Sand Volleyball Starts First-Ever Season Aiming to Build a Program

Finally, months after the announcement of the addition of sand volleyball, the Lobos are ready.

It’s time to hit the sand.

The University of New Mexico kicks off its first-ever season of sand volleyball as an intercollegiate sport today as the Lobos practice for the first time in anticipation of their first match on March 8.

New Mexico, under head coach Jeff Nelson, has been waiting since the end of last summer to start sand volleyball, and now the Lobos will get the opportunity to start playing and to build a program from the sand up.

“Sand volleyball is just going to have a huge learning curve,” Nelson said, “and I think that’s exciting. It’s fun to do something different. We’ve put a lot of work into getting it started.”

The Lobos, who are starting the university’s 22nd intercollegiate sport and first since 1993, have their eyes set on not only getting into the sand and playing, but also laying the foundation for a program.

And New Mexico, an emerging player in the recently named NCAA championship sport, will definitely get a chance to start that process during a first season that features a challenging schedule and a number of talented, eager players.

“What I really want to get out of this first year is a real knowledge of what it’s going to take to be successful moving forward,” Nelson said.

Beyond the goals of competing in matches and bettering the players, Nelson’s biggest goal for the first season of sand volleyball focuses on getting the program to a competitive level in a sport that is rapidly expanding across the nation.

“Even though there’s 30 or so programs that have a jump on us,” Nelson said, “next year, they’re anticipating 90 programs, and then we’ll have a jump on 40 programs. So I think it’s important that we’re getting in early and being a leader.”

While the Lobos are in a sport that is exploding across the nation, with 50 teams sponsoring the sport this year, it’s a relatively underdeveloped sport in the Mountain West and the region.

“Only three schools in the conference have it,” Nelson said. “I think we can really be a leader in the conference with it.”

New Mexico will get its chances at spearheading the continuing growth of sand volleyball and building toward that future during this first year, especially considering the youth of the team and the challenging schedule.

Although it’s the first year of sand volleyball at UNM, the Lobos aren’t lacking in skilled players, with nine players crossing over from court volleyball and five sand players.

Nelson tabs six players — Hannah Johnson, Ashley Kelsey, Devanne Sours, Julia Warren Ashley Newman and Eastyn Baleto — as the leaders heading into the season who will fight for the top couple of positions.

But there’s considerable depth on the 14-player roster, including Chloe Crappell, Sami Reynolds, Sara Weber and Maddie Mayfield.

“I really see the potential in really developing for the future,” Nelson said. “I think when we look at the players, the competition everyday in practice to climb the ladder, it’s kind of how we’re going to do it.”

Nelson and his staff still have to determine the pairings the team will play in for the season during practices and the first few matches. With a diverse roster, the Lobos have to work on partnering people who can block with people who can move around and pick up balls.

A number of the players, like Sours, Warren and Newman, are skilled at the net, but need a partner who can help set them up. Others, like Johnson, Kelsey and Baleto, are versatile players that can serve as half of a strong duo.

“It’s getting the right tandems, too, that can be successful together,” Nelson said. “Because it’s new, I think the first couple of times we play, we may be switching up some partners and hopefully we can settle in after that and move forward. I see some good partnerships.”

Nelson also sees some strong matches on the inaugural schedule that can help UNM build its sand program.

The Lobos open up on March 8 vs. LSU and No. 19 Grand Canyon in Phoenix, before hosting Grand Canyon in Albuquerque for the first-ever home match on March 21 at StoneFace Courts in northeast Albuquerque.

New Mexico also has matches against No. 3 USC, No. 16 Arizona, Arizona State and Bakersfield, as well as some home exhibitions versus Colorado State, a Mountain West school that’s looking to start sponsoring sand volleyball.

If six Mountain West schools begin to sponsor the sport, then the conference will consider sponsoring a conference championship. Only UNM, San José State and Boise State currently sponsor the sport out of the MW.

However, in this first season, Nelson is focused on learning from the teams on the schedule, which includes teams that have built both a program and a reputation as strong sand schools.

“What I really want to see from this really tough schedule is what we have to do to be there, because that’s where we’re committed to being,” Nelson said. “We want to be a really good program. We want to be a top-20 program.

“This schedule really provides us great looks and great insight to where we want to be.”

10 of the 13 matches UNM plays its first season are against either nationally ranked teams or teams receiving votes in DiG Magazine’s 2015 Women’s Collegiate Sand Volleyball preseason poll.

But, as practice just now begins, the Lobos are just getting ready to get into the sand.

“The players are all excited,” Nelson said. “They all know it’s new. They don’t know what to expect, so they don’t have set ideas or expectations.”

And while the players might not have expectations, for Nelson, the expectation is clear.

To build a program, let’s get in the sand.

 Follow New Mexico Sand Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @UNMSandVB