Tom Pestolesi, long-time indoor coach at Irvine Valley, started the sand program at seven seasons ago.

 

The Lasers have had immediate success, finishing second in 2012 and winning the community college club state title in 2013.

 

In the first year of beach volleyball as a California Community College Atheltics Association Sport in 2014, the Lasers won the team title and also had all three of its pairs squads win individual titles.

 

Several players, including Allie Cook (Arizona), Kobi Pekich (Long Beach State), Marisa Doran (New Mexico) and Emily Reinking (Grand Canyon) have moved on from Irvine Valley to play beach volleyball at four-year Division I schools.

 

Pestolesi began his volleyball career at Huntington Beach High School, graduating in 1978. He then attended Long Beach State, majoring in Physical Education and competing in volleyball. 

 

Pestolesi transferred to the University of Hawaii and earned his degree in Physical Education in 1983. Tom was an All-American in volleyball at Hawaii in 1982 and 1983. He earned his Masters Degree from Long Beach State in 1989.

 

He coached girls and boys volleyball for 15 years at the high school level at Estancia and then Newport Harbor with good friend Danny Glenn.

 

Pestolesi started the men's volleyball program at Irvine Valley in 1991. He was hired full-time in 1998 to coach both the women's and men's volleyball teams. He has led the men's program to state titles in 1993, 2007 and 2008 and the women's team to state championship appearances seven times, including titles in 2014 and 2017. The 2014 and 2017 squads each went undefeated with records of 27-0.

 

The women's team finished second in the state in 2003 and third in the state in 2009 and 2013.

 

He is currently the head coach for the women's and men's indoor teams, as well as the beach coach.

 

Many of Pestolesi's former players have gone on to have successful volleyball careers. Some of his former players include John Wallace, Adam Lockwood, Todd and Brandi Brooks, Matt Feurbringer, Melissa Schutz, Misty May and Jennifer Carey.

 

Pestolesi has also coached professionally on the four-player pro beach tour and has had the good fortune to coach players such as Kim Oden, Stephanie Cox, Joy Makenzie, Antonette White, Janet Cobbs and Wendy Stammer.

 

And he has recently worked with both the women's and men's United States national teams during their summer training.