– The University of Utah Athletics Department has announced the addition of women's beach volleyball as a new intercollegiate sport beginning in the spring of 2017. Utah will become the ninth Pac-12 member institution to sponsor beach volleyball.With the addition of beach volleyball, Utah now sponsors 19 intercollegiate teams (12 women's and seven men's).Utah's beach volleyball team will operate as a combined program under Director of Volleyball and Indoor Head Coach, along with assistant coach, who will serve as the head coach of the beach volleyball team. The 2017 beach volleyball roster will consist primarily of members of the 2016 indoor team."As one of the four sports mandated by the Pac-12—along with football and men's and women's basketball—being competitive in women's volleyball is very important to us," Utah Athletics Directorsaid. "Although this is just the second year of NCAA sponsorship for beach volleyball, it is already becoming a popular sport at the schools that have it. By adding beach volleyball as an intercollegiate sport, we become the ninth Pac-12 school to do so. This is a great opportunity for our volleyball program and for our student-athletes."I was president of the AVCA when the initial idea of beach volleyball as an NCAA intercollegiate sport was introduced," Launiere said. "It was put on the emerging sport list and was the fastest sport on that list to gain NCAA Championship status. The popularity of the sport has grown more rapidly than most could imagine. I am thrilled that beach volleyball has been added to the Utah volleyball program and look forward to being a part of its growth."The NCAA beach volleyball season begins in March and ends in May. Utah will play 10 regular-season matches in its inaugural beach season—all on the road. The regular season will consist of three weekends of match play in March and the 2017 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships in Tucson, Ariz., April 27-29.The Utes will play three matches at the Stanford Beach Tournament on Friday and Saturday, March 10-11, followed by a single match against San Francisco on Sunday, March 12. The squad will close out regular-season play in Hawaii, playing in five matches at the Hawaii Tournament and a single match against Nebraska. The Hawaii Tournament is scheduled for March 17-19.March 10 – Stanford Beach TournamentMarch 11 – Stanford Beach TournamentMarch 12 – vs. San FranciscoMarch 17 – Hawaii TournamentMarch 18 – Hawaii TournamentMarch 19 – vs. Nebraska (in Honolulu, Hawaii)April 27-29 – Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships (in Tucson, Ariz.)