Plans for Inaugural Sunshine State Beach Volleyball Tournament Announced

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Club V will host the inaugural Sunshine State Beach Volleyball Tournament, to be held on Saturday, March 29 in Tampa, Fla. This event will be the first-ever beach volleyball tournament held by NCAA Division II conference teams. The tournament was conceived following the recent success of the CSTV Collegiate Beach Nationals, the first beach volleyball event ever offered for collegiate participants, which was introduced in 2007.

Each of the nine volleyball schools in the SSC will enter teams into this event. Each program will send multiple teams to compete, all of which will engage in a minimum of four pool play matches, ultimately for a chance to advance to the medal round. The competition, which will be free and open to the public, will use rules derived from the AVP Tour, with modifications made as needed for collegiate competitors.

"I see this as an opportunity to promote the women's hopes of beach volleyball as a collegiate sport," said Dave Carstenson, the event's director and promoter. "With the success of American beach teams at the Olympics and the pro beach tour (AVP), many casual sports fans are familiar with the game."

Head coach Chris Catanach of the University of Tampa, the 2006 NCAA Division II National Champion, echoed Carstenson's sentiments. "This inaugural event is an exciting opportunity for all of our student athletes in the Sunshine State Conference," Catanach remarked. "The tournament is a nice change from the indoor game. I have not seen my players this excited about an event in a long time."

Play for the Sunshine State Beach Tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. est at the Club V facility, which hosts over 30 tournaments a year and is the largest outdoor facility in the country. After pool play concludes, the top two teams from each pool will move on to the pool championship phase for berth in the medal round. The bronze medal match is slated for 4 p.m. est, with the gold medal match commencing shortly thereafter.

For more information on the event and Club V, please contact dcars@verizon.net or alan@tampabayvolleyball.com.