Everyone wants to be Leah’s partner,” laughs Lynne Galli, third-year coach of La Jolla Country Day women’s sand volleyball, of setter Leah Tauber. “Setters in indoor volleyball have to move all over the court, so they’re fast. Setters can also make something good out of a bad pass.”

Tauber and partner Anna Shaul have played as one of the Torreys’ “A” (top) combinations this spring season. She was rehabbing a knee from an injury last year, so the sky’s the limit from here on.

“You have to communicate when you’re hitting about what part of the court you’re going to cover defensively,” says Leah, a junior. Galli cites communication as one of her three teaching emphases, along with strategy and fundamentals

Kiki Gestring-Smith, a junior who pairs with senior Faith Fayman, “is also an ‘A’ teamer because she’s dynamic,” says her coach, “explosive in the sand. She gets to a lot of balls, and makes a lot of game-changing plays. Kiki has an understanding of the two-person (sand) game.”

Gestring-Smith, who plans to be a marine biologist (”I’ve always liked the ocean,” shesays) “I like sand volleyball because of the grit you put into it. If you want to be good, you have to go for it.”

Galli on Shaul: “Anna’s a great leader. She’s very calm on the court. She has a lot of experience playing club sand volleyball. As one of our two lefties, she creates a great shot. It goes into the wind (and is harder to receive).”

Fayman: “Faith is just a great athlete. She has good overall skill on both offense and on defense. She shows a lot of passion. She dives for a lot of balls, which I really appreciate.”

Senior Madi Twomney: “This is Madi’s third year playing sand. She’s a hard worker. She has good energy on the court, and she’s very versatile. She’s played with many players, older, younger.”

Senior Darya Daneshmand: “She’s another third-year player (all three of Galli’s years coaching LJCDS). Darya’s a hustler. She works hard in practice. She’s a shorter player, and she specializes in defense. She gets a lot of points off her serve.”

Junior Ali Nunez-Beringer: “She’s a very enthusiastic player, always smiling through the good and the bad. Ali’s our other lefty, so she has really good angles on her shots and her serve. She’s one of the few still playing indoor as well, so she’s aggressive.”

Sophomore Alexcia Doak: “It’s her first year in sand volleyball. She played indoor this year. She’s very energetic and vocal, which is important in beach. She seems to have a passion for beach volleyball. She’s been in a musical (Les Miz) on campus, with five-hour rehearsals.”

Sophomore Mia Muzquiz: “It’s her first year on the sand. She played indoor this year. She also is in the play (musical), so from what I’ve seen she has good potential. She also plays softball, so she’s at a softball game right now (during the interview). She’ll play in our next match (on Thursdays).”

Read more: San Diego Community News Group - The Talented Nine at La Jolla Country Day