By Rubin E. Grant
When Addie Holden and Stella Yester traveled to New Jersey for the Association of Volleyball Professionals Beach Volleyball Nationals last month, their only goal was to do better than they had done in their previous national tournament.
They finished a disappointing 33rd in the girls 16U competition in the AVP America Junior East Coast Championships last November in Clearwater.
It was an entirely different story in the AVP Beach Volleyball Nationals July 21-23 in Atlantic City.
Holden, a junior at Mountain Brook High School, and Yester, a junior at John Carroll Catholic who lives in Pelham, placed fifth in the 16U Gold Cup division, becoming the first beach volleyball duo from the Birmingham area to finish that high at Nationals.
“I think we exceeded expectations,” Holden said. “Last year we were 33rd and this time fifth. That’s a big difference. Instead of being knocked out in the first round, we weren’t knocked out until the fourth round. It showed how we had improved and how much the hard work we did paid off. We put in extra work.
“We are good friends. We spent a lot of time practicing with each other.”
Holden and Yester had entered the tournament seeded seventh in the 68-team field and were determined not to come home with another disappointing outcome.
“We communicated a lot better,” Yester said. “One of the teams we played, we had lost to them in pool play. But during the night we discussed how we wanted to attack and came out and beat them.”
Joe Alaimo, the girls’ coach at Birmingham Beach Volleyball Club, was pleased with what Holden and Yester accomplished. They have been playing beach volleyball for five years and partnering for the past three years.
“They’re two fantastic players,” Alaimo said. “Their goal was to get into the gold cup bracket, and to do that you had to be in the top two of your pool. Their goal after that was to win a game and they won three to make it to the quarterfinals. It’s the best finish by an Alabama team in a long time.”
Holden, a setter, and Yester, a defensive specialist, also play on their high school teams, and Alaimo believes that helps them succeed in beach volleyball.
“They’re all-around athletes,” he said. “To be great in beach volleyball, you have to have all the skills. You have to be a passer, a setter, an attacker, a defender and a server since there are only two of you. One of them is a libero and the other a setter on their high school teams, and I think that’s what makes them good at beach volleyball.
“I think they could probably play at the next level. It all depends on how they continue to grow and get better. We’ve sent five girls to college, three to Division I and two to Division II.”
Yester and Holden prefer beach volleyball.
“I definitely like beach more,” Yester said. “It’s more laid back and easier to make connections. And you get to travel. It’s so much fun traveling. I love it, seeing all the different cities.”
Holden enjoys being more involved in the action on the beach.
“I like it more because you get a lot more touches and get to hit more,” Holden said.
The tournament in New Jersey was part of the AVP Beach Volleyball beach week, making it even more special for Holden and Yester.
“The tournament was great,” Holden said. “There was a lot of strong competition from all different states. We got to meet some new people and see how other people play. We got to see some pros, which was cool.
“It’s always fun playing at the beach. There’s different weather with the wind and rain.”
The girls have rejoined their respective high school teams, getting ready for the start of 2021 season next week. When their high school seasons are done, they will get back together to return to the national tournament in Clearwater Beach.
“We try to get together as often as we can,” Holden said. “We’ve got to continue to get stronger and stronger when we go back to Clearwater.”