USF Athletics announces addition of women’s beach volleyball

USF’s newest team was announced on Wednesday, set to begin play in 2024-25. PIXABAY

USF Athletics announced the addition of women’s beach volleyball to the school’s list of sponsored athletic programs at the Stampede for Women inaugural luncheon Wednesday.

“We are very excited to add beach volleyball to a strong lineup of women’s sports programs and opportunities for female student-athletes to compete at a very high level and win championships at USF,” Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said.

The announcement comes just three months after the school also confirmed the addition of women’s lacrosse to the list of USF athletics. The school now sponsors 12 women’s sports and 21 in total.

At the event, held on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Kelly announced the team will start to play in the 2024-25 season, with a search for a head coach to begin in 2023.

The team will play home games at an on-campus facility, the location of which has yet to be determined.

Women’s beach volleyball is played by 86 schools in the NCAA, 64 of which play in Division I. Some notable schools in Florida with a women’s beach volleyball team include Florida State, Florida Gulf Coast and Florida International. 

The sport is played during the spring season with championships being held in May. USF will explore options for conference affiliation since women’s beach volleyball is not currently sponsored by the AAC.