It's a slow period for college sports news, so why not?

http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=18540

The Big West today announced the addition of sand volleyball as the conference’s 17th-sponsored sport, which will begin its first year of competition in 2015-16.

Four Big West institutions currently field sand volleyball teams: Cal Poly, CSUN, Long Beach State and Hawai‘i. In addition, CSU Bakersfield and Sacramento State have accepted an invitation to join the Conference as associate members in sand volleyball, giving the league the minimum six teams required for postseason NCAA automatic qualification.

“The Big West has an incredible volleyball history, and it’s very exciting to be affiliated with one of the first sand volleyball leagues formed nationally,” said Sacramento State Athletics Director Bill Macriss. “We look forward to playing against so many great institutions on the West Coast and competing for the league’s eventual NCAA automatic berth.”

So this is what the Big West is doing. Instead of trying to add two of Portland State, Seattle, Denver, Grand Canyon and NAU - like it should be doing - it's starting up sand volleyball.

I'm pleasantly surprised and frustrated at the same time

Cal State Bakersfield has finally joined its dream conference in something, and Sac State is now a member in two sports (sand volleyball, men's soccer). I hope they just stay that way, affiliates.

(06-28-2015 03:17 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  So this is what the Big West is doing. Instead of trying to add two of Portland State, Seattle, Denver, Grand Canyon and NAU - like it should be doing - it's starting up sand volleyball.

I'm pleasantly surprised and frustrated at the same time

Cal State Bakersfield has finally joined its dream conference in something, and Sac State is now a member in two sports (sand volleyball, men's soccer). I hope they just stay that way, affiliates.

Do you want the Big West to develop into something more regional?

Something that someday could sponsor FBS football?

How close is sand volleyball to having an officially sanctioned NCAA postseason tournament? I imagine the few schools that sponsor it are trying to form conferences ahead of such a tournament starting.

The Pac 12 recently announced it would start the sport, and both the Atlantic Sun and WCC do as well. It wouldn't surprise me to see C-USA offer it with Sun Belt and SEC schools as affiliates.

For the "Mountain West" you could have Nebraska, Tulane, and New Orleans, Louisiana-Monroe, and TCU join Boise State, San Jose State, and New Mexico.

Conference USA would then be South Carolina (already a member in Men's Soccer), Mississippi State, UAB, FAU, FIU, LSU, and Georgia State.

(06-28-2015 05:33 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  How close is sand volleyball to having an officially sanctioned NCAA postseason tournament? I imagine the few schools that sponsor it are trying to form conferences ahead of such a tournament starting.

The Pac 12 recently announced it would start the sport, and both the Atlantic Sun and WCC do as well. It wouldn't surprise me to see C-USA offer it with Sun Belt and SEC schools as affiliates.

For the "Mountain West" you could have Nebraska, Tulane, and New Orleans, Louisiana-Monroe, and TCU join Boise State, San Jose State, and New Mexico.

Conference USA would then be South Carolina (already a member in Men's Soccer), Mississippi State, UAB, FAU, FIU, LSU, and Georgia State.

It's already there. The first championship tournament will be held next spring. That's why conferences are making arrangements to sponsor the sport, to ensure they get auto-bids.

http://www.volleyballmag.com/articles/43...-ncaa-sand

(06-28-2015 03:31 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(06-28-2015 03:17 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  So this is what the Big West is doing. Instead of trying to add two of Portland State, Seattle, Denver, Grand Canyon and NAU - like it should be doing - it's starting up sand volleyball.

I'm pleasantly surprised and frustrated at the same time

Cal State Bakersfield has finally joined its dream conference in something, and Sac State is now a member in two sports (sand volleyball, men's soccer). I hope they just stay that way, affiliates.

Do you want the Big West to develop into something more regional?

Something that someday could sponsor FBS football?

I'll let him share the reasons with you but jd has been a consistent advocate of the Big West expanding its conference footprint.

Sand volleyball is going to be a popular addition because it's a low-cost varsity sport. It's an equivalency sport, meaning the allowed scholarships can be divided amongst several athletes, and it has a 6-scholarship limit, and court volleyball athletes can play on their school's sand team. Also, many if not most schools that sponsor it are going to use their court volleyball staff to coach sand volleyball, reducing the overhead even further.

It'll catch on quick. Hey, the SEC and ACC need more sports to dominate...

(06-28-2015 03:31 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Do you want the Big West to develop into something more regional?

Something that someday could sponsor FBS football?

1. Yes, I would like to see us once again become more than just a California + Hawaii conference. HawaiiMongoose has said on a few occasions that any expansion should be along the west coast and I am sold on the idea. I'm not looking for anything like the 1996-2000 Big West that stretched all the way out to North Texas - yes, UCSB and the Mean Green were in the same conference for all sports during those few years - but I do think a Big West with Hawaii, nine California members, Portland State and Seattle University can work. Getting Denver or Grand Canyon would be nice but I'll settle for expansion into Cascadia. The public version of the WCC.


2. No. Unless half of the MW gang wants to come back, the Big West is never going to be an FBS conference again.

(06-29-2015 02:46 AM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(06-28-2015 03:31 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Do you want the Big West to develop into something more regional?

Something that someday could sponsor FBS football?

1. Yes, I would like to see us once again become more than just a California + Hawaii conference. HawaiiMongoose has said on a few occasions that any expansion should be along the west coast and I am sold on the idea. I'm not looking for anything like the 1996-2000 Big West that stretched all the way out to North Texas - yes, UCSB and the Mean Green were in the same conference for all sports during those few years - but I do think a Big West with Hawaii, nine California members, Portland State and Seattle University can work. Getting Denver or Grand Canyon would be nice but I'll settle for expansion into Cascadia. The public version of the WCC.


2. No. Unless half of the MW gang wants to come back, the Big West is never going to be an FBS conference again.

Agree on both counts.