Sand Devils Add Paul Araiza To Coaching Staff

TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Beach Volleyball head coach Brad Keenan has added Paul Araiza to the coaching staff as the assistant coach.
 
"I'm excited about Paul joining the Sand Devil staff," Keenan said. "He brings great experience as a player and coach, and the whole team is looking forward to working with him."
 
Araiza joins the Sand Devils with a strong coaching resume. He comes to ASU after a season with Cal's beach volleyball team as the volunteer assistant coach. Prior to his time with the Bears, he was part of the UC Berkeley beach volleyball coaching staff and spent time working with various top beach volleyball clubs in California.
 
The sand is not the only place Araiza has found success. He also coached indoor volleyball teams at the high school level, winning three state championships in four years at Cathedral Catholic High School with the women's team and then moved to the men's indoor team to win two CIF titles. He also won a state title in his first season with Point Loma High School's indoor women's team.
 
The San Diego native competed on the AVP Tour from 2005-18, recording three top-10 finishes in his career. His best finish was seventh place in 2016 at the Seattle Open. He played on San Diego State's club team, where he was selected to the all-tournament team in both 2004 and 2005. He graduated with a degree in psychology. He played at Grossmont College for two years before transferring to SDSU.
 
The Sand Devils will have a lot of fresh faces for the 2021 season, with nine new student-athletes joining the squad. Fall practices are underway to get ready for the spring season.