Tour Veteran Matthies Decides to Call It a Career as a Player

Nina Matthies announced Saturday that she is retiring from pro beach volleyball.

The 39-year-old Manhattan Beach native and Mira Costa High graduate was one of the founders of the Women’s Professional Volleyball Assn. in 1986 and has been competing on the beach since 1966.

She plans to spend more time with her husband and two sons. She also wants to dedicate more time to her job as coach of the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team. In nine years Matthies has led the Waves to seven NCAA Division I playoff berths.

“I haven’t been on a family vacation in I don’t know how long,” she said, laughing. “I haven’t even had a weekend off in ages between coaching and playing.

“My mother is moving and I went through a box of my old trophies and saw one that I won at the 1966 Manhattan Beach Open. It made me laugh and it made me realize that it’s time to go on.”

Matthies won four WPVA tournaments in her career, including the 1990 World Championships with Elaine Roque at Laughlin, Nev. She reached the final of 18 events and placed third in 15 others.

At Saturday’s World Championships in Manhattan Beach, Matthies and partner Gail Stammer were defeated by eighth-seeded Rita Crockett-Royster and Lori Kotas, 15-7, in a second-round match. Ninth-seeded Matthies and Stammer will meet 10th-seeded Ali Johnson and Dennie Knoop in a losers’ bracket match this morning.

“I’ve been playing this nonstop since 1966 and my body is tired,” Matthies said. “My mind is tired too. Next year I’ll be 40.”