WAYNE – A week and a half after the Wayne State Athletics Department announced they are reinstating women’s golf in two years, a new female sport will be added for this athletic season.
According to a release from Wayne State Athletics, beach volleyball (formerly known as sand) will be the latest varsity sport offered by WSC.
The Wildcat beach volleyball team will compete in the NCAA’s National Collegiate Division for Beach Volleyball.
The addition of beach volleyball will add approximately 15 female student-athletes the opportunity to the Wildcat athletic program and becomes the ninth female sport at Wayne State College and 15th sport overall in the Wayne State athletic department. The Wildcat beach volleyball team will consist primarily of the same student-athletes that compete in fall indoor volleyball.
Beach volleyball is one of the fastest growing sports in NCAA history and was taken off of the emerging NCAA sports list in 2015 and became an NCAA Championship sport. According to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, 221 colleges in NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and Junior Colleges will sponsor a varsity women’s beach volleyball program in the 2019-20 school year.
Wayne State College will compete as an independent member of National Collegiate Beach Volleyball and joins the University of Nebraska as the only other school in the state of Nebraska to have a beach volleyball program. WSC becomes the 18th program in NCAA Division II to have beach volleyball.
Beach volleyball consists of two player teams with dual matches featuring five pairs from each team. The school that wins three matches first is the winner with each match consisting of three sets with first to 21 winning the first two sets and a third set to 15 points.
Head Wayne State College volleyball coach Scott Kneifl and assistant coach Kim DePew will serve as coaches for the new program.
Wayne State College is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and will now be offering 15 varsity sports (six male and nine female) in the 2019-20 season.