The Skinny on College Sand Volleyball
Being the nation's biggest and best juniors club program, we decided to get to the bottom of this NCAA approving Sand Volleyball business. Over the past year, we have successfully gathered very helpful information and want to take this opportunity to pass it along to our hungry and eager volleyball players!!
Below is a list of questions and answers we thought would be most helpful to our members, fans and supporters. If you have any questions not addressed, please leave a comment and we will provide the answers to everyone.
Q) When will the first college sand volleyball season begin?
A) For NCAA DI, DII and NAIA, all programs have been given the green light to begin their first season in the spring of 2012. Technically, DII is allowed to begin this spring (2011) but they decided to wait for the DI legislative review to finalize (which took place at the end of January).
Q) Can players get scholarship money?
A) Yes! Some schools have fully funded their allotted equivalencies and are ready to recruit for 2012. Other schools will offer the program but may not have scholarship dollars for another couple of years.
Q) How many scholarships will schools offer?
A) The number of scholarships available will very per division. For example, the NCAA DI legislation allows 6 scholarships to be added over a period of four years, starting with 3 in 2011-12 and one each year for three years thereafter. Keep in mind, this is what each DI school is "allowed" by the NCAA. Funding the scholarships is totally dependant on the university's athletic administration. DII and NAIA schools have different parameters for scholarships they can offer.
Q) How will the season be formatted for competition?
A) Each supporting university will be able to compete in a maximum of 16 sand volleyball events during the spring semester. The format for sand volleyball requires each school to field five doubles teams per competition, so there are actually 10 starters per squad. It is important to note that the numbers cited are maximums, and as is the practice in court volleyball, institutions will support what they can afford in terms of scholarships, additional staff and competitions.
Q) Where can I find a list of universities that will offer a sand program?
A) Click here to see the current list of schools offering or considering sand volleyball programs
Q) Can indoor players from the university's main volleyball team play in their sand program?
A) Yes indoor players can play sand but the NCAA has put rules in place that benefit schools who keep them separate.
Q) Will schools recruit for sand only or will they look for players who can play both indoor and sand?
A) Each coach is different in terms of how they plan to shape and recruit for their individual programs. We have talked to some coaches who want players who can play both indoor and sand. We have also talked to some coaches who only want sand players. It varies.
Q) I am interested in playing college sand volleyball. What can I do to get recruited?
A) CLICK HERE to get on NCAA recruiting list.
Q) I am a sophomore in high school and have been calling and emailing universities about their programs but no one is replying. What's going on?
A) Per NCAA legislation, college coaches cannot contact sophomores via email nor telephone. They can only send recruiting questionnaires. Rest assured, they are not ignoring you. We suggest you send a letter of interest and request a recruitment questionnaire so they can get you in their database for your class.
Q) I have more questions and mine are not listed above. Who has the answers?
A) We will find them! :) Simply comment on this blog with your questions or email us at info@beachdig.com. We will be sure to guide you and get the most up to date information available.
