Loyola Marymount University's women's beach volleyball team has been enjoying a remarkable streak of success in recent years. Notably, they have clinched four consecutive WCC Championships, showcasing their dominance in the conference. In the 2023 season, the team achieved a record of 29-9, further solidifying their reputation as a powerhouse in collegiate beach volleyball.
One of the exciting developments for the team was the unveiling of new on-campus courts, which likely contributed to their perfect home record during the season, highlighting their prowess on their home turf.
Furthermore, the team has consistently performed at a high level, making multiple "final four" appearances in the NCAA Tournament over the past few seasons.
These achievements are a testament to the women's beach volleyball team's commitment to excellence, and they continue to be a source of pride for the university.
National Collegiate Beach Final Poll Positions Since 2018
2018 – 15th
2019 – 10th
2020 – No Final Poll
2021 – 3rd
2022 – 4th
2023 – 5th
Importance on Academics
Fall 2022 – 3.65 GPA
Spring 2023 – 3.47
OUR HOME
"OUR BEAUTIFUL FACILITY HAS OPENED UP SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPERIENCE. THEY NOW GET TO FEEL EVEN MORE CONNECTED WITH THE COMMUNITY AS WE ARE FRONT AND CENTER IN THE ATHLETIC REGION OF THE LMU CAMPUS. WE GET TO PLAY IN FRONT OF THEIR PEERS AND THE FAITHFUL LMU BEACH VOLLEYBALL FANS.
HAVING OUR OWN BEACH COURTS ALLOWS FOR A DYNAMIC TRAINING ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE ATHLETES GET TO INTERACT WITH A VARIETY OF PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITIES. WE CAN VARY THE COURT SIZE, THE NETS AND MUCH MORE WHICH ALLOWS FOR LEARNING AND CREATIVE EXPLORATION FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL.
WE’RE EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE FACILITY AS WE HAVE PLANS TO ADD A SCOREBOARD, TEAM ROOM, AND A SPACE FOR OUR CHAMPIONSHIP BANNERS AND ALL AMERICANS. WE HAVE A LOT TO CELEBRATE THANKS TO THE HARD WORK OF OUR FORMER AND CURRENT STUDENT ATHLETES. AND THERE IS EVEN MORE TO COME!”
- Head Coach John Mayer
"The courts on campus have offered a sense of community. People now have more knowledge and show more support for our team…plus it’s fun to see students and staff playing on them!"
- Cassie Chinn
"I love being able to host matches on our courts. We were one of the only top programs to practice and compete off campus. Having our own courts legitimizes the program and validates the team’s hard work and success."
- Jacinda Ramirez
"Having courts on campus was such a great addition for our program! We feel more connected to other student athletes on campus and it’s given us a lot more recognition as a sport. It’s really helped to build community and take our program to the next level."
- Madi Firnett
"I’m so grateful to have a beautiful facility on campus now! The courts have become a home for the team to embrace while also encouraging a sense of pride for our team that we haven’t been able to experience before. Being granted a chance to represent the university from the courts has held our team to a higher standard and given us a greater purpose to strive for."
- Chloe Hooker
Meet The Coaches
John Mayer begins his ninth year as the head coach of LMU's beach volleyball program in 2023-2024.
For a third-consecutive season, Mayer coached the Lions to a top-5 finish nationally with a return to the NCAA Championships. Following a fourth-consecutive WCC Championship, Mayer led his Lions to a win in Gulf Shores, Alabama, at the NCAA Championships against #11 Hawaii before falling to the eventual national champions, #3 USC, 3-1 to close the season. The Lions went 29-9 on the season, including a perfect home record after unveiling new on-campus courts. Additionally, Mayer was named WCC Coach of the Year for the fourth-consecutive season and mentored the WCC Pair of the Year, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, the WCC Freshman of the Year, five first team All-WCC Players, two AVCA Top Flight Winners, and two AVCA All-Americans in 2023.
The 2021-22 season continued to build on the foundation Mayer set for the program. In addition to being named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season, Mayer coached four AVCA All-Americans, the WCC Pair of the Year, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, and the WCC Co-Freshman of the Year. The Lions finished the year with a school-record 32 wins, did not drop a court in the WCC Championships, and won a program-record three games in the NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores before bowing out in the semifinals. LMU finished fourth in the final AVCA Poll in 2022.
After a brief 2019-20 season, LMU was able to dominate the 2020-21 season with a 31-8 record as they added another West Coast Conference Championship to their list of achievements. Coach Mayer was selected to the USA National Team as a result while also coaching Madi Firnett to WCC Freshman of the Year honors.
Before a shortened 2019-20 season, where the team ended with a 6-3 record, Mayer was coming off of an impressive 2018-19 season, where he led the Lions to their first-ever conference title. The team beat Pepperdine for the first time in program history to win the West Coast Conference Championship. The conference win came after a 27-11 season, including seven wins over ranked opponents.
