'It was a very formative year for me and the program with all the obstacles we had to overcome,' said Patchell. Patchell joined the team in 2020 and had to deal with all the challenges the COVID-19 Pandemic presented during the offseason and 2021 beach season. I took that as a blessing and felt like I got the best of both worlds and committed to Utah while I was still on my mission.' 'When I only had a few months left, coach Whicker said they had a spot for me and that they really wanted me to join their team. 'Coach Whicker reached out to me before I left on my mission and kept checking in on me while I was in New York,' said Patchell. When Patchell left for New York, she assumed her playing days were behind her, but Utah Beach Volleyball head coach Brenda Whicker had other plans. It was a big change, but I enjoyed working with so many diverse cultures and it's a time in my life I'll never forget.' 'It was an awesome experience, and I loved my time out there. 'I just really felt a calling to serve the people of New York and the lord,' said Patchell. After one season in Tempe, she decided to step away from the sand and serve a mission in the big apple. Patchell only had one offer to play in college and she would take it to become a member of the Arizona State beach team. It reinvigorated my love of indoor as well.' I began playing more competitively and I realized I could take a lot of my skills from indoor, but the game was also different enough that it pushed me athletically and even mentally in new ways. 'I started to burn out and become bored with indoor, so my dad suggested that I started playing more beach. 'I've played volleyball my entire life, but it was really my junior year when I started to really enjoy beach volleyball,' said Patchell. Patchell always enjoyed indoor volleyball, but a change from the hardwood to the sand helped her find a new version of the game she quickly fell in love with. She was a member of the T-Street Volleyball Club, the Tamarack Beach Volleyball Club, and a three-year varsity member at Laguna Beach High School. Patchell would continue competing as an outside hitter in both her school and club indoor teams. He's always honest and I think he's one of the best coaches I've ever had, so I love hearing his advice and I know he loves watching me play.' He's just really consistent with everything he does and he's very level-headed which is what makes him a great dad and coach. 'I just always wanted to play with and be like him.

'Some of my earliest memories growing up are just peppering with my dad,' said Patchell.

He is currently the head coach at Long Island University where he helped start the men's volleyball program in 2021. He started in the high school scene before coaching at various colleges and with USA Volleyball. Shawn would go on to play professionally in Spain and after wrapping up his career overseas, he would return to the states to coach.

Her father played volleyball at BYU where he helped the program navigate its transition from a club team to joining the NCAA. Patchell was born in Laguna Beach, Calif., where her dad, Shawn, was the head volleyball coach at Laguna Beach High School. For Utah Beach Volleyball senior Sage Patchell, she has learned to appreciate every experience that comes her way and just learn to be in the moment. You constantly are told to not take anything for granted, but doing so is easier said than done.

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