Release from Georgia State Athletics:
Georgia State’s beach volleyball team will be one of eight founding members of the newly rebranded Coastal Collegiate Sports Association when the season starts this spring, the school announced on Tuesday.
The Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, announced its decision today to rebrand as the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA). The move corresponds with the addition of beach volleyball as a conference sport. The CCSA also announced a new Executive Director in Mike Hagen.
“We are excited to be a charter member of the CCSA and to be a part of the growth of beach volleyball,” Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb said. “We are committed as a university and athletics department to provide opportunities for our student-athletes to compete at a championship level and this move correlates with those efforts.”
CCSA Beach Volleyball will begin play in spring 2016 with eight founding members: UAB, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida State, Georgia State, LSU, South Carolina and Tulane. The first CCSA Beach Volleyball Championship will be held at LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, Ga., on the Rally Volleyball Courts on April 22-24.
“The expansion of the CCSA to include beach volleyball is a milestone for our sport as well as an indication of how quickly it will grow under the NCAA umbrella,” head coach Beth Van Fleet said. “We are honored to be an inaugural member, along with seven other talented and respected programs.”
Georgia State found success quickly in the beach volleyball world, making its first appearance at the AVCA National Championship in just its third season of competition. The Panthers went 18-3 in 2015 and were ranked in the top 10 for most of the season. GSU returns 14 players and welcomes three newcomers as the Panthers gear up for 2016.
The Sports Inquirer 
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