natural extension. In 2024, boys volleyball was proposed as a new sport to be added to high school sports offerings. As the number of indoor players rises, the number of sand volleyball players follows, creating more opportunities to find competition.

Volleyball player hitting the ball over the net — Photo by Steve Heinrichs, courtesy of Visit Central Oregon

This summer, Central Oregon Volleyball Club will host numerous tournaments for its players as well as popular “Friday Night Lights” games on two courts located outside the Cascade Swim Center in Redmond.

The single court at Lifty’s in Bend, which can be reserved for $30 per hour, is booked from opening to closing most days during the summer. On “Free Play Fridays,” players fill the courts for 4v4 matches and Lifty’s hosts tournaments throughout the summer.

“There’s nothing like it in Central Oregon,” Lifty’s owner Chris Justema said, referring to both his bar’s sand court amenity and the sport itself.