The beach isn’t only for swimming and tanning. It’s where the next generation of volleyball players is made. As the sand heats up each spring, so does the action on three beach volleyball nets tucked between St. Louis and Clayton streets in Dewey Beach.
These nets come alive five days a week from April through September with the Sandshark Dewey Beach Volleyball Club, a local organization that teaches kids to bump, set and spike in the traditional beach style of two-on-two. In contrast, indoor volleyball is played six-on-six with rotating positions.
Sandsharks was founded by Jon Skolnik, 70, a Dewey local who has served as club director and senior coach for the past eight years. He teaches local youth the rules, skills, discipline and love of this competitive sandy sport.
Jon has played both beach and indoor volleyball for more than 45 years.
“My first memory of playing volleyball was in 1974 in my neighbor’s backyard, and their mom called us in because Nixon was resigning,” he said with a laugh. “So, yes, I’ve loved this sport for a long time.”
Jon has been a court coach for USA Volleyball Beach High Performance Tryouts, spent 11 seasons coaching USA Volleyball-sanctioned indoor club teams, ran a beach volleyball camp in Rehoboth for eight years and has spearheaded Sandsharks since its inception eight seasons ago.
He brings his love for the game and positive spirit to Sandsharks, requiring all athletes to share what they learned and say something positive about one another at the end of every practice.
“I want them to have a love and respect for each other,” Jon said.
During the after-practice huddle, Jon awards prize pins for skills like “good dives” and “good hustle.” The pins adorn many of the athletes’ backpacks, creating positive momentum they physically carry with them after each interaction.
Jon makes the sport so much fun that this season he has athletes traveling from Middletown, Washington, D.C., and Maryland to play each week on the beach in Dewey.
“It’s not just me, though,” Jon said. “These kids all help each other, and my coaches are incredible. The kids get to play alongside Division I athletes and learn firsthand.”
Jon has two head coaches, Savannah Siegrist and Cam Rodrigues, as well as a group of junior coaches who lead the Sandsharks each summer. All coaches are experienced, certified and background-screened. They are members of USA Volleyball, the national governing body for volleyball in the United States, which is recognized by the International Volleyball Federation and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Most importantly, many of the coaches are former Sandsharks themselves.
Savannah Siegrist, a head coach, is in her seventh year as a main Sandsharks coach. She competed in beach volleyball at the collegiate level at the University of Oregon and is a professional collegiate volleyball coach.
“Jon is the heart and soul of this team, and I’m the brain,” she said with a smile. “We created a program that can impact all these kids by adding confidence and skills like problem-solving. Beach is two-on-two, and athletes have to be adaptable to the elements because we’re playing outside.”
In 2024 and 2026, Savannah was an assistant coach for the Jacksonville University women’s beach volleyball program. She was also the head men’s beach volleyball coach at Webber International University in 2024 and head coach of both the men’s and women’s beach volleyball programs in 2025. She led the men’s team to second- and third-place finishes at the AVCA Men’s National Championship.
Cam Rodrigues, another head coach, is a professional beach volleyball player and was a member of the USA Youth National Beach Team for four years. He has competed internationally and represented the United States at the U21 World Championships in Switzerland.
Cam started playing at 8 years old and competed at indoor nationals three times. He is currently the head beach volleyball coach at the affiliated Grit Volleyball Club in Washington, D.C., and has coached with the Sandsharks for seven summers.
“Savannah and I have been here since the start. We were the only kids on the beach, and Jon let us play,” Cam said with a smile.
The junior coaches include:
Carson Barnes, a former Sandshark and three-time 18U beach national champion, represented the United States twice at the U21 World Championships in Thailand and won an international gold medal at the U23 NORCECA Championships.
Elaina Millaway, a former Sandshark, plays Division I beach volleyball at Florida Gulf Coast University. She won the 16U USA Volleyball National Championships and the 17U East Coast Championships. In high school, she was named Delaware Volleyball Player of the Year and Delaware’s Gatorade Player of the Year, which encompasses all sports.
“Sandsharks was my first experience with volleyball,” she said. “I’m an O.G.”
Tim Ennis, a former Sandshark, plays collegiately at Division I University of California, Irvine, a top-five indoor volleyball team. Tim was a starting six-rotation outside hitter for much of his freshman year, playing 33 sets. He won a state championship in New Jersey at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, was named First Team All-State and was named player of the year his senior year after surpassing 1,000 career kills. Tim was also a member of the USA Volleyball Beach National Team Development Program.
“I’ve been playing here since I was 8, and Jon started the club when I turned 13,” he said.
Scarlet Dunn, a former Sandshark, has played three years of collegiate beach volleyball at Stevenson University. Her team placed third in women’s Division III at the 2026 AVCA Beach National Championships.
Daniel Ennis, a former Sandshark, has committed to play at New York University. Ennis is a three-time high school county and sectional champion and a two-time New Jersey state champion. He was named First Team All-State in 2025 and player of the year in 2026. Daniel was also a member of the USA Volleyball Beach National Team Development Program.
