VOLLEYBALL IN DNA

Hillcrest beach standout Souza comes by talent naturally as father, brother well-schooled in sport

When she was a little girl, Sandie Souza dreamed about becoming the next great gymnast.

Genetics ultimately pulled her in a different direction.

“She was only 7 years old and already bigger than Simone Biles,” Souza’s father, Everton, recalled. “I had a conversation with her at the time and said, ‘You can do whatever you want, but I really think your DNA is trying to tell you something.’”

Sandie resisted at first but eventually made the transition to a sport extremely familiar to the Souza household: volleyball.

Everton Souza has been a successful high school and college volleyball coach for two decades and currently coaches the boys indoor team at Hillcrest High while assisting the girls indoor and beach programs. Marcello

Souza, Sandie’s older brother, already was a standout player, both indoors and on the beach, when she decided to give volleyball a try.

“I felt (playing volleyball) was something I really should try because that’s what my father and brother do,” Sandie said. “I really loved gymnastics but I just kept getting taller and taller. I

realized that I had to listen to what my dad was saying.”

Sandie proved a natural and the accolades quickly piled up. She has won numerous beach tournaments over the years and earned her AAA rating for the first time at 13. Souza has found success indoors, as well, as a setter for her club team and as an outside hitter during her freshman campaign at Hillcrest. She helped the Trojans capture a fourth consecutive River Valley League championship during the fall season. And Souza now is starring for the school’s beach squad.

“I was about 9 when I first started playing. It was more of a social thing for me back then because that was where my family and friends were at,” Sandie said. “But after a year of training and playing, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Sandie stands 5-foot-11 and has a powerful arm swing. But Everton made sure his daughter had a well-rounded game.

“We all know the direction the indoor game going, which is having the tallest players around,” Everton said. “But if you can be that player with allaround skills, you usually can find a spot on the court. The beach game really helps with that.”

PHOTOS BY TERRY PIERSON — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Sandie Souza, whose father and brother are both very familiar with indoor and beach volleyball, is a standout in the sand for Hillcrest High.

Hillcrest High girls beach volleyball player Sandie Souza, 15, originally wanted to be a gymnast, but she grew too tall for that.