ALUMNI STORIES
Beach Volleyball Star Preaches in Chapel
Avery Drost ’07, a beach volleyball player, spoke in chapel in February. The older brother of Eben ’11, the worship team director, Avery led the Association of Volleyball Players (AVP) with 350 digs and came in second with 551 kills last season. He coaches boys’ volleyball at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach and serves as a youth director at New City Church in El Segundo. He and his wife, Aly, have three children.
Avery played indoor volleyball in high school and learned the beach game while at Westmont from legendary East Beach players. He qualified for his first AVP Main Draw in Santa Barbara in 2010. In 2018, he won the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball event in Australia and the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Tour event in Cuba.
He finished in the top 10 of all eight 2023 AVP events he played in as well as in 10 of 13 tournaments in 2022. His placed second three times that year, at Virginia Beach, Huntington Beach and Atlantic City. Reflecting on Psalm 103:8-14 in chapel, Avery recalled his time at Westmont and his growth in Christ. “God will use teachers and mentors, friendships and even conflicts to develop you,” he said. “View each other the way Christ looks at us: with patience, kindness and compassion.”