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Ava Palm knows she wants to return to playing beach volleyball in college. Despite competing in college volleyball since 2020, Palm didn’t get to play beach volleyball in the NCAA until her final semester at California State University at Bakersfield in spring 2024.

Andy Fulenwider, CSUB’s women’s beach volleyball head coach, watched her play indoors and knew she would excel on the sand. Palm entered the beach season excited by the opportunity to try something new. She felt she’d hit her ceiling in the indoor game and viewed the beach as a new sport to tackle.

Despite success on the beach, Palm earned an opportunity to spend her final year of eligibility back indoors at Syracuse. Palm was torn, wanting to continue her pursuit of a career on the beach. Knowing the strength of the Atlantic Coast Conference, though, Palm joined the Orange for the 2024 season. Eighteen games in, the outside hitter has established herself as a key figure, leading the team in kills (258), aces (25) and digs (168).

“I told her, ‘If you were my daughter, I’d tell you to go,’” Fulenwider said of Palm’s decision. “I want to see her have the opportunity to succeed in whatever it is that her heart desires.”

Giovana Melo, the head coach of CSUB’s women’s volleyball team, agreed because she knew Palm always wanted to compete at the highest level.

A Bakersfield native, Palm established her career in her hometown after two rocky seasons at the University of Texas at El Paso. Before her college career, she played for Club Jamba and Bakersfield Volleyball Club in her youth and starred at Bakersfield High School, where she notched 1,003 kills, 756 blocks and 192 aces in four seasons on varsity.

Beyond the success she had with the Roadrunners, Palm’s decision to leave was also difficult because of her family connection. Her father, Vance Palm, played for the men’s basketball team at CSUB and is a broadcaster for the team. At first, her father’s connection to the school made the transition easier.

“He’s a very well respected person in the community,” Palm said, “I think that was great for me, too. I felt like that earned me a little bit of respect … and it was just great having him so close to everything.”

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With the Roadrunners, Palm further excelled on the indoor circuit with Melo. Then with Fulenwider on the beach, she took her game to the next level.

Fulenwider said the transition went smoothly for Palm, as her “natural competitive drive” mixed with her athletic abilities made her a star on the beach. She found the individual aspect of beach volleyball the most appealing, saying she liked only having to focus on her and her partner.

“It’s just so fun to work in the sand,” Palm said. “You just feel dirty and gritty, but you’re working so hard and it feels so nice.”

She said indoor restricts athletes because coaches run programs in specific ways and want everyone to follow the same rules and perform very professionally. Palm found beach volleyball gave her more room to be athletic compared to indoor because players can use their feet and even the backs of their hands.

“Beach volleyball makes indoor players better,” Fulenwider said. “Indoors, sometimes you’re just going up and you’re just swinging away, where (in) beach you have to have better vision.”

Her game improved on the beach, making way for an opportunity at Syracuse. Palm planned on continuing to play beach for CSUB for the 2025 season, but she couldn’t pass up her offer from Syracuse.

Palm has honed in on her time at SU this season, playing a crucial role in its first ACC victory of 2024 over Virginia Tech on Oct. 27. In the contest against the Hokies, she led the team in kills and remained on the court throughout the match.

“I like to make a name for myself wherever I go,” Palm said. “And I think I was successful in doing that at Cal State Bakersfield, and hopefully by the end of the season, I’ve done that here, too.”

Published on October 28, 2024 at 9:53 pm

Contact Vivian: vpcollins06@gmail.com