Beach Volleyball | June 29, 2016
At a time when other schools—including many of our Ohio Valley Conference brethren—are unfortunately being forced to cut sports due to funding issues, Austin Peay will be bringing on another sport in 2017.
Among the fastest-growing sports in the NCAA, beach volleyball will make its Clarksville debut in the spring of 2017. The addition, announced in May, will make it the 16th NCAA-sanctioned varsity sport at Austin Peay—the 10th in the women's portfolio—competing in Division I.
Led by Taylor Mott and Brian Netzler, the braintrust behind Austin Peay's indoor volleyball team, the first-year roster will be comprised of indoor players. The long-term plan is for both teams to stand alone, with some crossover expected between rosters.
Beach volleyball teams consist of five pairs of players, playing each match in a best-of-three format. Each competition then is a best-of-five competition with the first team to win three of the five matches, similar to how team champions are decided in men and women's tennis. With a season beginning in March, the first National Collegiate Championship – involving teams from all three NCAA Divisions – was competed May 6-8 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Austin Peay will be the third team in Tennessee, and the first Division I program, to compete in beach volleyball. Among Ohio Valley Conference schools, only Jacksonville State has joined the Governors among the ranks of NCAA beach volleyball competitors.
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