Beach Volleyball - March 2022

HIT THE SAND

A coach gives her all to players on the Volleyball courts of Seguin

Story By Felicia Frazar | Photos by Felicia Frazar & submissions from the community

Linda Elliot has spent about four decades in the world of volleyball.

She started as an indoor player in college at the University of Arizona and made the move to a beach player and coach — nationally and internationally — throughout those 40 years.

Her work eventually landed her the role as the Tiger Beach Volleyball program director, where she is not only teaching children the ins and outs of the game, but helping to grow the recreational aspect of a lifetime sport.

“I’ve really been a part of the growth for the game,” she said. “Early on in the ’80s, I was recognized as one of the top 10 leaders of building the grassroots of the program.”

Elliot got her first look at beach volleyball as a full-ride, starter for the Lady Wildcats’ volleyball team. Her coach would have the squad practice in the sand, Elliot said.

After graduating college, Elliot continued to play and coached at Long Wood University in Virginia Commonwealth before the military shipped her family overseas.

“We moved and I lived in Panama, Japan, Italy and Greece,” she said. “From basically 1989 onward, my game was all international.”

Elliot continued to play, coach and officiate, when needed.

“I would help build the program in every country I was at,” she said.

While in Panama, Elliot earned the title of Most Valuable Player and was the Panamanian National Beach Champion.

“I really just dove into everything. I was always mom and I was always attached to volleyball,” she said. “It was shift to learning the game from an international point of view.”

Her skills on the sand earned her the status of a professional player. While she may not be listed in the history books under volleyball, Elliot carries with her a lifetime of memories and stories.

“I’ve been able to play with lots of different people around the world and it’s been a blast,” she said.

After Elliot’s return to the states in 2007, it took her a while to readjust to American culture and she took what she thought was a permanent break from volleyball.

“I was in my 40s, I got to close out my career playing indoor and then also, I was still playing in the Italian semi-pro league; my Panamanian partner was the Olympic setter who I was playing with,” she said. “I came back, I was retired,

I was done. I left my career at such a high point, there was no reason to do anything but have fun with it.”

People would ask Elliot to return to the sport as a coach, but she respectfully declined. That was until the NCAA started to include beach volleyball as a competition sport.

Now, Elliot is helping instill a love for the sport while building up young athletes’ technical skills.

“I am always telling anyone I coach with — whether it is the kids or adults — I’m going to hammer in technique to where you just can’t help yourself, be good with it,” she said.

One of her athletes is nationally ranked in the Association of Volleyball Professionals under the age of 14, and another pair have placed second at the national contest.

Makenna Heartless, 13, began her foray into volleyball with a stint in indoor and then moved to beach. She began taking lessons from Elliot at another facility and when the coach changed locations, so did Heartless.

While learning how to play, Heartless said she’s learned other valuable skills that she uses off the court, including leadership and communication.

“I feel like I’ve learned how to communicate a lot more with people because, unlike other sports, you only have one person on the court with you, so you have to really have a connection and bond with those people,” she said.

Reese Hickingbottom, 14, also got started in the indoor setting. Much like Heartless, Hickingbottom switched to beach. She’s only been playing for a year, and she credits Elliot’s coaching style with making her a better player.

“I jumped to Linda and in about two months I was ready for nationals and I ended up placing second in the silver bracket with Avery,” she said. “It is tough. She works us hard and she is hard on us, but it is all out of love.”

Indoor and beach volleyball are fundamentally the same, however, they are played differently.

“It is a different sport,” Elliot said. “The beach athlete has to be an all-around player. They can’t be a position player. You have to be a wellrounded athlete, you have to be able to have all skills available to you.”

Beach volleyball is also a game of partnership, as opposed to a team of six on the court and subs on the bench. “The mental and emotional commitment in the moment is a little bit higher because you are only accountable to one person and you can’t hide behind others,” she said.

Taking on all of the roles helps create a stronger sense of responsibility, Hickingbottom said.

“You have to look inside to see where the problem is,” she said. “It is self critical. You are everything, passer, setter, hitter, blocker.”

In addition to guiding the younger athletes, Elliot is working on assisting adults with building skills on the recreational side.

“Right now we’re just growing the national program while having the foundation for the juniors, providing the opportunity for kids who want to play in college while at the same time also making sure we grow the recreational side of the house,” she said. “The thing I love about being at Tiger is their heart is in the recreation side of the house and a sport of a lifetime.”