Eastern Kentucky’s first beach volleyball season began in mid-March and ended less than a month later on April 13.
That meant several mornings of 6 a.m. practices in below-freezing weather on a makeshift sand court on the Richmond, Kentucky, campus.
But for Sydney Schoen, the experience was well worth a few minor inconveniences. Especially considering the history the Hauser graduate and her EKU teammates were making.
“It was a lot different considering that volleyball is predominantly an indoor sport, unless you’re playing beach,” Schoen said. “So we were playing in the rain. We had to practice when it was below 32 degrees outside in the morning. So being able to adapt and figuring out how to work with your partner, it was good for communication and stuff like that. It was a lot of fun.”
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Schoen, who led Hauser to a Class A state runner-up finish in 2017, was a key member of EKU’s indoor volleyball team last fall. She played in 26 of the 28 matches as a defensive specialist and led the Colonels with 15 aces.
“Coming in as a freshman and being able to contribute to the team, it was a really great experience,” Schoen said.
Transitioning to beach volleyball was a little more of a challenge.
In beach volleyball contests, schools field five two-person teams, with the top players usually at the top of the lineup. Schools need to win three of the five matches to win the contest.
“It was a really good experience just being able to train in the sand and play beach volleyball,” Schoen said. “It’s a totally different game because you’re playing in the sand, and you only have two people, and the rules are a little bit different. There’s a lot more strategy involved.”
Schoen and teammate Katelynn Caserma-Kloeble lost all five of their matches in the No. 1 spot for EKU and went 3-7 in the No. 2 position.
The Colonels finished 2-13 as a team in their first season, but ended it with a 4-1 win against Carson-Newman, a team that beat them 4-1 earlier in the season. Schoen and Caserma-Kloeble pulled out a three-set win in the season-ending victory.
“In beach season, her team got a couple wins for us, and that was huge,” EKU beach volleyball coach Johnna Fouch said. “We really relied on her and her partner to get wins for us this beach season. She was one of the ones that probably had the most experience, so she ran with it. You tell Sydney to run through a brick wall, she’ll do it. She took beach seriously, and it showed with her and her partner. It definitely showed her leadership qualities during the season. She definitely excelled in that.”
Johnna Fouch, who has been an assistant for the indoor program the past five years, takes over that head coaching role for Lori Duncan, who retired after last season.
Even though she will be only a sophomore, Schoen was voted by the team as one of the captains for the upcoming fall season, along with incoming senior Rachel Woody.
“I think this shows how our team views her,” Fouch said. “For me being a first-year head coach, I trust her in that leadership role.”
Schoen is a second-generation Colonel volleyball player. Her mother Becky Baker-Schoen played for EKU in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and her father Jerry played baseball for the Colonels before a stint in the California Angels minor league system.
Sydney, a business major, is ready to get started with her sophomore year. EKU opens its season Aug. 30-31 at the Charlotte Invitational.
“She’s a tremendous athlete and a tremendous student,” Fouch said. “I’m real proud of her as coach. It’s important to have a kid who’s a legacy. She’s an awesome kid, and she comes from a great family. Her parents come to all the games.”
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Name: Sydney Schoen
High school: Hauser
College: Eastern Kentucky
Year: Will be a sophomore
Sports: Volleyball, beach volleyball
Height: 5-foot-7
Position: Defensive specialist/libero
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