March 20, 2020 – By NJP

Avery Drost is not your ordinary Pro Beach Volleyball player. He is an accomplished professional as shown by some of the links below. But he is also a spiritual and devoted family man who has a grounded perspective in his faith as well as a true love for the game of volleyball.

We reached out to him during these difficult times to give him a forum to share some inspiration with the NJ High School volleyball community. Avery has a special tie to New Jersey. His former Beach partner, Eric Zaun, was one of the few professional beach volleyball players from the Garden State, and was a Cherry Hill East High School Outside leading his team to a sectional final after amassing 369 kills his senior year 2011. Nine months ago, Eric tragically took his own life, and Avery shared a tribute to his lost brother in this Volleyball Magazine article (https://volleyballmag.com/avery-drost-061419/)

Here is his video message to our NJ boys volleyball players…

We can’t thank Avery enough for taking the time to communicate to our players here in NJ. Make sure to follow Avery at https://instagram.com/averydrost?igshid=1jevnchsli78g

Some more on Avery…

Avery is a Certified Personal Trainer and worked as a school strength and conditioning coach. He has two brothers, Eben and Harrison, and a sister, Madeleine. He and his wife, Alyson, were married in June 2012 and they have a daughter (Blake, 2016) and a son (Micah, 2018). He is currently the Head Coach of the Mira Costa High School Mustangs Boys team in Manhattan Beach, California.

This is from the Mira Costa High School website (http://www.costavolleyball.com/coaches.html ):

Coach Avery Drost is entering his second season as head coach of the Mustangs Boys Volleyball Program. Building on a first season which saw the Varsity team win a Bay League title and reach the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs, his goal remains to compete at the highest level of High School Volleyball in the country while developing a program culture that serves the whole community.  Avery graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara where he played indoor volleyball for the Warriors and developed as a beach player at East Beach. In 2010 he relocated to the South Bay, and has called it home ever since. He has played professionally on the AVP Tour since 2011, and with the USA Beach National Team since 2012 – competing around the country and across the world. Prior to joining Costa indoor, Avery has served as an assistant and now head coach for the Costa Boys Beach Volleyball team, and coached boys club volleyball with Pac6 Volleyball Club in Pacific Palisades and with local club MB Surf. As a coach, Avery’s philosophy is built around teaching and mentoring players to take ownership of their team and their play on the court. He believes in creating a culture of challenge and growth supported by brotherhood and trust. The expectation of every player is to play with joy, and to compete for one another.

The following is from the Team USA Volleyball website:

https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/athletes/Avery-Drost

Name: Avery Drost

Sport: Volleyball

Discipline(s): Beach Volleyball

Height: 6-5

Hometown: Redlands, Calif.

College: Westmont College

Other Career Highlights:

• Won the 2018 FIVB one-star event in Shepparton, Australia with Chase Frishman
• Made his professional beach debut in 2009 at AVP Riverside with Jon Mackey, duo finished 57th
• In 2018, played in three FIVB events, winning the one-star in Shepparton, Australia with Chase Frishman
• Finished first at 2018 NORCECA Tour event in Varadero, Cuba with Frishman and finished third in La Paz, Mexico with Frishman and third in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with Eric Zaun
• In 2017, had a career-best FIVB World Tour finish of fifth-place with Ryan Doherty in Xiamen, China; on the AVP Tour, finished third with Chase Frishman at Hermosa Beach
• Won bronze at the 2016 NORCECA Boqueron event with Billy Kolinske, their first appearance on the Tour that year
• On the 2016 AVP Tour, had back-to-back third place finishes, with Gregg Weaver in Seattle and Billy Kolinske in New York
• Played in three FIVB events in 2015, best finishes were 33rd in Lucerne with Trevor Crabb and 33rd in St. Petersburg with Will Montgomery
• Of seven AVP stops in 2015, placed third in New York with Bill Kolinske and ninth on five occasions
• On the 2014 NORCECA Tour, placed third in Chula Vista with Olson and fourth with Ty Tramblie in Toronto
• In 2014, played in two FIVB World Tour tournaments, placing 17th with Casey Jennings in Long Beach
• Finished fifth with Derek Olson at the 2014 AVP Cincinnati event, and had a pair of seventh place finishes during the season
• Played on two domestic tours in 2013, finishing seventh at NVL Dallas and AVP Salt Late City with Will Montgomery
• Tied his career best finish on the international level at 2013 NORCECA Maracas Bay with Montgomery, finishing second. Duo also finished 17th at FIVB Russia, his debut FIVB event
• Played in 11 events in 2012, placed second and third on the Jose Cuervo tour with Ty Tramblie at Chicago and Milwaukee, respectively
• In 2012, finished second at NORCECA Aruba with Montgomery, added a fourth and fifth with two different partners on the tour
• Played in six domestic events in 2011, best finish was ninth at Wide Open Chicago with Montgomery
• Earned bronze at the 2011 NORCECA Rosarito with Andrew McGuire. Team also finished fifth that year in Puerto Vallarta
• Finished fifth at his debut international tour event at NORCECA San Diego with Mike Maghy in 2010
• Between 2009-10, played in 17 events, including seven AVP stops in his debut 2009 season