Beach volleyball with more players, the most widely played version of the game, and the only one contested at an elite level, has only two players per team. Beach volleyball grew in popularity in the United States during the Great Depression in the 1930s as it was an inexpensive activity. The sport also began to appear in Europe during this time. By the 1940s, doubles tournaments were being played on the beaches of Santa Monica for trophies. In 1948 the first tournament to offer a prize was held in Los Angeles, California. It awarded the best teams with a case of Pepsi.
Jon Lee (volleyball player) one at UCSB. His high school boys and girls volleyball teams both won CIF (Southern California) Championships and many collegiate and Olympic stars emerged from his programs, including U.S. Beach Volleyball Gold Medalist Todd Rogers, AVP Professional Dax Holdren, U.S. National Volleyball team members Brook Billings and Jeff Menzel, and West Coast Conference First Team player Mandy Bible among others. He was named CIF Coach of the Year three times. Remarkably and most enduringly, 52 of Lee's players have gone on to become volleyball coaches. In 2009, San Marcos High School honored Coach Lee by naming the Lee Court in