NU welcomes push for sand volleyball
And you thought watching an NU volleyball match at the Coliseum was a tough ticket?
Someday, the Huskers could be hosting sand volleyball matches inside the Hawks Championship Center. Imagine Texas versus Nebraska for the Big 12 title.
The push to recognize sand volleyball as an NCAA sport gained momentum this summer when the Committee on Women’s Athletics voted to recommend that legislation be brought forward to add sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women.
As was the case with bowling, rowing, ice hockey and water polo, once 40 institutions sponsor an emerging sport, it qualifies for an NCAA championship.
“There’s a lot that has to be worked out, but the reason I think we should support it goes beyond just recruiting,” NU coach John Cook said Tuesday. “It gives us a chance to promote the sport in the spring when it’s not being promoted right now.”
Cook said that Nebraska was one of 12 programs nationwide to offer letters of commitment to the committee. That commitment came with a qualifier that the sport not add expenses to the budget.
Initially, Cook said the sand volleyball season would largely replace the existing spring exhibition season.
The last two years, Nebraska has participated in a sand volleyball tournament in San Diego that has been televised by CSTV. It’s helped Nebraska in recruiting California players, Cook said.
In the long term, a sand volleyball season could create additional scholarship opportunities for women.
In the volleyball coaches’ proposal, sand teams would consist of five doubles tandems ranked 1 through 5 — similar to tennis. Each would play the corresponding team from an opposing school, with the team winning three matches taking the event.
Anderson’s arrival
Sydney Anderson, the transfer from Utah who is expected to be Nebraska’s starting setter this fall, began summer classes at NU this month and is working out with the team.
“Laura’s putting them through the ringer,” said Cook, referring to Laura Pilakowski, the team’s strength and conditioning coach. “We’ve got a lot of young players who needed to get stronger.”
Nebraska’s three scholarship freshmen, Jordan Haverly, Kaitlynn James and Allison McNeal, have also been working out with the team this summer.
As a group, Nebraska’s incoming freshman class was ranked sixth nationally by PrepVolleyball. com.
The top five: Florida, Texas, California, UCLA and USC.
International experience
A pair of 2009 Nebraska recruits, Gina Mancuso of Papillion-La Vista and Hannah Werth of Springfield, Ill., are representing the United States on the Junior National Team this summer.
The squad began play Tuesday in the NORCECA Junior Continental Championship in Saltillo, Mexico.
Former Husker Tracy Stalls was not among the 12 players chosen for the U.S. Olympic Team this month. The squad includes no current college players.
— Todd Henrichs
Someday, the Huskers could be hosting sand volleyball matches inside the Hawks Championship Center. Imagine Texas versus Nebraska for the Big 12 title.
The push to recognize sand volleyball as an NCAA sport gained momentum this summer when the Committee on Women’s Athletics voted to recommend that legislation be brought forward to add sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women.
As was the case with bowling, rowing, ice hockey and water polo, once 40 institutions sponsor an emerging sport, it qualifies for an NCAA championship.
“There’s a lot that has to be worked out, but the reason I think we should support it goes beyond just recruiting,” NU coach John Cook said Tuesday. “It gives us a chance to promote the sport in the spring when it’s not being promoted right now.”
Cook said that Nebraska was one of 12 programs nationwide to offer letters of commitment to the committee. That commitment came with a qualifier that the sport not add expenses to the budget.
Initially, Cook said the sand volleyball season would largely replace the existing spring exhibition season.
The last two years, Nebraska has participated in a sand volleyball tournament in San Diego that has been televised by CSTV. It’s helped Nebraska in recruiting California players, Cook said.
In the long term, a sand volleyball season could create additional scholarship opportunities for women.
In the volleyball coaches’ proposal, sand teams would consist of five doubles tandems ranked 1 through 5 — similar to tennis. Each would play the corresponding team from an opposing school, with the team winning three matches taking the event.
Anderson’s arrival
Sydney Anderson, the transfer from Utah who is expected to be Nebraska’s starting setter this fall, began summer classes at NU this month and is working out with the team.
“Laura’s putting them through the ringer,” said Cook, referring to Laura Pilakowski, the team’s strength and conditioning coach. “We’ve got a lot of young players who needed to get stronger.”
Nebraska’s three scholarship freshmen, Jordan Haverly, Kaitlynn James and Allison McNeal, have also been working out with the team this summer.
As a group, Nebraska’s incoming freshman class was ranked sixth nationally by PrepVolleyball. com.
The top five: Florida, Texas, California, UCLA and USC.
International experience
A pair of 2009 Nebraska recruits, Gina Mancuso of Papillion-La Vista and Hannah Werth of Springfield, Ill., are representing the United States on the Junior National Team this summer.
The squad began play Tuesday in the NORCECA Junior Continental Championship in Saltillo, Mexico.
Former Husker Tracy Stalls was not among the 12 players chosen for the U.S. Olympic Team this month. The squad includes no current college players.
— Todd Henrichs
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