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Beach Volleyball

Beach Volleyball Moves into Sun Belt Conference for 2023

ATLANTA -- The Georgia State beach volleyball program, coming off a conference title and NCAA Tournament run in 2022, has a new home as the Sun Belt Conference has added beach volleyball as its 19th sponsored sport, beginning this spring with the 2023 season. 

Georgia State finished 2022 ranked No. 7 in the AVCA national poll with a school-record 28 victories. Competing in Conference USA, the Panthers won the C-USA title to earn an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship for Georgia State's third appearance in the national championship tournament. Once there, the 10th-seeded Panthers won a pair of matches, including an upset over No. 2 TCU, to finish in the final six.

Coached by Beth Van Fleet, Georgia State has been a consistent force on the national level since launching the beach volleyball program in 2013. In addition to last year, the Panthers reached the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and the 2014 AVCA National Championship, the precursor to the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship.

"Moving into the Sun Belt Conference is very much a dream come true and a long-term vision that's coming to fruition," Van Fleet said. "It is so neat to have a forever home. It's something we've been looking forward to and working hard at for so many years.

"It's so nice to know that we can now contribute to what the entire athletic department is trying to achieve within the Sun Belt. We're really excited to get this sport started in the Sun Belt Conference.

"We are so grateful to the Sun Belt Conference staff and to our own Kelcey Roegiers for all the time and effort they have invested to make this happen," Van Fleet added.

Georgia State is one of four Sun Belt Conference institutions currently sponsoring beach volleyball, along with Coastal Carolina, ULM and Southern Miss. In addition, the Sun Belt welcomes affiliate members College of Charleston, Mercer, Stephen F. Austin and UNC Wilmington to form the eight-team league. 

Beach volleyball is the fastest-growing sport in the NCAA with nearly 180 participating institutions across all levels of the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, including 67 NCAA Division I institutions. Conferences that currently sponsor Beach Volleyball include: Atlantic Sun Conference, Big West Conference, Conference USA, Ohio Valley Conference, Pac-12, Southland Conference and West Coast Conference. 

"We are pleased and excited to welcome beach volleyball as our 19th championship sport," Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said. "As the fastest growing collegiate sport, particularly within the footprint of the Sun Belt, it is a perfect fit for our conference. We're looking forward to providing an elite competitive and championship environment for the student-athletes, coaches and fans of Sun Belt beach volleyball." 

In conjunction with the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA), the Sun Belt Conference will co-host a conference championship in 2023. The event is set for April 27-29 at the John Hunt Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville, Ala. The winner of the conference championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. 

The 2023 NCAA National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship – a 16-team single-elimination event, will take place in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 5-7.
 
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