Tulane Accepts Invite To Join CCSA Beach Volleyball Conference
Oct 22, 2015 | Women's Beach Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University beach volleyball team will have a new home for the 2015 season as the Green Wave accepted an invitation to be an inaugural member of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Beach Volleyball Conference for the 2016 season.
Tulane joins FAU, FIU, Florida State, Georgia State, LSU, South Carolina and UAB in the new league, which will play its first CCSA Beach Volleyball Championship from April 22-24 at the LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, Georgia.
"It is a tremendous honor and a sign of where the Tulane beach volleyball team is heading to be invited to be an inaugural member of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association," Tulane Director of Athletics Rick Dickson said. "We thank the league for extending the invitation and look forward to the competitive matches the CCSA offers. This is a great step for our program and one that will be beneficial to all eight schools involved."
The 2016 campaign will be the fifth season on the beach for the Green Wave. The Tulane program has accumulated a 34-31 overall record to date, including a 33-21 mark over the last three years. Under the direction of current head coach Wayne Holly, who took over the reins of the program in 2014, the Green Wave are 26-17 and two student-athletes – Tea Juric and Jackie Wegner – earned invitations to the AVCA Sand Volleyball Championship each season.
Tulane's beach program has been represented internationally as well as Holly was selected to serve as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2014 FIVB U23 Beach Volleyball World Championship in Mysolwice, Poland, and Juric participated in the event as a member of Team Croatia.
"We're very excited to be welcomed into the CCSA and grateful for the vision of so many people who helped make it happen," Holly said. "This is a balanced, strong conference comprised of many great programs. The opportunity to compete for a conference championship and to be considered for conference awards will continue to drive us to pursue athletic and academic excellence on a daily basis."
Beach volleyball became the 90th championship sponsored by the NCAA this past summer after being officially recognized as an NCAA sport in 2011-12. The first NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship will be held on May 5-7 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and will be hosted by CCSA member UAB. The creation of the CCSA Beach Volleyball Conference provides student-athletes an opportunity to compete for conference honors and a championship.
The NCAA does not currently offer automatic qualification (AQ) into the beach volleyball championship for conference winners as a two-year conference history is required to do so, but the CCSA will be in prime position to qualify for an AQ should they be offered in 2018.
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball as it was called at the time, was declared an emerging NCAA sport for Division II in 2010 and Division I in 2011. Its rapid growth allowed beach volleyball to reach the 40-program threshold to be considered for championship status last year. Sponsorship levels passed 60 NCAA varsity programs for 2015-16 as beach volleyball remains one of the country's fastest growing sports.
