The 23rd AAU Girls’ Junior National Beach Volleyball Championship took place July 6-9 in Hermosa Beach, Calif., and a local athlete helped make history at the event. Southlake's Abby Carroll, a junior at Carroll High School, and Austin's Simone Priebe, a junior at Vandegrift High School, were the first ever duo from Texas to win the tournament.
The girls' championships, according to the AAU's website, have become one of the largest beach volleyball events in the country, "with more than 300 pairs coming from across the nation converging on Hermosa Beach, [Calif.] to compete."
Participants came from all over the world, including 25 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia. Carroll and Priebe took home the gold in the Girls 16 & Under category.
"It shows how beach isbrevolving as a sport," Carroll said. "More people are starting to play, as before California girlsbrwere only playing, because it's right there and beach is something to do. I was excited, because we worked hard. Nobody expected us to win. Even our coaches. Theybrexpected us to do well ... but winning ... the first Texas team ever ... it was a hugebraccomplishment. I'm very proud."
Carroll took some time to chat with Southlake Style to reflect upon her trip to California.
Southlake Style: Tell us about the experience and everything leading up to it.
Abby Carroll: On the last day in June we drove to California. I stayed there thebrwhole entire month. I had been practicing through the winter. Not manybrtournaments, just practicing with my coach in Plano. We had a coach in California, too, so we were practicing with her.
In the tournament, they didn't seedbrmany girls from Texas. We were ranked 62nd in the tournament to start out. We entered into a three-team pool and were ranked third in our pool. We won our pool. It's a much bigger statement whenbryou win your pool when you're ranked almost last in the tournament.
Next, we went into a power pool, which is a pool of all the first place teams. We won all but one game in thebrpower pool. It was the team we played in the championship the next day. The first day, we played eight games total and went 7-1. The second day, we played five games. In the finals, we played a girlbrgoing to UCLA and a girl going to Pepperdine. We playedbrone game to 21. It was 24-22. It had to go extra. It was really cool, but it'sbrjust like a dog fight. We were seeded so low in the tournament.
SS: How did you getbrinvolved in beach?
Carroll: I played indoor when I was in 8th grade. One ofbrthe girls on the team played beach. She asked me to come to practice one day. Ibrwas like, 'I don’t know, it’s kind of far.' After practice, I loved it, and the nextbryear I quit indoor and did just beach. I was introduced by a teammate and fellbrin love, I guess. I love it!
SS: Do you plan onbrcontinuing your beach career in college?
Carroll: Oh yes. I’m going to University of South Carolina. I’m abrjunior now, and then I’m going to play beach for them. It was a verbal commitment. Ibrcommitted Easter, my sophomore year.
I'm looking to do sports marketing and management as of now. It could change.brI always like being around sports. I see how the tournaments work and run thatbrI go to. I just want to be involved in something like that. I like athletesbrand like athletic people. My love of volleyball makes me want to bebraround sports when I'm a lot older.
At South Carolina, I got to talk to [professors of] the different majors I wasbrinterested in. The people involved in that field, I really liked. It was a coolbrpart of campus and a perfect fit I think. They were my kind of people.
SS: Tell us about yourselfbrin athletic activities. What sports do you play at Carroll?
Carroll: Other than beach, I did make the golf team but I didn’t play.
SS: Tell us about Abby offbrthe court. What types ofbractivities do you do for fun? What’s your current favorite subject in school?
Carroll: Outside of volleyball, I coach a parks and [recreation] team onbrTuesdays. Games are on Saturdays. I like doing that. I hang out with my friends.brMy favorite subject in school would probably be U.S. History right now orbrEnglish. I really like my English teacher. Volleyball pretty much takes up mostbrof my time. I also liketanning, relaxing, hanging out. I like to swim.
SS: If you could go backbrin time and talk to yourself when you first started playing beach, what advice would you give to yourself?
Carroll: I would tell myself not to underestimate my abilitiesbrbecause every time I went to California, I automatically assumed they were so muchbrbetter than me. I’d tell myself not to bebrafraid. I was very hesitant the first year. I was very nervous. I didn’t talk tobrpeople. I didn’t have high enough expectations. Last year, I had higher expectations - believed I could win nationals - andbrit actually happened!
SS: Tell us more about your partner.
Carroll: A coach at a tournament that we were both at told us we’d bebrreally good together. This was my first year playing beach. So, one day I texted her. I said, 'Hey, do you want to go to Florida andbrgo to a tournament?' She said, 'Sure, see you in Forida.'
We met and talked the firstbrtime in Floriday and placed second in the tournament, which is pretty good for the first timebreven meeting each other. She's tall and athletic. She's got a really positivebrattitude and is just a fun person to be around. She doesn't let me get in my own head,brbe negative about anything I've done or any mistakes I make.
SS: Did you watch much of the Olympics this year? Do you have a favorite team/player? Who do you look up to, either in your personal life or famous athletes/celebrities, as a role model or role models?
Carroll: I watched multiple of Kerri [Walsh Jennings] and April [Ross]’s games. Probably all of them. I like watching them a lot.
I'd say my brother. He's also very athletic. He played golf and baseball. He worked very hard at everything he did. He taught me how to work hard, showed me what it's like to be dedicated to a sport. I followed in his footsteps probably.
Photos courtesy of AAU National Beach Volleyball and Liz Carroll.
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