Andy Benesh: The blocker who is helping to revive USA Beach Volleyball

Andy Benesh is the most improved beach volleyball player in the world in 2023. Entering this season with Miles Partain, Benesh was seeded third in the qualifier of a Challenge. Now? He and Partain are the No. 1 ranked team in the United States, and No. 3 in the world. His climb has been extraordinary, and exactly what USA Volleyball needed after the retirements of Jake Gibb and Phil Dalhausser. On this episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, we talk all about Benesh’s breakout season, including: - What has led to his blink-and-you-missed-it improvement in 2023 - How he and Miles Partain have had at least “75 hours of debate” on their offensive and defensive strategies and vision - His breakout win at the Gstaad Elite16 – where he and Partain beat Anders Mol and Christian Sorum twice in the same tournament - The process of adding the jump-set to his game, and why being comfortable with failure has led to so much success And much, much more. Always a fun one with big Andy Benesh on the show. ENJOY! PHOTO CREDS: @BeachVolleyballWorld *** Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter have a NEW BOOK! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! A huge shoutout to our new sponsor, Goodr! Making the best shades on the beach, for the easy price of $25! Goodr makes $25 active sunglasses that don’t slip, don’t bounce, and are 100% Polarized! If you want to support the show and pick up a pair, goodr is giving SANDCAST listeners FREE SHIPPING on your first order! You can go to and use code SANDCAST to get FREE shipping. goodr offers a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee and 100% Satisfaction. Find your pair at and use code SANDCAST to get FREE shipping. We are FIRED UP to announce that we’ve signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Stay healthy with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter and get your greens today! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We’d love to have ya! This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: