Terese is a professional beach volleyball player for Team USA.

She is also a competitive card player, an ice cream connoisseur, an avid sunset chaser, and a country music fan through and through.

Terese’s Journey

IN HER WORDS

HOMEGROWN

Is there anything better than spending your days outside? My mother taught us to ski at 4 and by 5, we were spending most days in the sun and cold racing down the icy East Coast terrain.

When we weren’t skiing, we were playing basketball, canoeing and sailing, finishing the day with competitive card games or badminton. The loser of the badminton match had to do the dishes and so the games continued, eventually having to be called due to darkness.  [Still yet to beat my father in a badminton match!] 

I grew up cheering for my 5 cousins as they played D1 tennis, basketball, and indoor volleyball and my 2 sisters in their competitive soccer, sailing, basketball and volleyball games. I was surrounded by incredibly talented athletes who were always willing to play one more game and continue to support my quest to become one of the best beach volleyball players in the world.  

I’m a product of our Rochester, NY community. Generally, when I tell people I’m from NY, they assume NYC (until I explain the 5 hour NW commute). I remain incredibly proud of where I come from, and I appreciate the sense of community that comes along with living in a small city. 

My story takes us from the beaches of Lake Ontario to podiums in the Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa. At each of the below levels, I continued to improve and win, earning an opportunity to play at the next level. I am known for my focus on continuous improvement.

INDOOR: OLM HIGH SCHOOL & GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

My first exposure to volleyball, as our Western NY seasons would dictate, was indoors. In middle school I walked away from soccer and basketball for the opportunity to play beach volleyball at Charlotte Beach on Lake Ontario.

I played 4 years of Varsity indoor volleyball at Our Lady of Mercy High School. We won 3 sectional titles, were the 2X runner-ups to the NYS champions and 1x NYS Champions in 2012. I was recruited at a number of NCAA programs and chose to play for Georgetown University in Washington DC. 

In my freshman year, I was the starting O2 and led the team in kills. I also earned All Big East Conference Honors that year as a true freshman. 

But despite a successful first year, I remained most interested in improving my beach game. After my freshman year, I left Georgetown and moved out to Los Angeles.

USC CAREER

Transferring from Georgetown to USC was a life changing move for me in many ways.

I walked away from a full scholarship and left my twin sister, Maryn, at Georgetown. This was the first time in our ENTIRE lives that Maryn and I weren’t constantly together. I was moving to the opposite side of the country, by myself, to compete in a sport of which I had little experience. I gathered my courage and driven by my love for the game, I showed up at practice as a walk-on. 

While being immersed in beach volleyball at USC  my passion for the game grew until I could think of nothing else. It became my goal to play professionally. You can read more about my USC career here.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER TO DATE

After a few years of grinding it out, competing in every national and international tournament possible, and working 2-3 part time jobs, I am now playing professionally both on the domestic AVP and international Volleyball World tours. I am proud to share that I am a member of the USA Beach Volleyball National team. 

I wake up every day, thrilled to practice a sport that I love with all my heart. I can’t imagine doing anything else, and I am excited, grateful, and proud to see where this journey will end up. Stay tuned, as we are working towards the ultimate goal, the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. Go USA!

Thank You!

Thank you for following along this journey with me! Every bit of support counts – from watching our games, following along on social media, or sending good vibes during our travels.

Questions or thoughts? I’d love to chat.

Thank you, thank you!