Jan. 15, 2010
ATLANTA, Ga. (UCFAthletics.com) - In what could possibly be a landmark decision, an override to eliminate sand volleyball from the NCAA Division I list of emerging sports for women was voted down Friday at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta, Ga.
"I think this is a big victory for young women who want to play sand volleyball collegiately, and more importantly I think this is a huge victory for women's athletics," UCF head volleyball coach Todd Dagenais said. "In the future, the opportunity will exist for many more young volleyball players to represent their university in intercollegiate competition."
With sand volleyball now set to remain on the emerging sports list, the NCAA could possibly conduct its first national championship in the sport as early as 2011. In order to sponsor the sport for a championship, 40 or more universities must start the program within the next 10 seasons. But, having been in the pipeline for so long and having gone through many positive voting stages, the minimum amount of schools are anticipated to commit to starting programs for the 2010-11 athletics season.
"Although UCF has been a big supporter of the sand volleyball movement, it is yet to be determined exactly if or when sand volleyball would become a sport at UCF," Dagenais said. "But, I remain very optimistic that if sand volleyball is added at UCF, we are in a unique position to be a national championship contender shortly after its inception."
UCF is no stranger to the successes of the sport of sand volleyball, as two prominent names in the sport are alumni of the university.
A member of the UCF volleyball team from 1994-97 and a 2004 UCF Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Tyra (Harper) Turner has experienced immense success on the AVP Tour since her time as a Knight. In seven seasons on the tour, Turner has finished in the top-three in standings in 22 of her 85 total tournaments played. Following the 2009 season, Turner ranked sixth on the tour with a .465 attack percentage and ninth with 0.79 blocks per game.
One of the most recognized names in men's beach volleyball, Phil Dalhausser played on the men's club team while at UCF, before going on to win the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with partner Todd Rogers. On the AVP Tour, the duo of Dalhausser and Rogers posted four-straight seasons with the most team wins, which included nine in 2009.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
-UCF-