Episodes

Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
AVP/FIVB professional athlete and 2x National Collegiate Beach Champion at USC Kelly Claes joins Rob Espero on The Viral Volley Podcast this week.
Kelly reflects on her High School career, potentially going to Long Beach St. for indoor and committing to Beach Volleyball with Sara Hughes. Her time as a Trojan saw Kelly write the history books for USC Beach Volleyball as she saw success at the collegiate level, but early success at the professional level.
We then venture into her partnerships, winning, and her singing career with Sarah Sponcil-- who according to Kelly, "...is tone deaf." Their unique musical gifting landed them as the current-FIVB Beach Team of the Week!

Monday Jun 22, 2020
Monday Jun 22, 2020
2-time NCAA Men's D1-2 National Champion and AVCA Player of the Year Josh Tuaniga jumps on The Viral Volley Podcast to reflect on his humble beginnings, the early TJ DeFalco years and beach volleyball.
We also delve into his Huntington Beach HS 80-0 repeat CIF-SS and State Championship teams and the evolution of the Long Beach St. program into back-to-back National Champions. Josh also shares about his USA Men's National Team experience and playing his first professional season abroad in Poland.

Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
These two athletes had an incredible 2019-- and their 2020 was ramping up to be a continuation. BVCA Champions. AVP Hermosa Beach Quarterfinalists. CIF San Diego City Champions. CIF State Champions. National High School Champions. 4th Place finish in their 1st FIVB event. Did I mention that they are only 17 and 18 years old?
Torrey Pines HS graduates and USC Beach commits Delaynie Maple and Megan Kraft sit down on The Viral Volley Podcast to reflect on the 2019 season, their first FIVB event and playing for Dain Blanton at USC.

Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Iya Lindahl, LMU Beach Volleyball / Wave Beach
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Former Cal Beach Volleyball standout and current LMU transfer, Iya Lindahl (San Diego, CA) drops in on The Viral Volley Podcast this week.
With the recent loosening of COVID restrictions in California, Iya shares firsthand experience of how it's like coaching, training and playing at Wave Beach in Del Mar, CA.
Iya also reflects on her Cal career and shares how she decided to transfer to LMU to play for John Mayer and Betsi Flint. During our discussion we dabble in the wealth of talent that's coming from the San Diego area in both indoor and beach.
Iya shares on how she is using her marketing skills for CollegeBeachVB.com and Mike Placek, and her future in beach volleyball.

Friday Jun 05, 2020
College Volleyball Weekly, 6/5/20: The Viral Volley Podcast
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Friday Jun 05, 2020
The BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN! George Mason Head Coach, Jay Hosack and Lewis University Head Coach, Dan Friend, join Rob Espero in the DEEP QUARANTINE episode of College Volleyball Weekly.
This week they discuss the NCAA Division 1 minimum program waiver, re-acquisition of VolleyballMag.com by Co-editors Lee Feinswog and Ed Chan, 2020's top recruiting classes and the HUGE good by University of Hawaii's All-American Middle Blocker, Pat Gasman.

Tuesday Jun 02, 2020
David Smith, USA Men's National Team / UC Irvine, 6/2/20
Tuesday Jun 02, 2020
Tuesday Jun 02, 2020
USA Men's National Team Middle Blocker and UC Irvine alumnus (you know I had to sneak that in there) David Smith jumps on The Viral Volley Podcast this week.
We reminisce about the UCI days, the "Lights Out" incident in Happy Valley and how he was part of UCI's first National Championship team.
David then talks about his season in Poland with ZAKSA-- until the COVID pandemic broke out. From there it was a chaotic journey to get back to the United States, where he, as well as other USA athletes have started training with COVID protocols at American Sports Center.
David also talks about the challenges of being hard of hearing/deaf and having to be in social settings in this COVID-Culture with Social Distancing.
He then finishes off by offering some encouragement to give us perspective through this time in history.

Tuesday May 26, 2020
Tuesday May 26, 2020
In this episode, Carli Lloyd drops into The Viral Volley Podcast to share her love and passion for the game, the "ups and downs," and her internal journey to finding wholeness.
We venture back to how she first played, becoming the 2010 AVCA All-American Player of the Year, becoming an international standout to representing the USA in Rio and winning the Bronze Medal.
Finally we look at her international volleyball career and discuss a very powerful resource-- her new website, showupwithme.com, that invites others to not only develop their volleyball skills, but to also explore the inner side of life's journey.

Tuesday May 19, 2020
Taylor Sander, USA Men's National Team 5/19/20
Tuesday May 19, 2020
Tuesday May 19, 2020
This week the USA Men's National Team OH, Taylor Sander drops in on The Viral Volley Podcast (since we didn't get to meet for a surf today) to discuss "life" in the last year after FIVB VNL 2019, shoulder rehabilitation, the COVID postponement of FIVB VNL and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
We also reminisce on the Norco HS and BYU days, battles with Taylor Crabb and how he and brother Brenden are taking on TCrabb and Jake Gibb at the HB Pier!

Wednesday May 13, 2020
Olivia Phelps, The Viral Volley Podcast, 5/12/20
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Sports Journalist and ESPN Sideline Reporter Olivia "Livvy" Phelps joins Rob on this episode to share how she started working in Sports Journalism and how she developed a love of covering sports, volleyball and athletic personalities.
Emerging from her passion for sports came an interest in Collegiate Beach and Men's and Women's Indoor Volleyball resulting in her first docu-series, capturing Long Beach St. Men's Volleyball team in their National Championship title defense year (2019) as they experienced training, coaching, victories, defeats and the quest for back-to-back National Championships!
As always, we close out with our "Run Down" segment to find out about the inner-workings of Liv-- all on this week's episode of The Viral Volley Podcast!

Tuesday May 05, 2020
Tuesday May 05, 2020
The "Fiery Freshmen" Class of UCLA Beach sits down with Rob Espero to discuss the 2020 NCAA Collegiate Beach season, their connection as the rookies in the Bruin program, their first-year experience and being in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rob then closes out the episode with an interesting and funny inside look of our guests on "The Rundown."