Volleyball Visionaries with Holly McPeak

Sarah Spain (0:01)

Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we just got a look at the PWHL expansion team names and logos, and we're instantly obsessed with the Vegas Vanguard's Fox. Those ears somehow make that puke green look good.

It's Wednesday, November 11th, and we'll have lots more on Vegas' Fox and San Jose's Sea Lion tomorrow. But today, we're skipping the need to know and getting straight to my conversation with three-time beach volleyball Olympian and ESPN commentator, Holly McPeak. She joins us to discuss the biggest highlights in the college volleyball season, Nebraska's continued dominance, and what she makes of the complicated pro landscape in both beach and indoor Veebs. That conversation is coming up right after this.

Joining us now, she's a retired three-time Olympian in beach volleyball winning bronze with partner Elaine Youngs at the 2004 Games, and now a college at beach volleyball commentator on ESPN and the SEC Network. She's ranked fourth all time in pro titles, won with 72, was voted seven-time best defensive player on the tour, won titles with seven different partners, and was the first woman to break a million dollars in earnings. Born and raised in Manhattan Beach, California, she played three seasons of indoor volleyball at Cal and finished at UCLA, where she led the Bruins to the 1990 NCAA Championship. She played her first pro match at the age of 18 and retired one week shy of her 40th birthday. A volleyball Hall of Famer, a mom of three, she loves traveling and leg day. It's Holly McPeak. Hi Holly.

Holly McPeak (1:26)

Hey, thanks for having me.

Sarah Spain (1:28)

Thanks for joining me.

You are joining from my happy place, which is Hermosa Manhattan Beach area. I have been down there a million times and actually been down there to see you play many times. I lived in Southern California in my 20s, and I would go down to various beaches to watch AVP. I love that you still live there. Are you often to be spotted either still playing or sometimes coaching out on the beach there?

Holly McPeak (1:51)

I don't play anymore. I'm mostly in the gym getting strong and healthy.

But I do coach collegiate players in the summer. It's my fun time of year where I get to get out on the beach and help these players reach their goals.

Sarah Spain (2:07)

It's one of my favorite things about getting back there now is you can walk up and down the strand, especially in the morning when it's not quite as hot, and you can tell the people working out there aren't just having fun. They are professionals, they've got the giant thing of a million balls and they're getting after it.

I always say, whoever I'm with, I'm always like, imagine that's your office. Just going to work for the day.

Holly McPeak (2:25)

Literally, I got to do that for so long. The beach was my office. Then I got to travel around the world doing something I loved.

Can't beat that.

Sarah Spain (2:33)

So cool. Well, we're going to talk college Veebs, but I first want to talk about the pros because the professional landscape has changed a ton since you stopped playing. How do you view the current state of the AVP and the pro beach volleyball just circuit right now?

Holly McPeak (2:48)

Unfortunately, just to be honest, it's not where I ever imagined it would be. We were so much bigger when we were playing. We were making way more money. We had sponsorships. We had a good TV platform. We were able to travel all over the world. I literally, it breaks my heart to see where it is because you cannot make a living playing pro beach volleyball anymore. And there's a lot of amazing athletes. I think the level is way higher than it ever was.

But the opportunities to make money, get paid are way fewer. And so it's hard for me to see these players struggling. I mean, they're doing videos of their expenses and their expenses are higher than what they're making. And it just breaks my heart because they're so good. And it's such an incredible sport, but the platform and the popularity just isn't there right now.

Sarah Spain (3:42)

Which is wild because everywhere else women's sports is booming. To what do you attribute that decrease in interest? Is it a mismanagement by the people at the top? Is it a lack of marketing? What's happening?

Holly McPeak (3:55)

You know, it's a really good question. When I played, the top was amazing and the grassroots was really weak. Now the grassroots is incredible. And then you've got the college game. College Beach volleyball is amazing. The level of athletes it's churning out and putting on the international stage. It's incredible.