Q: When did Beach Volleyball become an NCAA sport? 

A: Beach Volleyball – then called sand volleyball – was added to the NCAA’s list of Emerging Sports for Women in 2009. In 2015, the sport’s name was changed to Beach Volleyball and it became an NCAA championship sport. The first National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship was conducted in 2016. 

Q: How many schools sponsor Beach Volleyball? 

A: There are 176 collegiate institutions that sponsor Beach Volleyball at the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA levels, including 67 at the NCAA Division I level. Beach Volleyball is the fastest-growing NCAA sport, with just 15 institutions sponsoring it in 2012. 

Q: Why does Beach Volleyball make sense for the Sun Belt Conference? 

A: Beach Volleyball is a great geographic fit for the Sun Belt Conference as 55 of the 176 Beach Volleyball programs that exist at the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA levels are within the 10-state footprint of the Sun Belt Conference. Four current Sun Belt Conference institutions sponsor Beach Volleyball and four affiliate members within the geographic footprint will team up to create a highly competitive conference. 

Q: What is the format of collegiate Beach Volleyball

A: The collegiate version of Beach Volleyball is similar to team tennis with each school fielding five doubles teams. The winning institution is the one that captures three of five matches. In each doubles matchup, the pair that wins two of three sets wins their matchup. The first two sets are played to 21 points and pairs must win by two. The tiebreaker third set is played to 15 points and pairs must win by two. 

Q: When is the collegiate Beach Volleyball season?

A: Beach Volleyball is a spring sport with regular-season competition beginning in late February. The NCAA Championship takes place the first week of May. 

Q: How is Beach Volleyball different from court Volleyball?

A: Beach Volleyball is played in pairs. While court Volleyball features specialized positions, all Beach Volleyball players must have the ability to attack, block, dig, serve and set. In Beach Volleyball, coaches are not permitted to interact directly with officials during the match. 

Q: Are the players in Beach Volleyball the same as the players in court Volleyball at an institution?

A: Court Volleyball student-athletes can play on a Beach team, as long as the number of scholarship student-athletes stays at or below 14. However, at most institutions there is not much crossover between the Beach Volleyball roster and the court Volleyball roster. 

All-Time NCAA Beach Volleyball Champions
2016 – USC
2017 – USC
2018 – UCLA
2019 – UCLA
2020- USC
2021 – Canceled – CoVID-19
2022 – USC