Conference Carolinas and South Atlantic Conference Collaborate to Sponsor Beach Volleyball as Championship Sport Beginning in 2024-25 Academic Year
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Conference Carolinas and the South Atlantic Conference will jointly sponsor a championship opportunity for the sport of beach volleyball beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
With the collaboration, member institutions from both conferences will be able to compete for a co-branded "South Atlantic Conference Carolinas" championship in beach volleyball. The inaugural academic year of the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas women's beach volleyball collaboration in 2024-25 will feature Carson-Newman, Catawba, Emmanuel, Erskine, Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum.
"Conference Carolinas is excited to be able to partner with the South Atlantic Conference to help grow the amazing sport of beach volleyball," Conference Carolinas Commissioner Chris Colvin said. "We originally successfully collaborated in this way with the South Atlantic Conference on both field hockey and men's wrestling. Both of those sports have flourished and are now thriving for Conference Carolinas and the South Atlantic Conference. We know this collaboration for beach volleyball will also be successful, while also allowing us to lead the way to continue to grow the footprint for the sport both regionally and nationally."
The beach volleyball championship will be facilitated by the South Atlantic Conference in partnership with Conference Carolinas.
“The SAC is thrilled to continue our partnership with Conference Carolinas to provide more competition and championship opportunities for our student-athletes,” said SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz. “Five years ago, our conferences collaborated the same way to provide opportunities for field hockey and wrestling and it has been a rousing success. I am confident the beach volleyball programs within our leagues will benefit greatly from this partnership and we look forward to hosting our first conference championship in 2024-25.”
Conference Carolinas and the South Atlantic Conference announced in December of 2021 that they would also begin partnering on women's wrestling in the 2023-24 academic year. The collaboration will now begin in the sport in the 2024-25 academic year with more information to be made available on the partnership in the near future. The partnership between Conference Carolinas and the South Atlantic Conference also announced at the time in women's triathlon has been delayed.
Conference Carolinas is a sole sponsor of 24 sports and also collaborates with two other conferences (South Atlantic Conference and Great Midwest Athletic Conference) to offer opportunities in four additional sports for a total of 28 in the 2024-25 academic year. Conference Carolinas will be a sole sponsor of 25 sports and offer opportunities for a total of 29 sports with the official addition of football in the 2025-26 academic year.
The ability to provide its membership sports sponsorship in 29 sports is the most in all of NCAA Division II. In addition, Conference Carolinas also provides championship opportunities for its member institutions in esports and spirit.
This is all in addition to hosting developmental championships in various sports for its member institutions. Conference Carolinas is believed to be the first NCAA conference to offer sub-varsity championships to its members.
To learn more about beach volleyball, please visit ncaa.com/sports/beach-volleyball.
This is Conference Carolinas
Conference Carolinas has a rich tradition in roots that dates back to its inception on Dec. 6, 1930. The NCAA Division II athletics conference presently has member schools located in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Member institutions for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year are Barton, Belmont Abbey, Chowan, Converse, Emmanuel, Erskine, Francis Marion, King, Lees-McRae, Mount Olive, UNC Pembroke, North Greenville, Southern Wesleyan and Young Harris.
Conference Carolinas believes in the development and formation of the whole person in body, mind and soul. Our students are nationally recognized for their extraordinary success in the classroom, in the community and at the highest levels of NCAA competition.
Conference Carolinas is built upon the idea of offering challenging NCAA competition in an environment that fosters both the academic and athletic achievements of its student-athletes. Conference members offer exemplary educations and scholarships for performance in the classroom and on the field. Conference Carolinas and its members are committed to challenging adversity and building tomorrow's leaders.
About South Atlantic Conference
The South Atlantic Conference, now in its 47th year of existence, continues to be one of the premier NCAA Division II Conferences. With 13 full-member institutions, the conference is renowned for its athletic tradition and excellence as well as its commitment to academic excellence. The SAC develops inclusive student-athlete leaders who achieve excellence in the classroom, in athletic competition, in civic engagement, and who graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to make a positive difference in a multicultural society.