On June 7, 2015, the West Coast Conference added women's beach volleyball as a WCC-sponsored sport. As the sport quickly gained status within the NCAA and the WCC, former LMU Athletics Director Dr. William Husak announced, on August 5, 2015, the hiring of Mayer as the LMU beach volleyball head coach.
At the time of the hire, Husak said, "The sport of beach volleyball has quickly grown at all levels, especially within the NCAA. We added the sport in 2012 and since have seen the positive and important impact on our department. As the sport grows, we wanted to continue to establish it here at LMU. We are very excited to have John take over the program on a full-time basis. He has had success at all levels of volleyball and we are fortunate he will be the program's first official head coach."
Mayer guided his 2018 squad to a 22-14 overall mark, and a berth into the semifinal round of play from the 2018 West Coast Conference Championships, but eventually dropped the match to Saint Mary's. The Lions, playing as the #2 seed in the tournament, beat Pacific to advance to the match against the third-seeded Gaels. Following the season, McKayla Ferris and Jessie Prichard highlighted a quartet of Lions lauded by the West Coast Conference, earning All-WCC first-team honors. Sara Kovac and Savannah Slattery were also honored, earning second-team selections.
John Mayer was born in Thousand Oaks, CA. Mayer currently lives in Mar Vista, Calif., with his wife, dermatologist Dr. Paola Rodriguez, and daughter.
LMU Beach Volleyball Head Coach John Mayer has announced the addition of the winningest coach in Cal State Bakersfield history, Cesar Benatti, as a member of the Lions coaching staff. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, Benatti will serve as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the four-time defending WCC Champion beach volleyball program.
“First off, I am incredibly thankful to Craig Pintens and President Snyder for continuing to believe in our program and working to provide this position for our team,” said Mayer. “It shows their belief in what we can accomplish in this program; a world-class training environment, care for the whole person, and bringing home LMU’s first NCAA national championship! We are so excited to have the opportunity to add Cesar to our staff. He was instrumental in helping Bakersfield’s program improve each year as they continued to rise into national prominence. He’s a great fit for our program because he is first a learner. He’s always asking questions and seeking out ways to better himself as a communicator and leader. His curiosity and eagerness to learn is what we most value in this program.”
Benatti spend nine seasons at CSU Bakersfield prior to moving to The Bluff. He was named Head Beach Volleyball Coach at CSUB on June 29, 2016, which is a role he held for the last six years. Benatti was also an assistant coach for the CSUB indoor volleyball team through the 2021 season.
In 2023, the Roadrunners won 16 matches with a .615 win percentage, which were both program records. Benatti also has experience coaching at the national level as he is a three-time USA Volleyball NTDP coach. During the 2022 Summer Series, he served as the U16/15 Assistant Coach before being named the team's Associate Head Coach for the Fall Series. In Winter 2022, Benatti was the U16/15 Head Coach for the USA Development Program.
LMU beach volleyball and Head Coach John Mayer have announced the addition of former AVP professional Angela “Benny” White as the program’s newest assistant coach ahead of the 2024 season.
“We are so excited to be adding Benny and her family to our LMU team,” said Mayer. “We feel that she is such a great fit because she is someone who is caring, fun to be around, and absolutely committed to learning.”
Born and raised in Plano, Texas, White played collegiately on the indoor team at LSU before starting her professional career both on the court and in the sand. Her stops as a professional player include playing indoor in Italy before transitioning to beach volleyball with the AVP and USA Volleyball.
Since 2020, White has served as Assistant Director of Silver Beach Volleyball Club in Austin, Texas where she was named 2022 AVCA Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year. Previous coaching experience includes time with East Coach Power in Philadelphia, Penn., The Winward School in Mar Vista, Calif., and Elite Beach Volleyball Club in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
“She was a high-level player on the AVP and someone who did it the right way as a both a hard worker and a great teammate,” said Mayer. “She’s always been great at bringing the best out of the people around her. We are excited to learn from her!”
Benny is married to former LSU track and field athlete Sadiki White. The couple has two sons Sadiki Jabari Jr. and Mehki.
Program Milestones Under Coach Mayer
In The Classroom
Professional Lions
LMU Beach Volleyball has produced AVP professionals over recent years including:
Betsi Flint - 6-time AVP Champion and AVP Newcomer of the Year in 2015
Megan Rice - AVP Rookie of the Year in 2023
Sarah Sponcil - Tied for 9th at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games
Current and former Lions who have competed in FIVB Tournaments: Betsi Flint, Sarah Sponcil, Emily Day, Megan Rice, Reka Orsi Toth, Darby Dunn, Marine Kinna, Valma Pritti, Anna Peloia, Alisha Stevens, Izzy Tucker, Isabelle Reffel