I started playing volleyball the moment I came out of my mom’s womb… well maybe not quite that early, but as far back as I can remember I had a volleyball in my hands. My parents were both incredible volleyball players, so spending my evenings and weekends in the gym watching them play, left me one choice… learn to play the game!

Fast forward a decade or two...I went on to become a scholarship athlete at University of Oregon. I played professional volleyball and had the opportunity to coach at three different D1 colleges.

Why does any of this matter?… because that’s my why. That’s why I started my own beach volleyball training business. It’s because volleyball gave me so much and afforded me so many opportunities that I wanted to give back to the sport, pass on my knowledge, share my experiences and do it with passion.

Where’d the name SOS Sands Volleyball come from?

“SOS” or “Supporters of Survivors ” derived from my personal fight to beat breast cancer. Though I'm a survivor of seven years, I’ll never forget the fear that came over me hearing those words “you have breast cancer”. Nor will I forget the overwhelming feeling of gratefulness to hear it hadn’t metastasized nor traveled into my lymph nodes so I wouldn’t be needing chemotherapy. I had to have a double mastectomy but to me that was the least of my concerns. I was going to live and go back to my life as it was

The thing was, I realized many other people fighting the same fight weren’t receiving a diagnosis with a favorable outlook. So when I was in the planning stages of forming my business, I decided to intertwine beach volleyball training and supporting breast cancer survivors and fighters. Hence, the name “SOS Sands Volleyball” came to life.

So today and every day, I wake up and give thanks to God for being here and for being able (physically, mentally, and emotionally) to be doing what I love. The opportunities I’ve had to teach the game the right way and to pass on my knowledge to hundreds of people has brought me so much joy. But the love and support that permeates within the volleyball community that began as just scribble on post it notes and list after list of things to do has evolved into a gift I didn’t expect. The success we’ve had with our fundraising year after year is a reflection of what a loving and supportive community is capable of doing.

I am truly blessed!

Lisa Westlake

SOS Sands Women’s Play 4 Pink- Play 4 Life Beach Volleyball Tournament

Team Members