Dave Palm knows what it takes to be successful on the beach volleyball court. After all, the 32-year-old still plays the sport himself and has had a decade-plus long career.

He also knows how to coach the sport. For a second consecutive year, he had the St. Thomas Aquinas beach volleyball team among the best in the state.

That’s why Palm is repeating as the Miami Herald’s Broward beach volleyball coach of the year.

The Raiders went 12-5 this season, advancing to the Round of 16 where they lost 3-2 to eventual state runner-up Miami Westminster Christian. Four of Aquinas’ five losses this season came against two teams that made it to at least the state quarterfinals — falling 3-2 twice to Westminster Christian and losing a pair of games to West Palm Beach King’s Academy in the regular season.

It was the second consecutive season in which Aquinas was knocked out just before the state quarterfinals. In 2022, the first season the FHSAA sanctioned beach volleyball, St. Thomas Aquinas went 14-3 before, like this season, losing to Westminster Christian.