Cosumnes River set to break ground on new beach volleyball facility
SACRAMENTO - Cosumnes River College will break ground on a new on-campus beach volleyball facility. The new facility will be located adjacent to the Community and Athletic Complex (CAC), west of the pool, and south of the soccer complex. The facility will feature six regulation-size NCAA beach volleyball courts with lights, bleacher seating for up to 250 spectators, additional areas for grass seating, and a PA system.
We are so excited to announce the construction of our new Beach Volleyball Facility and the addition of the fastest growing sport in the NCAA and 3C2A, Women's Beach Volleyball, at Cosumnes River College," stated Collin Pregliasco, Dean of Kinesiology, Health, and Athletics and Athletic Director. "The Beach Volleyball Complex will be a focal point of the sport not only for Cosumnes River college, but the entire South Sacramento and Elk Grove area.
Beach Volleyball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. The sport made the quickest transition from an "emerging sport" to a "championship" sport in NCAA history from 61 teams in 2014 to 179 teams in 2022. The 3C2A is not far behind. The addition of the new facility allows not only for CRC to add Women's Beach Volleyball, but to add a facility that will be one of the top facilities around.
"We are so excited to have one of the top facilities in the state for beach volleyball on our campus," said Kari Nahlen, Head Indoor and Beach Volleyball Coach. "We will be able to give more opportunities to our student athletes, additionally we will bring beach volleyball to the community."
The sport is growing at the high school and youth levels as well. The CIF recently added beach volleyball in 2021-2022 as a sport and there are numerous new youth beach volleyball clubs in the area as well. The need for facilities to for beach volleyball practices and competitions is increasing. Currently, the only beach volleyball facilities with 3 or more courts in the area include Sacramento State (4 courts), Livermore Park in Folsom (4 courts), Sacramento Softball Complex (4 courts), and Sierra College (3 courts). These courts are overbooked, difficult to rent, and difficult to travel to for most in comparison to Cosumnes River College.
CRC's Beach Volleyball Facility will help meet the needs of the local community while providing another sports and recreation opportunity benefiting both community and youth and women's athletics. It will also create usable space for rental revenue, community use, class use, athletic use, while also adding the necessary facility to add Women's Beach Volleyball in the Spring of 2024.
"This facility is something that our community needs," said Nahlen. "With the lack of sand courts in the area this project will bring something to the community which already has a huge interest in the sport.
Along with the addition of women's beach volleyball, CRC will also be adding Men's Swimming.
"The addition of women's beach volleyball provides an amazing opportunity for increased female student-athletes while the addition of our new men's swim and dive team to go with our women's swim and dive team makes the program more comprehensive," said Pregliasco. "By reallocating resources, we have been able to add 2 intercollegiate programs without increasing our annual operating budget. CRC now has 10 highly competitive intercollegiate programs that provide the best coaching, facilities, and student support in the area."
"Our athletes have been hoping for this team for some time now," Nahlen added. "Not only are student athletes excited to participate in a new sport, we are listening to our community and supporting projects on campus to reflect what the community needs."
The Hawks will join Folsom Lake College, American River College, Delta College, Sierra College, and College of Marin in the Big 8 Conference.
(Chris Holtz, Cosumnes River College Athletics)
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