As skies begin to clear and warm weather returns to the Central Valley, Fresno Christian girls beach volleyball is officially in full swing. Beginning practice at The Well sand courts in Clovis, athletes prepare for a sandy season ahead.
The Lady Eagles have been led by Coach Steve Guglielmana for three years since the beginning of the program in 2023. Guglielmana has poured encouragement into his teams in hopes of glorifying God and bettering his athletes, now passing on the torch to Michael DeRaffaele, who will be taking over as head coach. Stepping aside as coach, Guglielmana leaves his team with the morals he built as the foundation of the program.
“Our goals will always be to represent and honor a Living God first, then represent Fresno Christian and honor each other second,” Guglielmana said. “The most important thing as a coach is knowing that each player I work with can go through testing and know that God has put them in that position to get stronger.”
New coach Michael DeRaffaele will step up as head coach for the 2025-2026 season, coming from an extensive background of volleyball at Bullard High School and San Diego State University.
“I actually started playing volleyball relatively late compared to many athletes—I began my junior year of high school, but once I found the sport I completely fell in love with it,” DeRaffaele said. “I played Division I collegiate volleyball at San Diego State University and my time at SDSU helped shape me both as an athlete and as a person. That’s also where I first started playing beach volleyball.”
DeRaffaele continued his work with beach volleyball through coaching in various places for over ten years, beginning in Arizona and eventually returning to the Central Valley. DeRaffaele used his passion and experience to partner with Club National Champion Kit Maddox to create Elite Beach Volleyball, a popular and arduous club sport. He focuses on teaching his players life lessons through the trials of volleyball.
“One of the biggest things I try to instill in my athletes is confidence and resilience. Volleyball is a game where mistakes are inevitable, so learning how to respond to adversity and keep competing is incredibly important,” DeRaffaele said. “At Fresno Christian, faith is a central part of who we are, and I want to help cultivate a strong culture around that.”
After a season of hard work and dedication last year, the Eagles made it to the final league tournament in their division, working their way to the gold bracket and losing in the semi-finals. This year, the team strives to focus on gaining strength mentally, physically and spiritually.
Senior Jordyn DeGroot has played beach volleyball at FC for two years and plans to continue her journey at the University of Central Arkansas, officially committing to their DI team and venturing into her final high school season.
“Beach Volleyball at FC has taught me why I love the sport so much and truly brings out the fun in it, especially because it’s hard to get a team together some years,” DeGroot said. “This year, we’re going to focus on learning new things and keeping up with the competition while having fun and aiming for a league championship. I’m really anticipating working hard this year and am striving for a spot in the starting roster at UCA for next year.”
FC Beach Volleyball welcomes players old and new to dive into the sand courts and play not only for wins, but for a good experience and sportsmanship remembered for a lifetime. Presley Meyers, ’29, joins the team for her first high school season, having attended a multitude of beach volleyball camps and playing club for two years at Elite Beach.
“I’ve played beach volleyball before, and I really enjoy it because it’s a great way to get more reps and improve for indoor,” Meyers said. “This season I’m looking forward to some fun competition and getting to know all the girls joining. It’s going to be a great season, and I’m really excited to keep improving and growing as a team.”
The girls beach volleyball team will play in their first match on Mar. 20, 2026, at Bakersfield Christian High School from 9-6 p.m. Come out and support your Eagles as they battle it out on the courts.
To read more from The Feather, visit Track and Field turns up the heat or K’lanna McArn shines light through life’s challenges.
Tabitha Peters • Mar 12, 2026 at 10:22 am
Go beach volleyball! Thank you for writing this, Kyleigh.