Everything is greater in Texas.
Including the beach volleyball teaching hires.
Stein Metzger, the 2004 Olympian who constructed the UCLA program from scratch right into a bona fide energy, successful two NCAA championships, has taken the job as the pinnacle coach at Texas.
It could be one of many worst-kept secrets and techniques in beach volleyball, as a result of Metzger advised his UCLA staff final week and phrase carried shortly. Texas, nevertheless, had to wait till all its due diligence was accomplished earlier than asserting it Tuesday.
“I just think I’m the perfect person for this role,” Metzger stated. “I’ve built something before and Texas has the resources to take this sport to another level. And I feel like I’m the guy to do it. It felt like it was calling me to do it.”
There is little question that Texas has the sources to construct a top-notch facility and assist this system absolutely. In a fast-growing sport, Texas — which historically performs earlier than sold-out crowds for house indoor matches — is a sleeping big.
“Like I told Stein, we’re going to change the landscape of beach volleyball, with the staff that we hire, the fans, the facilities, the locker rooms, the media attention, social content, TV,” stated 23-year Texas indoors coach Jerritt Elliott, who will function director of volleyball operations, overseeing each packages.
“All the support and resources that we have for the athletes. It will be something that doesn’t exist at the collegiate side on a real high, high level. And I think we can build a fan base, because we already have it built in with ours.”
Metzger, a self-proclaimed “volleyball nerd,” stated he’ll begin straight away at Texas, the place he’s heard instantly from president Jay Hartzell and soccer coach Steve Sarkisian.
“I knew that people in Texas took their sports seriously, but this is just a whole ‘nother level,” Metzger stated. “I’m blown away.
“If I had know there was going to be this much support, welcoming and energy behind this, it would have made the decision even easier.”
The hardest half, as soon as the choice was made, he stated, was telling the Bruins.
“I like new experiences, but, man, it sure was tough to say goodbye to the team,” Metzger stated.
That staff simply misplaced within the title match of the NCAA’s National Collegiate Beach Championship to USC. UCLA gained nationwide beach titles in 2018 and 2019 and in addition completed second in 2021.
“It was hell for two days trying to get to this point,” Metzger stated. “That’s my baby. Jenny (Johnson Jordan) and I built that from ground zero and leaving her was extremely difficult, because we were just the perfect fit. We learned a ton from each other.”
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte “gave us the charge to find the best beach volleyball coach,” Elliott stated. “Stein stood out. He’s clearly constructed a program earlier than from the bottom up, he’s gained a few nationwide championships. I’ve recognized Stein from my volleyball (taking part in) days and we’ve frolicked and he’s only a good man. He meshes with the values that I’ve and what I understand the Texas volleyball teaching tradition being about. Everybody I talked to stated the tradition at UCLA was superb and what he’s achieved there was nice. He was additionally the lead recruiter, so he had each trait I used to be searching for an what we have been searching for on the college.
“The biggest question was could we get him away from there? He had the thing rolling. They’re in a position to win it next year. It was great that we could get him here and show him what we have and he was excited.”
Metzger, 50, is a local Hawai’ian and product of the Punahou School. He was a setter for UCLA when the Bruins gained three NCAA titles. He was the MVP of the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
He wished to play abroad, however as a 6-foot-3 setter, “It was tough to get a gig.” So he ended up on the beach.
“It took a while to get going because I didn’t know the sport as well as the California folks because we don’t have as much exposure and opportunity in Hawai’i,” Metzger stated. “You know, all the Hawai’ians that came through it took them a little bit to learn the sport and get good at it. Which is good because I had to really study it to catch up to everybody else. I watched Karch to see how he did it, I watched (Brent) Frohoff to see how he passed. Did that for 14 years.”
Which doesn’t included ending fifth within the 2004 Athens Olympics with Dax Holdren. Along the way in which, Metzger gained 16 AVP titles and two on the FIVB tour. His companions in his profession included Kevin Wong, Jake Gibb (with whom he performed an AVP occasions in Austin again within the day on certainly one of his few instances there) and Mike Lambert.
He and his spouse, Emily, did some touring after which moved to Hawai’i, the place Metzger obtained into promoting actual property. During that point, their daughter, Quinn, now 12, was born.
“I came to a crossroads because business was starting to pick up and do well,” Metzger stated. “And I knew that if kept going with this in another two or three years I’m going to be locked into this career and that’s it. I just realized that this was not what I wanted to do. ”
They moved again to California and then-UCLA ladies’s coach Mike Sealy obtained him to be part of his 2013 workers as a volunteer.
“I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll try that.’ And I just loved it from day one. I said this is it, this is what I want to do. I want to coach.”
He obtained employed by UCLA the following 12 months and the chance arose to begin the beach program.
“I couldn’t help myself and was just so hungry to grow it and the next you know I was juggling indoor duties and beach duties that were just overwhelming for me. Did that for two years and right when I was about crack, UCLA created a separate position to just coach full time on the beach.”
In 2013, UCLA went 3-7 in its first beach season and 7-8 the following 12 months. in 2015 the Bruins completed 10-5 after which, in 2016, which was the primary 12 months the NCAA performed its championship, UCLA completed third. The Bruins have been fifth in 2017.
But the following 12 months, they broke by means of, successful in 2018 and 2019. There was no event in 2020, however in 2021 UCLA misplaced to USC within the closing. The Bruins completed third in 2022 and earlier this month misplaced to USC within the title match.
UCLA’s latest groups included future Olympian Sarah Sponcil, present standout professionals Zana Muno and Savvy Simo and Canadian professionals Nicole and Megan McNamara.
Metzger gained’t precisely be ranging from scratch at Texas, which is among the many nation’s premier indoor packages, coming off its fourth nationwide title this previous December.
The Longhorns performed the college’s first season of beach this spring, successful one match in a 13-match restricted schedule with a roster of gamers from its NCAA-champion indoors staff. Indoor assistants Erik Sullivan and David Hunt served as coaches.
Texas performed six of its matches to begin the season in Hawai’i, performed 4 extra in Long Beach, California, after which completed the season with 4 matches in late March at TCU. It was in that event that they beat Missouri State 3-2. The match was tied 2-2 when two stars from the indoor staff, outdoors Madisen Skinner and proper facet Molly Phillips, gained their match on court docket 1. Phillips, who will full her Texas indoor profession subsequent fall, stated beforehand she would switch as a graduate scholar to proceed on the beach. She advised us she is preserving her choices open.
Regardless, the switch portal will certainly work each methods.
Metzger stated a state-of-the-art beach facility will be constructed, “but it’s pretty open. They were waiting on a head coach to join up and tell them what we need and what’s important to run a top-notch event. They have a couple of locations they’ve identified.”
One factor not recognized is what convention Texas will be part of. The faculty is at the moment within the Big 12 however strikes to the SEC with Oklahoma on July 1, 2024. The solely SEC faculties at the moment taking part in NCAA beach volleyball are LSU and South Carolina.
“Hopefully this is the start of more SEC teams joining the sport,” Metzger stated.
In the meantime, there’s the transfer to Austin, which has his youngsters excited, Metzger stated.
Metzger and his spouse, Emily, even have a 10-year-old son, Otto, who could be stunned to learn the way city Austin, Texas, is: “Otto made me go on Amazon and buy him a lasso,” Metzger stated. “He’s like lassoing everything and watching videos on rodeo.”
Metzger additionally hopes that his assistant, Johnson Jordan, is promoted at UCLA.
“I felt like it was time for her to take over the reins and I’m hopeful that’s going to happen,” Metzger stated.
“It’s not my call, but it seems like the easy and no-brainer fit for them to hire her.”
