50’s getting closer and closer. Though it seems incredibly late for announcements of 2013 programs taking shape, the Cardinal will indeed take to the…uh…sand this year. Theirs is not a very ambitious schedule. They play just six dates, four of them against a single opponent. Contrast that with defending national champions Pepperdine, who play 12 dates, just 3 of them against single opponents.
But it’s baby steps. And it may be a byproduct of the late announcement. In what may also be a reflection on the late announcement, indoor coach John Dunning will helm the sand program in its first season. Got to imagine coaches are best served to concentrate on one or the other — every other school to add sand volleyball has hired a separate coach for it. And does expertise in indoor volleyball necessarily translate to the outdoor forms?
Still, it’s always really nice to see new programs pop up. Sand volleyball is Stanford’s impressive 36th varsity-level sport. Come to think of it, I might have been a little upset for such a storied volleyball school if they were to sponsor things like sailing, squash, and three different rowing crews but not beach volleyball.
The team’s roster will be drawn from the 11 returning players from the 2012 indoor team. Their first match is with Santa Clara on April 2.
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