Women’s Beach Volleyball is Added to Statesmen Athletics
By Bryant Marks
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, VA – With the 2019 Women's Volleyball team entering its postseason, Richard Bland College of William & Mary Director of Athletics Scott Newton would like to announce that women's beach volleyball will be RBC's 6th NJCAA Division I intercollegiate sport and the newest addition to the athletic department.
As the 2019-20 athletic year will be the first year the NJCAA recognizes women's beach volleyball as a varsity sport, the Statesmen are looking to take full advantage. With the creation of this athletic team, RBC will be the first institution at any level in the state of Virginia to field a varsity beach volleyball program.
"We are very excited to be at the forefront of beach volleyball in the NJCAA," says Newton. "It is a great opportunity to greater diversify our athletic offerings, and also be the first official varsity beach volleyball program in the state of Virginia."
Collegiate beach volleyball is a steadily growing sport on all levels of college athletics, as many new teams are created each year with many more being planned for the future. "This is a sport growing extremely fast at the college level, and because of the success of USA Beach Volleyball at the Olympic and International levels, we expect the trend to continue," Newton states on the growth of the beach volleyball. RBC joins 27 other NJCAA programs that will be adding beach volleyball to their intercollegiate athletic catalog, including NJCAA Region X members, Spartanburg Methodist College, Catawba Valley Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College, and Rockingham Community College. Adding a growing sport to the college will fit right in line with the college's goals of growing and expanding.
Assistant Women's Volleyball Coach Travis Abele will lead the beach program and serve as its first-ever head coach. With Abele's experience playing beach volleyball, the program will be well prepared for their inaugural season in the spring.
"I am excited to be a part of starting this new team at RBC. It will be a great opportunity not only for the school but for more female athletes to showcase their skill at the next level," says Abele. "Having a beach program does not only affect the athletic department but the school as a whole in bringing in an exciting vibe to campus. This is exactly the type of culture I wish to bring to the program now so that it will last for years to come."
Competitions for the team will start in the Spring of 2020, while championships will not start until the following year.
Richard Bland sponsors six NJCAA Division I programs, including men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's basketball, and softball.
Interested student-athletes can contact head coach Travis Abele for more information.