Reilly Robertson is an ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover McClintock High School for AZPreps365.com

The girls beach volleyball program at McClintock High School is small, but shows promise for a lot of growth. 

Coach Jeremy Gibbons is in his first year at McClintock, and he puts extra energy into keeping his athletes involved and on the team.

McClintock is looking for ways to grow their impact in the community and get younger girls involved. They are starting outreach to local elementary and middle schools, teaching younger kids how to play volleyball, and spreading the infectious joy of the team. 

McClintock is hoping this will get more girls involved in beach volleyball, and they want them to be a part of McClintock’s legacy.

They had a lot of girls show up to preseason clinics and practices, but only ended up with a 12 person team. 

“I have to put 10 on the court so I only have two spares, but the attitude that these girls have is exactly what I want to see,” said Gibbons.

The attitude that Coach Gibbons wants to see is mainly shown by the #5 pair, Anissa Perez and Teishalei Herman. 

“We just try to have fun. We will always help each other out and fix mistakes during the game,” said Perez. “But our main goal is just to have fun and play volleyball.”

Their friendship and infectious energy lifts spirits of the entire team, regardless of the score. 

“Encouraging everybody from the sidelines is the fun part, and we love getting to cheer on our teammates,” said Herman.

Coach Gibbons tries to place more of an emphasis on this attitude and energy, rather than volleyball skills.

“We want to highlight their energy and their passion, because that’s something we can’t change, but we can learn the skill,” said Gibbons. 

He combats this during timeouts, helping the girls get their minds reset by taking it off of volleyball. “We will talk about anything funny going on, drama at school, just anything to ease their minds so they come back to the game with a good attitude,” said Gibbons.

Coach Gibbons sees his role as more than a coach, it is to be a mentor to these young girls who are looking for a place to escape from school and life.

“The end goal is to develop them into people that they can be proud of, manage time well, and handle things under pressure,” said Gibbons. “Because anyone can improve a volleyball skill, but I am here to improve them as people, not just volleyball players.” 

These skills Coach Gibbons hopes to foster in these girls will last them a lifetime, leading to this sport having a lasting and positive impact.

The McClintock Chargers girls beach volleyball team played their final match of the 2025 season on April 14, versus the Mesa Jackrabbits.