Lily Joyce, a longtime Sandshark, was the starting right-side hitter at Cape Henlopen High School and a coach at Premier Volleyball Club. She has coached with Sandsharks for two summers.
Lukas Christman, a former Sandshark, is committed to play Division I volleyball for Northern Kentucky University. He recently played outside hitter for WPVC 18U Armor Black in Orlando, Fla., which spent time as the No. 1-ranked club team in the nation. Last year, Lukas won a state championship with Lake Howell High School and was selected to the all-state team.
He also played for Sandsharks, where he won the 16U division at the 2021 USA Volleyball Chesapeake Wave Summer Beach National Qualifier and earned bronze in the 14U division at the 2021 AVP Junior Nationals in Atlantic City, N.J. Lukas has also trained with the Czech National Team and was a member of the USA Volleyball Beach National Team Development Program.
Each week, these incredibly accomplished athletes come together to share their love of volleyball with local kids ages 8 to 18. The Sandsharks are split into two divisions: the Beach Young Guns and the Club.
The Beach Young Guns is a developmental program for 8- to 13-year-olds. No prior volleyball skills are required, and coaches introduce players to the sport using fun drills and exercises designed to develop hand-eye coordination, footwork and volleyball skills.
When school is in session, players practice on weekends. When school is out and summer is in full swing, they can be found in the sand for one-hour sessions up to three times a week, with mini tournaments held on a fourth day. Sandsharks also offers two free drop-in sessions to players who want to try beach volleyball.
The Club program is for players ages 13 to 18. Volleyball experience is generally required, and the program is designed for intermediate and advanced players. Athletes are encouraged to practice regularly and compete in local and travel tournaments.
When school is in session, they also practice on weekends with an additional weeknight practice. When school is out and summer is in full swing, practices run for two hours three nights a week and two hours two afternoons a week.
Approach the nets during any practice session, and you will hear laughter and see kids diving for volleyballs in the sand.
Piper Paul, 14, whom Jon affectionately calls “small but mighty,” said her favorite parts of Sandsharks are “sportsmanship, friendship and the coaches pushing you to be yourself and do your best.”
Chloe Arjona, who is playing in her first year of Young Guns, said, “I like getting to meet new people and learning the beach version of volleyball. It’s not as crowded, I get to be on the beach and it’s better to land on sand when you dive.”
While Sandsharks is fun, the club is also highly competitive. Selected Sandshark athletes win dozens of medals each year at tournaments across the East Coast, including bids to USA Volleyball and AVP championship tournaments.
Tryouts begin in April for the summer session. Acceptance is constrained by the availability of coaches and the club’s beach permit from the Town of Dewey Beach.
Sandshark athletes earned 17 bids to the 2025 USA Volleyball and AVP national championships, including three bids to the 2025 AVP National Championships. The program also collected:
29 medals at 2025 sanctioned events: 14 gold, eight silver and seven bronze
71 medals at 2024 sanctioned events: 35 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze
31 medals at 2023 sanctioned events: 13 gold, nine silver and nine bronze
22 medals at 2022 sanctioned events: 13 gold, seven silver and two bronze
22 medals at 2022 sanctioned events: 13 gold, seven silver and two bronze
30 medals at 2021 sanctioned events: 14 gold, 10 silver and six bronze
But the program’s impact goes far beyond medals for athletes to hang on their bedroom walls. What begins as a fun summer sport can lead to college scholarships, national championships, tournament wins, high-performance invitations and international appearances in Germany, Cyprus, Thailand and the Dominican Republic.
Over the past seven seasons, 13 Sandshark athletes have played or committed to play varsity college volleyball:
Daniel Ennis, New York University, indoor
Harper Mamele, UNC Wilmington, beach
Lukas Christman, Northern Kentucky University, indoor
Seraphina Pabian, UNC Wilmington, beach
Lucy Jones, University of Central Arkansas, beach
Elaina Millaway, Florida Gulf Coast University, beach
Grace Hoban, Goldey-Beacom College, indoor
Tim Ennis, UC Irvine, indoor
Talan Stephens, Webber International University, beach and indoor
Scarlet Dunn, Stevenson University, beach
Carson Barnes, Webber International University, beach and indoor
Olivia Giltner, Penn State York, indoor
Sophia Basler, Kutztown University, indoor
Since the program’s inception, several Sandsharks have won national championships both during their time with the club and during their collegiate careers, including:
2024 USA Volleyball 16U Girls National Champion
2021 USA Volleyball 18U Boys National Champion
2021 AVP 18U Boys National Champion
Gold, 2025 USA Volleyball Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge
Gold, 2023 USA Volleyball Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge
Joining the Sandsharks waitlist allows interested kids to attend two sessions for free and try the sport of beach volleyball. All players are required to purchase a USA Volleyball membership. Information is available at sandsharks.net.
From first serves to diving saves, these young players are discovering that some of the best lessons happen with sand between their toes and can grow into a lifelong love of volleyball.
