MAXIMILIANO ACOSTA / ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

The  University  of  San Diego will be the first institution in San Diego to sponsor a collegiate-level women’s beach volleyball team. This newly formed NCAA Division 1 beach volleyball program plans on competing in the WCC conference against teams like Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and Saint Mary’s, hoping to immediately compete for championships.  

USD is currently the eighth team  within  the league to promote a beach volleyball team, naming it the 18th varsity sport and 10th women’s sport at USD. According to USD Athletics, this new addition is supported by the Jansen family, whose goal aligns with  USD  to allow women athletes to compete at the highest level possible, while attending one of the top 50 schools in overall value in the nation according to The Wall Street Journal and College Pulse.

USD’s new head beach volleyball coach, Derek Olson, who previously coached at the University of Washington and played professionally on the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tour brings valuable experience for USD to confidently compete head-to-head with 2024 years WCC champions, LMU. He also founded the Kelso Volleyball Club and directed for the Coast Volleyball Club here in San Diego, showing that he has strong ties to the city. The program aims to focus on recruiting local talent soon, so it can be competitive from its first season.

In  an interview with CBS8, USD Executive Director  of Athletics Kimya Massey   discussed  the new addition of the fastest-growing women’s sports teams according to NCAA. 

“Frankly, I think we can win a national championship here,” Massey said. “I’ve said since I got this job, we should be one of the more competitive mid-majors in the country. And this is another piece of that because I really feel like we can win at this sport at a very high level very quickly.”

Massey also highly praises the beach volleyball scene in San Diego and how it is something that should be taken advantage of quickly. 

“You know, if you look at the club volleyball scene in San Diego, it’s literally the best in the country,” Massey  stated. “The Wave and The Coast up in Del Mar are two incredible clubs. I think we cancapitalize    on      recruiting  locally.”

The new USD beach volleyball team will welcome its first roster of up to 19 players in the fall of 2026. Although recruitment dates are still unclear, this news has rallied very exciting reactions from many volleyball enthusiasts around                 campus.        

     USD   sophomore Mia  Vorkoper,

played volleyball in highschool and now plays at USD recreationally.

 “I was so excited,” Vorkoper said. “I think it was a long time coming and will be so much fun to have on campus. I had multiple people sending me the Instagram post and talking about how excited they are. The San Diego volleyball scene is already so big, so it’s great that we’re joining it. I went to USD’s indoor camps as a kid and depending on how USD Beach volleyball decided to do it there’s definitely an opportunity for more local engagement.”

 USD junior Antony Morales, who occasionally plays with friends as-well as helps plan for Volleyball tournaments for the multicultural organizations on campus explains how well-lit of a volleyball scene we have at USD and how the new beach volleyball team will only elevate that. USD senior and Wellness Center front desk staff Jaya Evans talked about her excitement surrounding the new volleyball team. 

     “It’s exciting to see USD add its first beach volleyball team and continue to expand opportunities for women in sports,” Evans said.

“From my perspective as a senior and a  Wellness  Center hospitality assistant, volleyball culture has definitely grown and gotten way more attention compared to when I was a freshman. It feels like more students are excited about the sport now, and it’s becoming a bigger part of our campus life. Since I’ll be graduating, I won’t be here to see the games in person, but if I stick around San Diego post-grad, I’d love to catch a match.”

The beach volleyball court in the Wellness Center is accessible to all USD students. Hailey Howell/The USD Vista 

  In an article written by USD Athletics, USD President James T. Harris shared  his take.

   “With 17 miles of  coastline and an average of 266 days of sunshine each year, San Diego is a mecca for beach  volleyball,” Harris said. “And we have a long  legacy of volleyball on this campus. Given the fact  that  our women’s  volleyball team recently advanced to the Final Four for the first time ever, there’s absolutely  no  better place to play volleyball — either on the court or on the beach — than at USD.” 

  USD is actively looking for options to potentially build an arena on campus for the recently established team. Evans  believes  it’s   a  fantastic    idea.   

New beach volleyball court opens at the Wellness Center. Hailey Howell/The USD Vista

 “Having an official court on campus not only provides the team with their own space but also shows real support and representation for women’s sports at USD,” Evans said.

“It   will   give   the  program   visibility and help bring more people out to support the athletes.” 

   While  this  is  a  popular  thought many   that   sounds  great,  it   might add to the costs of attending school  Toreros  are  filled with excitement, ready to watch this fun and trending sport  come together. The team is scheduled to compete in  the WCC season  in the  Spring of 2027 and will eventually become USD’s 18th varsity sport when the team starts competition and 10th women’s program overall. The new court is currently being used recreationally by USD students.

Women’s beach volleyball will start competing in 2027. Photo Courtesy of USD Athletics