Beach Volleyball | |
USF Announces Beach Volleyball Schedule
SAN FRANCISCO – In its first season as a fully-NCAA sanctioned sport and the fourth in program history, the San Francisco beach volleyball squad has loaded the slate with fierce competition from throughout the West Region.
This summer, the committee voted to make beach volleyball the NCAA's 90th championship, elevating its status from the emerging sports list, where it has been since 2009. The fastest-growing NCAA sport also officially changed its designation from sand volleyball to beach volleyball in the transition.
With the addition of the NCAA collegiate beach volleyball championship changing the national landscape, this is going to be an exciting year for the program and the sport," said co-head beach volleyball coach Eyal Zimet. "I am very happy to be part of the first 20 teams in the nation that helped the sport emerge so quickly. For us, it's another year of milestones – hosting Stanford at our home courts for the first time, and we're in the second year co-hosting a tournament in Santa Cruz, a continuation of what we hope to be an annual tradition for years to come."
"I'm excited to start our fourth season outdoors at USF with beach volleyball being named an official NCAA sport," added co-head beach volleyball coach Gilad Doron. "It's a recognition to the tremendous growth of the sport of volleyball as fastest growing sport in the NCAA. The West Coast Conference is one of the first four conferences (Atlantic Sun, PAC-12, Sunbelt) to establish beach volleyball league-wide. I'm glad we can represent USF and the WCC as a premier volleyball conference, both indoor and in beach volleyball."
The Dons take on four teams who finished the 2015 season ranked in the DiG Magazine Top 20, opening up with a weekend at No. 14 Stanford with matches scheduled against No. 13 Pacific, Saint Mary's, Sacramento State and San Jose State. The two-day affair in the South Bay on March 5-6 will be followed by a full day on the sand at Piper Park, in Larkspur, Calif. The Dons will take on Portland and San Jose State on USF's home courts, and the Pilots and Spartans will face off against each other in the San Francisco Invitational on March 9.
Away dates at Sacramento State and California on March 12 and 15 round out a stretch of six total matches in seven days. On March 29, USF will host Stanford in the North Bay in a 3 p.m. tilt, the first time USF welcomes its South Bay foe to Piper Park. Then, USF and No. 18 Santa Clara team up again to host on the sands of the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk to open up the month of April. Along with the Dons and Broncos, Cal Poly and Cal State Northridge round out the field.
The Dons then hit the road for the final week of the regular season, playing a match at No. 20 Bakersfield on April 7, and participating in the USAV Collegiate Challenge on April 9-10 on Hermosa Beach.
In its first season of WCC-sanctioned status, USF will again travel to the Southland to participate in the WCC Championships on April 22-23 in Santa Monica, Calif. The seven conference squads will compete in a double-elimination bracket to determine the league's first beach volleyball champion.
The NCAA contests the inaugural National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship May 6-8, at the Gulf Shore Public Beach, hosted by the city of Gulf Shores, Ala., and the Orange Beach Sports Commission. The top eight teams in the nation will compete in a double-elimination bracket to determine the national champion. In past iterations held by the AVCA, there has also been a pairs champion crowned in addition to a team title-winner. In the four years beach volleyball has been contested as an emerging sport, all four team champions have come from the West Coast, and WCC competitor Pepperdine has twice been crowned the team champion (2012, '14), illustrating the strength of the league on the beach.
"Entering an era where the NCAA is taking over the championship and participating in a team-only format is challenging us to have even more of a competitive team from our No. 1 pair through No. 5," explained Zimet. "We can't afford to have any weaknesses, and we're taking it on for the first time in that format. I am looking forward to having the majority of the team with experience on the beach now. It will be interesting to see how far we can progress our skills with our returners and get our newcomers up to speed as fast as possible this spring."
2016 Schedule:
This summer, the committee voted to make beach volleyball the NCAA's 90th championship, elevating its status from the emerging sports list, where it has been since 2009. The fastest-growing NCAA sport also officially changed its designation from sand volleyball to beach volleyball in the transition.
