Metea Valley’s Regan Holmer spends a lot of time every summer at the beach.
She’s not there to work on her tan.
The junior setter has developed into one of the top beach volleyball players in the state — that in addition to being a rising star in the indoor game.
Holmer was drawing interest from college recruiters for both sports even before she entered high school, but by the middle of her freshman year, she made up her mind which one to pursue.
“I started playing beach when I was 9 at Team One,” Holmer said. “They have two really nice indoor sand courts so I got to train year-round as well as doing indoor volleyball there.
“I just loved beach more. You kind of get to do everything. You’re not a one-dimensional player that only has to do one thing, so I just love that aspect of it.”
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The 5-foot-11 Holmer also loves the choice she recently made. She has committed to play beach for Grand Canyon, a Division I school in Phoenix which was ranked seventh in the nation before the 2020 season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I picked Grand Canyon because they’re a top 10, Division I school, so that was very intriguing for me,” said Holmer, who also considered Utah, Santa Clara, North Florida and Cal State Bakersfield. “They had a lot to offer.
“They don’t have a football team so they have a little more funding for their beach volleyball. I was able to get some money from that, and academically I was able to get a lot of money as well, so I’m not paying too much. That’s great.”
Metea Valley coach Dave Macdonald thinks Holmer made a great choice.
“It’s a great beach program for her,” he said. “It’s going to push her.
“You’re not going to walk in and, hey, here’s a starting job. You’ve got girls who are 22. You’re coming in as a bright-eyed 18-year-old, and it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re not taking my spot.'”
Holmer’s spot at Metea is secure. She had a breakout sophomore season, totaling 653 assists, 218 digs, 127 service points and 66 kills with a .302 hitting percentage.
That was merely the flowering of potential Macdonald first glimpsed years ago.
“She’s a good athlete,” Macdonald said. “She came to our camps when she was a sixth grader and she was huge. She was taller than some of the eighth graders.
“I was super excited. I pulled her up as a freshman, and obviously I made the right decision.”
Holmer believes she made the right decision in choosing beach, although she loves playing both.
“It’s definitely a little bit difficult, but I think indoor helps my beach game and beach helps my indoor game,” Holmer said. “If corona wasn’t a thing, I would have gone straight from my beach season into my school season.
“When I come out of beach, my vertical works way better on the hard court. I’m a little quicker. Things are speeding up a lot for me.”
Indoor season won’t start until February, but the Mustangs look to be on the fast track to success.
Holmer and Alabama-bound junior libero Morgan Rank are two of the 100 Illinois players on the American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom List, while senior middles Emily Day and Keira Jannisch are third-year varsity players.
“I’m definitely real excited for school season,” Holmer said. “I feel like we have so much potential to win our conference and maybe even take a regional.
“I would love to be a part of leading our team to that kind of success.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.