By Rich Winter

605 Sports

HERMOSA — Earlier this week, former Edgemont High School volleyball player Peyton Ostenson received the surprise of a lifetime.

Ostenson, who played beach volleyball for Richard Bland College located in Virginia, received word from a team parent that she was named a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American beach volleyball player.  

“I guess I was just more shocked and excited than anything I guess,” Ostenson said. “I went into the beach volleyball season just hoping to learn something new. I never expected this so I was both shocked and grateful.”

Ostenson was the only South Dakota beach player at the national junior college tournament, and was one of 12 players named to the All-America team. 

In addition to the All-American honor, Ostenson teamed with Phoebe Heath from Virginia to claim a national title in the No. 5 group of beach players. Her team finished second at that national tournament. 

So, how does a young lady from western South Dakota end up in Virginia to play beach volleyball?

Ostenson said her original plan was to attend Presentation College but that plan changed when Presentation unexpectedly closed. The next thought was Dakota Wesleyan University where Ostenson spent a semester and was on the volleyball team. 

“I just felt like DWU wasn’t the right place and one of my original thoughts was that I wanted to travel,” she said. 

Richard Bland College was a school that originally recruited her, and with her boyfriend living on a military base in North Carolina, she expanded her search to North and South Carolina. Ostenson and her mother, Susan, went on a whirlwind recruiting and Peyton said she knew Petersburg, Virginia, was the place for her after meeting the team and coaches.

“I liked what the coaches were teaching,” Ostenson said. “After I enrolled, the team and the players really helped me adjust to living in Virginia.”

When the coaches asked her about her experience of playing beach volleyball, Ostenson told them, “We don't have a lot of beaches in South Dakota.” 

Still, beach volleyball is a completely different animal than indoor six-person volleyball. 

“One of the first things I learned is that everything is so different, even the way we pass or set the ball,” she said. “I think being from a small school where I played all the rotations helped.” 

Peyton Ostenson played on Richard Bland College beach volleyball team that finished second in the junior college national tournament - Photo courtesy of Jenna Castricone

It probably didn’t hurt that Susan Ostenson has been a long-time volleyball coach at Edgemont and that she comes from a long line of college athletes. 

Picking a partner turned out to be a trial-by-error sort of process. Ostenson said she played with a bunch of different partners leading up to the national tournament.

“There are so many players that have different skills,” Ostenson said. “Our coaches had to figure out how players connect with each other and how they communicate to determine who is going to cover what part of the court.”

Eventually she was paired with Heath, a fellow freshman from Colonial Heights, Virginia. The pair played several matches together prior to the national tournament. Ostenson is 5-foot-7 and Heath stands 5-foot-4. 

“We went undefeated at the national tournament,” Ostenson said. “We both aren’t very tall but I think we were scrappy and mentally tough.” 

Ostenson will be heading back to Virginia this fall to play the six-person indoor season. Beach volleyball starts in January and continues through May. Ostenson and her family have moved back to the family ranch in Hermosa where she will be teaching vacation bible school next week. 

She said faith and family are her rock and noted that she and Heath prayed before every match. 

“I am grateful to have such an amazing family that has done nothing but supported me,” she said. “As hard as it was to leave home and move across the country, it was hard for them to let me go. I think we’re all just excited for this opportunity.”