The players are presented alphabetically: 

     Casey Adams 

     Chase Andrews

6' 2"

Chase Andrews is from Tampa, Florida where a childhood friend got him to start playing 2-man beach volleyball in the 10th grade. After playing high school basketball - where he was selected to play on a Florida High School All-star team which played in an international tournament in Ireland - Chase decided to shift his focus to beach volleyball. After returning from a 2 year LDS church mission in Venezuela, Chase began playing open beach tournaments throughout Utah. His first two open wins came at the end of his first outdoor season in 1996 with partners Dave Merrill and Mike Vernon. Since then, Chase has won numerous open tournaments while playing with several different partners; however, the majority of his wins have come while playing with Dave Merrill, his primary partner for more than 13 years. The biggest win of his career came in 1998 at the First Night Tournament at the Salt Palace where he and Dave Merrill defeated Troy Tanner and Dennis Roberts to take first place. Chase has been ranked among the top open players in the state of Utah during each of the last 13 years.

Chase is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he majored in business and Spanish. He is a general contractor and lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, Kelly and four daughters: Ashlyn, Taryn, Allie and Brynlee. 

 

     Derran Cannon

6' 2" - 190 lbs.

Derran Cannon grew up in Salt Lake City. While he excelled at every sport he played, his passion for volleyball prevailed. Derran played volleyball through his high school and college years and then played one Pro season in Europe. He has been decorated with many honors, including All Conference, All Region, and MVP designations. Derran can now be seen in the summer playing volleyball in his tennis shoes.   

 
     Brad Goldston

6' 4"
Brad began his volleyball career in California, where his Esperanza High School team won the state championship and his club team, Balboa Bay, placed second in the Junior Olympics. He continued his indoor career at BYU as an outside hitter/libero. He was a key member of the 1999 National Championship team; Brad still holds BYU records in single match, single season and career digs. 

Brad's athletic prowess extends to soccer. At age 11, he led the Yorba Linda Drillers to a 30-2 record. Read more about his soccer success at http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/edbreader.html?magID=SI&issueDate=19860512&mode=reader_vaultp99.

Brad has 3 children and currently lives in Utah County. Brad and (the famous) Adam White placed 5th at the Wasatch Beach 2009 Season Opener and Brad earned the 5th spot at the 2009 King of Wasatch Beach.    


 

     Matt Heyes

      

6' 5" 200 lbs     

After a phenomenal year in 2006, when Matt and partner took first in every open tourney from the 4th of July on, Matt took 2007 off. During the summer of 2008, Matt returned to form with wins at Setting with the Sun and Summer Fest, 2nd at Utah Summer Games and 2rd place finishes at SLC Gets Fit and the Park City Arts Festival tourneys. As a result, Matt has been ranked in the top 5 two of the last 3 years. Matt has coached a number of high school girls teams and the Summit Volleyball Club 16's.

 

Matt developed as a high school player by playing on the Players Club for 3 years. He earned MVP and All-region designations there. His college experience includes 2 years on the UVSC Mens Club Team and 4 years on the BYU Mens Volleyball Team.

 

                                                   

     Joe Hillman

          

6' 7"                        

Joe’s extensive background in volleyball includes time spent at both Utah Valley State College and Brigham Young University. As a two-time NCAA All-American at UVSC, Joe led the Wolverines to three top-three finishes from 1999-2002 and a NIRSA National Championship in 2001, where he was named tournament MVP. Upon retiring his Wolverine uniform, Joe moved on to BYU for two years and was a key player on the National Championship team of 2004. As a Cougar, he was awarded 2nd team All-American status and MPSF All-Tournament recognition.  Joe is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada.  Joe's 2008 accomplishments included 2nd place at Steamboat Springs and 1st place in all 4 tournaments that he played in Utah.                               

Cori Kamana'o

Cori played for the Univeristy of Hawaii and has played outdoor for 12 years. His best tourney finish was a win with Dave Merrill at The Steamboat Springs Invitational.

Cori is married to Beth. They have a daughter, Kalei'ilani, and sons Tyler, Garrett and Gabe.
                                                  

     Dave Merrill

5'11''  - 180lbs
Dave started playing volleyball when he was 19 at what was then UVSC. Once he started playing he never stopped. Although he started playing indoor volleyball, he found that his true passion was the outdoor game. At 5'11'' Dave is one of the shortest Open players in Utah. Dave has played with a number of partners through the years, but has competed mostly with Chase Andrews. The two have won many Open tournaments during the 10 years they have been playing together, and have finished in the top 10 points winners every year during their partnership. Dave is the father of 4 beautiful daughters, who are expected to join their Dad as part of Utah's volleyball elite.

     Mike Nelson

Mike Nelson, a Salt Lake City native, grew up playing and coaching indoor volleyball. Mike's passion for volleyball shifted to the outdoor scene after college. Since then, he has been increasingly competitive, winning three events in 2008 and ranking as one of the top Open players in Utah. Mike has also traveled to a number of regional events, including the 2008 MotherLode in Aspen, Colorado where he teamed with fellow Utah native - and blocking machine - Casey Adams to turn in a 9th place finish in a very deep field.   

Mike is married to Shelby and father of Tanner. He works professionally in Salt Lake City as a commercial real estate appraiser and agent.

     Chris Robinson




            
     Jared Starling
        
Jared has been a top-level volleyball player for most of his life. In 1994, he participated on the Nike Junior Olympic team. He played collegiate volleyball at Orange Coast College, where he earned Second Team All-Conference and led the team in kills. Jared received his California AAA as both a grass and beach player. He returned to Utah in 2000 and began a long and fruitful partnership with Cori Kamana'o. Cori and Jared placed in the top 4 in every tournament from 2001 until 2004. Since then, Jared has teamed with the dynamic athleticism, cat-like reflexes and amazing prowess of Casey Adams to create one of the most consistently successful teams of the past 5 years.  
              
Jared's most notable sand victories occurred when he and Cori Kamana'o came through the loser's bracket to beat current AVP Pro Casey Patterson and Mike Daniel, then beat Jake Gibb (U. S. Olympian) and Jumpin' Joe Samuelu in the final. As a result of this debilitating loss, Jake began a sponsorship of Jared which continues to this day.  
      
Jared is the father of two beautiful girls. His wife, Renee, a top volleyball player in her own right, can also be seen playing volleyball at Wasatch Beach. (Editor's note - thanks to the dynamic, cat-like and amazing Casey Adams for this bio!) 

     Carl Tams
    

Thanks to all of these players for providing their bios and images.

Bump. Set. Chill.