Winning rallies left and right, excelling in both offense and defense, and being in the top team at UC High, Senior Justin Byrd is nothing short of impressive. Get- ting on the Varsity Beach Volleyball Team his freshman year, he has shown skill and dedication; one could say Byrd
was destined to be at the top of his game from the start.

Byrd first got involved with beach volleyball in middle school. He said, “In eighth grade PE, Coach Hartin was running some volleyball drills. I found them really fun and started
to like the idea of playing volley- ball. Eventually, I joined the team in August, right before my fresh- man year, and I’ve been a part of it ever since.”

Varsity Beach Volleyball Coach Mark Salata said, “When he first started playing, he could attack with a good eye on the opponents, hitting the ball where they weren’t — to the great frustration of anyone opposing him.”

“Freshman year was super exciting, because Petar and I got on the Varsity Team, and that’s where we’ve been ever since,” said Byrd. The Varsity Team made it to Division One, and had even made it to the semifinals. Recalling the event, Byrd’s beach volleyball partner Senior Petar Radomirovic said, “During the semi-final game, the teams that went ahead of us ended up with a score of 2-2, so it was just down to us, as close as a game could be.”

Salata stated, “Petar passed the ball high and it was tight to the net. Justin jumped up high, reached the ball, tipped it with his knuckle, and then limboed under the net and crossed over to the other side (which is legal). The ball was coming down towards him and he dove back to his side of the net as the opponents didn’t try to dig the ball.” That controversial rally was replayed and Byrd and Radomirovic won the match on the very next play, advancing UC High to finals.

   Byrd said, “This is our fourth year playing together, never switching partners. We just stuck with each other from day one pretty much. I’m usually the one talking but really, we just know what the other player is going to do because of how much we’ve played together.”

   Radomirovic added, “He’s very understanding and has a good mentality when it comes to the sport. He doesn’t let little mistakes affect him, and he’s supportive of you even if you make a mistake.”

   Salata said, “Justin had a good foundation in volleyball when he started with the team, but beach volleyball demands a player with all-around skills in passing, setting, hitting, and serving. With patience, repetition, and a great response to feedback, Justin has become one of the best players we’ve had in all four of those complex skills.”

  Salata stated, “Justin’s success in beach volleyball is due to both his efforts and the efforts of his main partner over these four seasons, Petar Radomirovic. In beach volleyball, there is a ‘dance’ between the partners that needs to be developed. Constant and good communication, as well as the development of understanding of where each player will be on the court, what part of the court they will cover, and a trust and encouragement between each other all leads to winning a point, a set, and a match.”

   Byrd is planning to continue his volleyball career with his partner past high school. Byrd said, “I want to play in college, but I think my most ambitious aspiration is to win in an AVP tournament. AVP is a really high level of play for beach volleyball. I don’t know if that’s going to happen but it would be really cool to at least enter an AVP tournament and see how me and Petar do.”

   From having a passing interest in the sport to making the finals, Byrd has and will continue to show his dedication and skill with beach volleyball.