NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference will add beach volleyball as its 19th sponsored sport, beginning with the 2023 season this spring, Commissioner Keith Gill announced Wednesday.
Coastal Carolina has competed in beach volleyball since 2016, first as a member of the Atlantic Sun (2016-21) and then last season as an affiliate member of Conference USA (2022).
Coastal Carolina is one of four Sun Belt Conference institutions that currently sponsor beach volleyball, including Georgia State, ULM, and Southern Miss. In addition, the Sun Belt will welcome affiliate members College of Charleston, Mercer, Stephen F. Austin, and UNC Wilmington to form the eight-team league.
Beach Volleyball is the fastest-growing sport in the NCAA with nearly 180 participating institutions across all levels of the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA, including 67 NCAA Division I institutions. Conferences that currently sponsor beach volleyball include the Atlantic Sun Conference, Big West Conference, Conference USA, Ohio Valley Conference, Pac-12, Southland Conference, and West Coast Conference.
Of the 176 institutions that sponsor beach volleyball, 55 of them are located within the contiguous 10-state footprint of the Sun Belt Conference.
"We are pleased and excited to welcome Beach Volleyball as our 19th championship sport," Gill said. "As the fastest growing collegiate sport, particularly within the footprint of the Sun Belt, it is a perfect fit for our conference. We're looking forward to providing an elite competitive and championship environment for the student-athletes, coaches, and fans of Sun Belt beach volleyball."
In conjunction with the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA), the Sun Belt Conference will co-host a conference championship in 2023. The event is set for April 27-29 at the John Hunt Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville, Ala. The winner of the conference championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
The 2023 NCAA National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship – a 16-team single-elimination event, will take place in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 5-7. The National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship features teams from NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III. It is the 90th and newest NCAA Championship event.
The Sun Belt Conference was founded in 1976 and began sponsoring football in 2001. The Sun Belt will now sponsor 19 NCAA Division I sports annually. The Sun Belt is comprised of 14 member institutions: App State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, ULM, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Texas State, and Troy.
For complete coverage of Coastal Carolina beach volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBeachVB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
