After stepping in as the new head coach of the high school volleyball squad and helping lead the team to a successful season in 2015, Peter McGloin will also take the reins of the sand volleyball program, which is set to kick off competition this week.

The Lady Falcons will play host to Scottsdale Prep tomorrow afternoon, Feb. 25, at 4 p.m. on the local sand courts at Golden Eagle Park.

The second match of the season is currently scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, when the local team will play host to the girls from Chandler Prep, again at 4 p.m.

According to McGloin, he feels lucky to have a sand volleyball program in Fountain Hills.

“It’s another example of big school opportunities at our wonderful small school,” he said.

“Even Desert Mountain and Horizon and other large schools like that don’t have it.”

After a week of practice, McGloin said he’s seeing a lot of potential on the Falcon lineup, even if he’s not certain what to expect out of the 2016 season.

“We’ve got a lot of youth on the team, so we’ll have to see how the season unfolds,” he said.

“But I see this sand program growing and becoming even stronger in the future.”

The Falcons were part of the pilot program for sand volleyball several years back and continued to play for a couple of years. Last season, not enough athletes came out to field a squad. This year, McGloin said he’s got a group of about a dozen young ladies who are ready to play.

“We’re the only state in the country to have a sanctioned high school volleyball program, so this is an amazing opportunity,” McGloin continued.

“Florida and California both have leagues that make it more of a club sport, but we’re the only one with a true varsity sport and Fountain Hills is one of 27 teams in that league.”

Getting a chance to focus on this new program, McGloin said that he and his girls are learning that it’s a totally different sport from court volleyball.

“The skills that help you in indoor volleyball will translate well to the sand, but you have to be an all-around player in sand. Any weakness you have will be exploited in sand, so you have to be able to do everything. It really forces you to become a better player.”

McGloin said that all of that combines with two players trying to cover a full sand court and, in the end, it’s a completely different experience.

“It’s also just a lot of fun,” he added.

“You’re outside in this beautiful weather, just playing and having a good time.”

Another big difference for McGloin will be his role as a coach. Coaches aren’t actually allowed to talk to their players during the matches, so his job is to make sure the ladies are prepared well in advance.

“My role is practice planning, setting the teams up, helping them with scouting and teaching them the game, but I’m not allowed to call time out or coach them during a match,” he continued.

“It’s a player-generated sport, which is another kind of cool opportunity for the athletes. These girls have to learn how to problem solve on their own and see the things a coach might point out. They have to figure it out for themselves, relate with their partner and then play.”

Of the 12 athletes on the squad, seven are freshmen and only two have played sand volleyball before.

“So we have some inexperience but, even on that first day of practice, I was really impressed,” McGloin said.

“We’ve got a long way to go, but it was a good starting point…I think we’re going to grow well. I’m happy with what I’ve seen out of the team so far.”