South Mountain CC Adds Women's Beach Volleyball
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College athletic department has added beach volleyball as an NJCAA Division II sport, Athletic Director Todd Eastin announced. Led by women's indoor volleyball head coach Melissa Hess, the Cougars will take on Mesa CC in four matches at Kiwanis Park in Tempe, Ariz., in April and May 2021.
"I am excited to introduce beach volleyball into our athletics department, as well as being one of the first teams in the ACCAC to participate," said Hess. "Beach volleyball is growing and expanding not only in Arizona but throughout the nation. There are so many excellent facilities within the Phoenix area. With Arizona high schools adding beach volleyball rapidly, there will be a talented recruiting pool in the upcoming years.
"We are excited to expand our sports offerings with the addition of beach volleyball this Spring," said Eastin. "SMCC has had an interest in sponsoring the sport since the NJCAA announced Beach Volleyball as an emerging sport several years ago. We will be utilizing local facilities in the short term to provide a venue for practice and competition. We intend to provide an opportunity for beach volleyball student-athletes in our surrounding communities, as well as engagement opportunities for our indoor volleyball student-athletes during the spring."
The Cougars' roster has 11 members from the SMCC indoor women's volleyball team. That squad did not have a season in the fall 2020 or spring 2021 season due to the ongoing pandemic. Patrick Mooney, an assistant coach on the indoor women's volleyball team, will also serve as an assistant coach with the beach volleyball program.
Beach volleyball consists of five teams with a two-member team from each school per court. Each school seeds their pairs (1-5), and they square off against the same seed of their opponent. The duel starts with the 5's and 4's teams playing in the first round, the second round is 2's and 3's, and the contest concludes with the 1's. The match is played best 2-of-3, games one and two are played to 21 and game 3, if necessary, is played to 15, with the winner having to be ahead by at least two points in all games. The school with the most match victories wins the duel.
"We have been practicing for the past few weeks, and although I'd prefer a few more weeks before our first duel, I am excited for the level of talent that we already have," Hess added. "We have 11 women on our roster, a mixture of former high school beach athletes and those who have never have played. They have picked up on the game quickly and have been extremely coachable the past few weeks. I look forward to the growth we'll have as a team for the rest of the season."
NJCAA Division II women's beach volleyball will take place in the spring in subsequent seasons. More member institutions in the Maricopa County Community College District and Arizona Community College Athletic Conference are expected to add the sport in the coming years.
SMCC Beach Volleyball 2021 Schedule
April 16 vs. Mesa CC at Noon
April 30 vs. Mesa CC at Noon
May 7 vs. Mesa CC at Noon
May 14 vs. Mesa CC at Noon
