Priddy sits pretty

The beach is beckoning.

But Reid Priddy, a standout outside hitter on the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team, isn’t considering retiring to the beach. Rather, he wants to take his game outside after the 2008 Olympics in China.

“I played five of the last six seasons overseas,” said Priddy, 29. “I’m coming to a time in my life I would like to start a family. I have a serious girlfriend. I want to invest in that.

“I want to play indoor through 2008 and spend the next decade on the beach. I’m committed through Bejing – I feel our chances are great. After that, I want to stay put in Southern California and get cracking on the beach.”

If his charmed life continues on course, he would then make the 2012 Olympics in beach volleyball.

Before the dream there is reality and that includes Team USA’s stop in Spokane this weekend for a 2006 FIVB World League showdown against Serbia and Montenegro.

The Americans tackle one of the top teams in the world at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Arena. The two teams are tied in pool play with 4-2 records. They’ll play a best-of-5 match both nights.

“Serbia is a good team, fourth in the world and well-deserved,” Team USA coach Hugh McCutcheon said. “It will be tough for us.”

Sometimes Priddy can’t believe he’s in this position.

He stumbled into volleyball in junior high and from then on his path to stardom has seemed magically blessed.

Priddy signed up for volleyball in a physical education class and he liked it enough to try out for his Florida high school team. Then the family moved to Phoenix, the same year boys volleyball was sanctioned by the high school association. By chance, he attended a school with a top-notch coach and with a growth spurt that saw him eventually reach 6-foot-5, along came scholarship offers.

Priddy chose Loyola Marymount and became the Lions’ first All-American, which led to a chance with the national team beginning in 2000. He was an alternate for the 2000 Olympics in Australia and played in Greece in ‘04.

“In hindsight, it seems like a real divine path. I went through one door to the next,” he said. “I was real fortunate. I wasn’t one of the blue-chip guys out of high school. I was a first-team All-American (and twice second-team), but I wasn’t playing for a top-name school. I wasn’t planning to play overseas, but an opportunity fell in my lap to play in Italy and I got a big dose of what big-time volleyball was. It was very helpful to me.

“I feel very blessed and fortunate to live the way I’ve lived.”

“I’m not surprised by it,” McCutcheon said. “It is (a path) a little less likely, perhaps. … He was a later starter in the game, but his progression, improvement in the last six, seven years has come along in leaps and bounds.

“The talent was never in question. It was just about getting better at the game. A lot of that is experience and consistency. There are some technical aspects that can help and a little bit of it is maturity. That comes with time.”

After six World League matches – three doubleheader weekends – Priddy is third in overall points among players from all 16 teams.

“He is certainly getting to be one of the best outside hitters in the world and he has some room for improvement still,” McCutcheon said. “He’s starting to reach his potential, which is vast.

“He has some wonderful athletic tools. He has some great quickness and speed.”

Can life on the beach be any better?