Orange Lutheran girls beach volleyball is hitting the sand this week and has a new head coach at the helm in Ty McKeever.
 
McKeever brings a number of years of playing experience to the program, both indoor and beach, including playing beach volleyball through college and at the highest amateur levels. His approach to coaching and his goals for OLu include establishing a culture of faith and respect.
 
"What I want this program to be distinctive for is (being) the highest performing in Southern California, plus a special element of faith that is central and very obvious to everybody on the team and outside the team," says McKeever.
 
The Lancers will be led by senior pair Jayden Santos and Kayla Spencer whose leadership will be key both on and off the court.
 
"They're definitely helping lead the team in warmups and getting on track with everything that I'm laying out as an expectation," says McKeever of Santos and Spencer. "And whenever we have any kind of faith-building or team-building activities, they're diving right in and helping me with that."
 
This season, the program has just over 30 players and will field varsity, JV and frosh/soph squads. McKeever and the varsity squad are focused on making a strong playoff run.
 
"The biggest objective goal is CIF entry," says McKeever. "So one of the things that we've done to try to create that opportunity is have a good mixture of high-level competition, but also (matches) where we have a very good chance of putting some wins on the board."
 
OLu's next matchup is February 20 when they take on Crean Lutheran. Non-league opponents this season include Millikan (February 25), El Dorado (February 28, March 11) and Capistrano Valley (March 7). Trinity League play begins March 13 when the Lancers face Santa Margarita.
 
McKeever and the coaching staff are eager to lead the program this season and beyond, emphasizing faith, accountability and love, while prioritizing both individual and team growth.
 
"As a coach, I've told them my job is to love you guys," says McKeever. "It means I want the very best for you, I'm going to give you everything I've got and you guys need to love each other…They're hard workers, they listen, they're coachable and they've got a strong sense of faith. I'm looking forward to building that culture with them."