“We feel that if we are able to bring a good athlete in, we will make them into a great player. Of course, I prefer to have both: a good athlete and a good player. Then you
are assured of a great sand player.” Rita Crockett
Florida International University
While there are more than 40 sand programs sponsored by
NCAA institutions, not all of them are funded. Keep in mind that just because a program is allowed to allocate a certain number of scholarships doesn’t mean it has the money to do it. Of the 29 sand programs that were up and running as of June 2013, only 11 gave out scholarships, according to statistics provided by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Of those 11, seven schools were fully funded with the maximum of four scholarships that were allowed in 2013; two schools offered three scholarships, one school offered two and one school offered one. “We’ve been very fortunate in women’s [indoor] volleyball that we have scholarships available,” Pepperdine Sand Volleyball Head Coach Nina Matthies says. “Players who want to play sand are shocked at the lack of money. They don’t understand the equivalency sport aspect. We need a team of 10 to 12 players on six, five or four scholarships. It isn’t all the bells and whistles. We are pioneers of the sport.” The pioneering effort in sand/beach volleyball is being assisted
by USA Volleyball’s investment in the grassroots of the sport. More than 90 percent of players selected as sand all-Americans in the sport’s first two seasons participated in USAV’s Beach High Performance Program. USA Volleyball Beach High Performance has camps and Beach HP Champion- ships for elite athletes to develop their skills. These playing opportunities are breeding grounds for young players on the sand to be recruited by college scouts; they play against the top talent in the country and potentially the world if selected for international competitions. USAV also has a 40-plus stop Junior Beach Tour that is helping to grow the sport from coast-to-coast. This provides playing opportunities for those in the 12-18 age group and is good exposure for anyone looking to be recruited by college programs. Collegiate programs are recognizing the de- mand of sand volleyball. Texas Christian University recently announced it would add a sand team for the 2015 season, becoming the first school in the state of Texas to jump in. “We are very excited to add sand volleyball,” TCU volleyball coach Prentice Lewis said. “One of the first questions recruits ask is, ‘Are you going to be adding sand volleyball? Now, I can officially give them the answer they want to hear. Atten- dance for TCU matches has been booming and adding sand volleyball will enhance the overall volleyball experience for fans and players alike.” The trend seems to be that there will be more and more players better prepared to play a high-level
CONNECTED: Dalas Dodd earned a spot in the pairs national championship bracket and is playing for her dad, Mike, at St. Mary’s this year.
SOUTHERN STYLE: Bethanie Thomas of University of Alabama Birmingham is part of the sand volleyball explosion.
USAVOLLEYBALL.ORG | 41
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