Beneath the blazing heat of the sun, and the backdrop of golden sand, senior split blocker and defender Bella Parayno skillfully dives and gets another dig, leading to yet another point for her and her teammate.
Parayno is a sand volleyball player for Silver Beach, a local team that started in Austin, Texas. Along with playing sand volleyball year round, Parayno also starts on the court volleyball team at Bowie.
“Sand volleyball is much more challenging in a sense where you have to be very conditioned,” Parayno said. “You have to be prepared to play in 32-degree weather with rain and in 100-degree heat. You also have to be very mentally tough to play beach volleyball because it is just you and your teammate. Being able to coach yourself through different plays and situations is much different than court volleyball.”
Parayno recently committed to play sand volleyball at Tarleton State University, a Division I school out of the Western Athletic Conference in Stephensville, Texas. Tarleton State just recently added sand volleyball to their athletic offerings, and Parayno will be a part of the inaugural team.
“I have made so many memories playing in the junior circuit for beach volleyball,” Parayno said. “I will always remember competing in Hermosa Beach, California for two weeks and getting to compete with teams across the country. Getting second place in the Beach Volleyball Clubs of America tournament was also an incredible experience.”
In 2021 Parayno made an Instagram account dedicated to her beach volleyball career. She uses the Instagram account to garner the attention of coaches across the country, while also showing her progress over the years.
“I think one of the reasons I became successful in volleyball is because of my strong work ethic,” Parayno said. “I also feel as though I am very coachable which makes it easier for me to learn and pick up new skills that can help me become even better. I want to be better than the people I play against and I just love the whole aspect of competing. I feel as though I am well-rounded as a player and I also know how to have fun when I am out there.”
Junior Charli Haynes is a teammate of Parayno at the Silver Beach volleyball program. Over the summer, Haynes committed to play Division I volleyball at Florida Gulf Coast University and will begin playing in 2025.
“I love working with Bella,” Haynes said. “She is an all-around great player and she has a great attitude. She radiates a lot of positivity which makes her a lot of fun to play with.”
Silver Beach has rankings based on how well the player performs in the tournaments they compete in, with the more competitive tournaments being weighted more heavily. In the rankings, Parayno ranks 37th out of 296, in the 18 and under division, while Haynes ranks 8th out of 295, in the 17 and under division respectively.
“Bella and I work super well together even though we are both defenders,” Haynes said. “I remember playing with her in a club tournament in California, we played really well together because we communicated with each other. She is super competitive and takes it seriously, but also knows how to have fun.”
Senior Kirstin Morris, another one of Parayno’s teammates, is an attendee of Smithson Valley High School in New Braunfels, Texas. She has recently committed to play volleyball at Southeastern Louisiana University.
“We have so much fun together,” Morris said. “She has an amazing drive to be an amazing player. I have watched her grow so much and she continues to make me laugh while also making me better.”
Along with volleyball, Morris competes in CrossFit, and she plans to compete in both. However, like Parayno, she wants to pursue a volleyball career and has dreams of competing professionally.
“We both have big dreams and aspirations,” Morris said. “I know she will do great things and I can’t wait to keep track of her progress as she continues to grow as a player and person. She is truly an amazing person and I hope to follow her footsteps.”
