LSU athletics will celebrate a landmark accomplishment when its sand volleyball team hits the pit for the first time in program history March 18 against Louisiana- Monroe.
Since LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva announced the addition of the sand volleyball program May 15, 2013, the Athletic Department and volleyball program have been working in full force to get the new program up and running.
By August, they had found an interim home court in Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club off South Sherwood Forest Boulevard. Tryouts began in September and were attended by 11 potential candidates.
Of these candidates, five were chosen to represent LSU on its first sand volleyball team, most notably former indoor volleyball standout senior Meghan Mannari.
Mannari lettered for years for the indoor team and earned Second Team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2011.
After believing she had finished her LSU career in 2012, she could not believe she received the opportunity to sport purple and gold for one more season.
“I did not expect to be playing for LSU athletics again,” Mannari said. “The fact that they gave us this opportunity to just come out and play and represent LSU on the program’s first sand volleyball team has really been such an honor and a privilege.”
Enter LSU coach Russell Brock, who Alleva announced Dec. 4, 2013, as the person to head the program.
Brock, who served as an assistant coach for Rice’s indoor volleyball team for five years, said he had been looking for a way to get involved in collegiate sand volleyball since its inception.
“You kind of have to pinch yourself,” Brock said. “You’re playing a great sport, but then you’re outside, you’re in the sand, the weather is great; if you were just doing it for fun it would be fantastic, but it’s a program here at LSU and it’s one that we plan to excel and be really good at.”
His research and attempt to expand his training paid off when LSU indoor volleyball coach Fran Flory contacted him to inquire about his interest in coaching the program.
“In my mind, that was always something that would be incredible to be able to transition to, so when it started to develop, I started researching it.” Brock said. “It is obviously very exciting and I felt honored and was excited to jump from the indoor game to the outdoor game. I’m fully committed to that transition, and I’m excited about it.”
While the NCAA currently categorizes sand volleyball as an “emerging sport,” many across the sport — including Brock — are optimistic it will not take time for it to achieve “championship sport” classification because of the rapid nature of the sports’ expansion.
Only 15 NCAA Division I schools competed in women’s sand volleyball in spring 2012. By spring 2013, that number had doubled.
Growth slowed in 2014, but Brock said sand volleyball recently hit the 40-program mark necessary to become fully endorsed as a championship sport, meaning the sport needs to maintain this number of varsity teams for two full seasons before the NCAA officially takes over.
Once sand volleyball becomes a “championship sport,” Brock said he expects the sport to grow at an even faster rate.
“The bigger the number of participating schools gets, I think it will exponentially increase,” Brock said. “Especially in the South, where there is already a great sand culture.”
“The fact that they gave us this opportunity go just come out and play and represent LSU on the program’s first sand volleyball team has really been such an honor and a privilege.”
LSU freshman Emma Hiller stretches to hit the ball Friday, Feb. 7, 2013 during practice at Mango's Beach Volleyball.