With the addition of the NCAA collegiate beach volleyball championship changing the national landscape, this is going to be an exciting year for the program and the sport," said co-head beach volleyball coach Eyal Zimet. "I am very happy to be part of the first 20 teams in the nation that helped the sport emerge so quickly. For us, it's another year of milestones – hosting Stanford at our home courts for the first time, and we're in the second year co-hosting a tournament in Santa Cruz, a continuation of what we hope to be an annual tradition for years to come."
"I'm excited to start our fourth season outdoors at USF with beach volleyball being named an official NCAA sport," added co-head beach volleyball coach Gilad Doron. "It's a recognition to the tremendous growth of the sport of volleyball as fastest growing sport in the NCAA. The West Coast Conference is one of the first four conferences (Atlantic Sun, PAC-12, Sunbelt) to establish beach volleyball league-wide. I'm glad we can represent USF and the WCC as a premier volleyball conference, both indoor and in beach volleyball."
The Dons take on four teams who finished the 2015 season ranked in the DiG Magazine Top 20, opening up with a weekend at No. 14 Stanford with matches scheduled against No. 13 Pacific, Saint Mary's, Sacramento State and San Jose State. The two-day affair in the South Bay on March 5-6 will be followed by a full day on the sand at Piper Park, in Larkspur, Calif. The Dons will take on Portland and San Jose State on USF's home courts, and the Pilots and Spartans will face off against each other in the San Francisco Invitational on March 9.
Away dates at Sacramento State and California on March 12 and 15 round out a stretch of six total matches in seven days. On March 29, USF will host Stanford in the North Bay in a 3 p.m. tilt, the first time USF welcomes its South Bay foe to Piper Park. Then, USF and No. 18 Santa Clara team up again to host on the sands of the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk to open up the month of April. Along with the Dons and Broncos, Cal Poly and Cal State Northridge round out the field.
The Dons then hit the road for the final week of the regular season, playing a match at No. 20 Bakersfield on April 7, and participating in the USAV Collegiate Challenge on April 9-10 on Hermosa Beach.
In its first season of WCC-sanctioned status, USF will again travel to the Southland to participate in the WCC Championships on April 22-23 in Santa Monica, Calif. The seven conference squads will compete in a double-elimination bracket to determine the league's first beach volleyball champion.
The NCAA contests the inaugural National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship May 6-8, at the Gulf Shore Public Beach, hosted by the city of Gulf Shores, Ala., and the Orange Beach Sports Commission. The top eight teams in the nation will compete in a double-elimination bracket to determine the national champion. In past iterations held by the AVCA, there has also been a pairs champion crowned in addition to a team title-winner. In the four years beach volleyball has been contested as an emerging sport, all four team champions have come from the West Coast, and WCC competitor Pepperdine has twice been crowned the team champion (2012, '14), illustrating the strength of the league on the beach.
"Entering an era where the NCAA is taking over the championship and participating in a team-only format is challenging us to have even more of a competitive team from our No. 1 pair through No. 5," explained Zimet. "We can't afford to have any weaknesses, and we're taking it on for the first time in that format. I am looking forward to having the majority of the team with experience on the beach now. It will be interesting to see how far we can progress our skills with our returners and get our newcomers up to speed as fast as possible this spring."
2016 Schedule:
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Tournament | |||
| Pacific | 8:30 a.m. | ||
| Saint Mary's | 2:30 p.m. | ||
| Sacramento State | 11:30 a.m. | ||
| San Jose State | 2:30 p.m. | ||
| University of San Francisco Invitational | |||
| Portland | 9:30 a.m. | ||
| Portland vs. San Jose State | 12:30 p.m. | ||
| San Jose State | 3:30 p.m. | ||
| Sacramento State | 10 a.m. | ||
| Santa Clara | 1 p.m. | ||
| California | 10 a.m. | ||
| Pacific | 1 p.m. | ||
| Stanford | 3 p.m. | ||
| Santa Cruz Invitational | |||
| Santa Clara | TBD | ||
| Cal Poly | TBD | ||
| CSUN | TBD | ||
| Bakersfield | 5 p.m. | ||
| USAV Collegiate Challenge | |||
| Dual Match Bracket | All Day | ||
| West Coast Conference Championships | |||
| Dual Match Bracket | All Day | ||
| NCAA National Championships | |||
| Dual Match Bracket | All Day | ||
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