LA JOLLA — The joy of the game: it sounds like a cliché, but Keigo Pilette confesses that’s why he plays beach volleyball at University City High, along with the teamwork and competition. His teammates echo his words.
Pilette, whose first name is pronounced “kay-go,” got into the sport as a sophomore a year ago, and loves it. “With my partner, Malcolm (Solt, also a junior), it’s cool how you work together.”
“There’s a lot of teamwork” in the two-person game, in which the pair split duties of serving, passing, and spiking on a sand surface that lends an outdoor environment while also testing an athlete’s ability to jump off a shifting surface.
It doesn’t hurt that the Centurion players have enjoyed a fair measure of success, with Coach Mark Salata building on what his mentor, Brooke Choi, constructed in both the boys’ and girls’ programs.
Seniors Jacob Brantuas, who plays on the “ones” pair, and Jake Goforth, on the “twos” (the top five pairs count for points in a match against another school), echo Keigo’s sentiments.
Goforth, especially, emphasizes the fun of playing volleyball “in the sun and at the beach” during a recent conversation next to the outdoor nets at UCHS. But don’t doubt that Jake is also deeply into the competitive aspect of the sport — in fact, he thrives on it.
In a recent match against an unnamed school just starting its beach program, Goforth and his partner, junior Anthony Bazalaki, dominated their opponents 21-0 and 21-2. That same week, Coach Salata announced that UC had swept two matches, winning 5-0 over both opponents.
“(Beach volleyball) is super fun, then you can go in the water,” says Brantuas. His partner on the ones is fellow senior Jonan Merle.
There are difficult skills to master, and not every game feels like a win. When matches become challenging and losses start coming, it can be frustrating.
“It’s hard to master the hand-eye coordination, and spiking the ball, making the ball curve downward,” Jacob admits.
A relative low point came for the Cents last fall when they lost to St. Augustine in the third-place match in the playoffs. Boys’ beach volleyball is still not sanctioned as a CIF sport, as it faces various challenges in gaining certification.
“We all know we should have won,” says Goforth. The result? Motivation to get better, which led to eight-hour days “playing until the sun went down” on some late afternoons to improve and perfect their collective skills.
The veterans also faced the challenge of several seniors graduating last year and freshmen who had never played the sport joining the team.
“Coach Mark invests a lot in the program,” Goforth notes. University City also enjoys a fabulous facility of courts right behind the gym in the center of campus, where classmates and parents can conveniently attend matches.
https://timesofsandiego.com/sports/2025/10/20/uchs-boys-beach-volleyball-joy-game/
