For the first time, Pierce will be able to compete in women’s beach volleyball. The Brahmas have been officially approved as a sanctioned sport, according to athletic director, Bob Lofrano.
The roster will be composed of ten players and five teams of two players. Each set will go up to a score of 21, instead of 25 in indoor volley games. It will be a best of three, rather than a best of five.
“It’s very rare when the college gets to add a sport like this (beach volleyball),” Lofrano said. “I think it’s a real up-and-coming sport at our level and the four-year college level.”
Some players from the indoor volleyball team from the fall semester are expected to return to play for the beach team this season. They will be coached by new head coach Tom Slauterbeck and mentored by Nabil Mardini, who was the head coach of the indoor women’s volleyball team, leading them to state-finals in which they lost.
Mardini said that he plans on making it mandatory for regular women’s volleyball players to play on the beach volleyball team.
“It makes you a more well-rounded player, more versatile.” said Azeezat Anthonio, who played for the indoor volleyball team and will play for beach volleyball. Antonio played middle on the indoor volleyball team and will be playing both right and side positions on the sand volleyball team this year.
Bea Hernandez, who played setter on the indoor team and will be playing on the beach team feels that playing on the sand can be a little more competitive.
“It’s only two people instead of six so you really just have to do more than the position you play,”Hernandez said.
The Brahmas will be playing against Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Ventura, El Camino, and Antelope Valley.
Coach Nabil hopes that the volleyball team will get better playing on the beach.
“It’s known that the best volleyball players are beach volleyball players,” Mardini said.
The Brahmas will play the next game will be at CSUN against Santa Barbara on March, 9 at 12:30 p.m.
