Aug. 20, 2010

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford junior Evan Barry has been selected to play for the United States in the FIVB Junior World Beach Volleyball Championships next month.

Barry earned selection through a series of qualifying events and camps beginning late May in Santa Cruz. From a final group of 14 in Manhattan Beach, Calif., four were selected and split into two teams.

Barry joins UC Irvine outside hitter Will Montgomery on one team, while UCI outside hitter Connor Hughes joins USC setter Tony Ciarelli on the other in the under-21 event.

The tournament will be held Sept. 15-19, in the Mediterranean seaside resort city of Alanya, Turkey.

For Barry, a San Diego native who is expected to replace graduated National Player of the Year Kawika Shoji in the Stanford starting lineup in 2011, this is the first time he has been on the USA's radar at any level, indoor or outdoor.

Barry was introducted to the beach game by his parents, Ron and Patty, who played recreationally on the beaches at Del Mar. Though he started playing indoor with the Seaside Volleyball Club at age 10, he continued to excel on the sand, winning an age-group national beach title in 2008 after winning silver in 2007.

"The beach game definitely forces you to be more well-rounded," Barry said. "At any point, you could be playing any position. It forces you to develop quickness and jumping ability."

During the school year, Barry can often be seen on the beach court near the Ford Center Plaza on campus. He feels the indoor and outdoor games complement each other.

"For me, it's really helped me learn to read defenses," Barry said. "You have to see the whole court."

Barry also has developed hand-eye coordination by practicing sport stacking, which involves stacking specialized plastic cups in specific sequences in as little time as possible.

Barry said that taking on such responsibility as the Cardinal seeks to defend its NCAA championship has helped him focus in the off-season.

"It's definitely given me an extra little boost to know that my team depends on me that much more," Barry said. "It makes me push myself that much harder. It's definitely motivated me."

After college, Barry's once obvious career goals are seemingly in jeopardy. This week he learned that the AVP pro beach tour had been grounded in mid-season because of a lack of sponsorship, possibly for good.

"I always had that goal to play in the AVP," Barry said. "I saw myself going after it for at least the first year out of college. I still have high hopes that something can come back, but to make a living at it is really up in the air. I have no idea what's going to happen.

"One thing's for sure, it's not for lack of players. There's a ton of guys that are ready to play at a high level."

And Barry, no doubt, will be one of them.

-- David Kiefer, Stanford Athletics