Beach Bits:

• DeNecochea has been ranked in the AVP's top 14 each season from 2001-2008, except for 2004 when she missed most of the year due to pregnancy.
• DeNecochea is one of two players (with Kerri Walsh) to be among the top five in blocks per game in each of the past four seasons (2005-08).
• In July 2009, she set the record as the oldest female to win a pro beach volleyball event, claiming the title in Brooklyn when she was 41 years, 7 months, 18 days old.

2009: Started a new partnership with Carrie Dodd, leading to her most consistent year as a pro. In the first 11 events, she finished in the top five each time, a first in her career, including five semifinals. Won the tournament in Brooklyn, becoming both the oldest female player to win and oldest team (men or women) to win a title.
2008: Continued her partnership with Fontana, and the duo played in four semifinals. DeNecochea ended the season by capturing her largest single payday in her career, $13,000, in Manhattan Beach. She was third in kills per game (7.06), fourth in blocks per game (.99), fifth in hitting percentage (.454), seventh in aces per game (.71).
2007: Began a partnership with Barbra Fontana, and they advanced to the semifinals in their first two events. On the season they played in nine semifinals, including the finals in Cincinnati, and DeNecochea ended as the sixth-ranked player on tour. She was second in blocks per game (1.29), fourth in hitting percentage (.471), fifth in kills per game (7.14), and ninth in aces per game (.76).
2006: Played with Leibl for 14 events, advancing to four semifinals and ending as the fifth-ranked team on tour. Competed once domestically with Holly McPeak, and the duo placed third in Cincinnati, and three times internationally. DeNecochea finished third in blocks per game (1.02), fourth in kills per game (7.03) as well as hitting percentage (.468), and eighth in aces per game (.69).
2005: Returned to the sand with three different players, Masakyan, Mason and Leibl. DeNecochea advanced to four semifinals in 12 team events, and ended the year as the 10th-ranked player. In the individual event she placed sixth. Statistically, she was second in kills per game (7.19), fourth in hitting percentage (.468), and fifth in both aces (.75) and blocks (1.00) per game.
2004: Played three events with Tammy Leibl, forming the oldest team on tour, before taking the rest of the season off due to pregnancy.
2003: Formed a new partnership with Nancy Mason, and advanced to five semifinals in eight events, including one championship match. On the FIVB Tour they had a best of third (in Milan) in their seven tournaments.
2002: Began playing with Barbra Fontana and in their first three AVP events they placed second each time. The duo had one other semifinal in their seven tournaments, and DeNecochea was the seventh ranked player on tour. On the FIVB Tour the pair had a best of fifth place twice in their eight tournaments.
2001: In her first year full time on the AVP Tour, DeNecochea played two events with Wendy Stammer, finishing fifth and fourth. Then she partnered with Liz Masakayan and the duo won in Santa Barbara in what was their first domestic event together. A fourth-place finish in her first Manhattan Beach Open helped her to a season-ending ranking of fifth. Internationally, DeNecochea played in seven FIVB events with a best of third in Fortaleza, Brazil in the season finale.
2000: On the BVA Tour she played five tournaments with a best of ninth.
1999: Played her first two pro beach volleyball events at the age of 31. Her very first AVP event was with Paula Weishoff, a Volleyball Hall of Fame member who was competing for the last time on the beach.

Hot Winter Nights: Played in five events in 2008, advancing to two championship matches in Minneapolis and Everett. In 2009 she played three times, winning in her final two in Kansas City and Indianapolis.

College: The 6'4" power player attended the University of Tennessee where she was a two-time first-team All-Conference Selection as well as earning Academic Athlete of the Year honors. She graduated with honors. In October 2007 she was inducted into the Lady Volunteer Hall of Fame.

Personal: Coached by the legendary Angela Rock, DeNecochea lives in San Diego with her husband, Joel, and their two daughters, Avalon and Devon. Born in Detroit, she turned professional after college, playing nationally in the Major League Volleyball league before heading to Europe to play in Switzerland with Uni Basel and in Belgium with Dauphines. Returning to the U.S. to compete in the sand for the first time with the 4 Woman Pro Beach Volleyball League, she led Team Paul Mitchell to two consecutive championships in 1996, (earning "Surprise Player of the Year" honors) and 1997 before returning to Europe for one season to play with powerhouse Cemar Volleyball in Spezzano, Italy.