Texas Beach: Who’s Bringing the Heat on Sand and the Future of Beach in TX

<p class="p1">As more and more colleges and universities explore the opportunity for a beach volleyball program, in Texas there are a few schools that have been ahead of the curve and established a beach program: Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, Sam Houston State, SFA, Texas A&amp;M - Commerce, TCU, Texas A&amp;M - Kingsville. Some schools that are considering starting a program include Baylor, North Texas, Houston, and Texas A&amp;M - College Station.</p> <p class="p1">Although the UIL does not have beach volleyball as a high school sport, there are several opportunities for girls and boys across the state to be recruited for sand programs in college. As the sport grows at the next level, I expect for the UIL to begin taking steps to implement a beach program in the near future to give high school athletes more channels to be watched and recruited on the sand.</p> <p class="p1">In Texas, indoor volleyball is much more popular with high school athletes, but there are a few standouts who have committed to play for their respective college’s beach volleyball team. Across the state, sand tournaments are held for all ages, which is typically where most girls get looks from college coaches for scholarships. As the sport grows, more and more girls and boys will have opportunities to be recruited and play beach volleyball in college. Everything is bigger in Texas, and I believe the beach volleyball scene will be on the rise very soon in middle schools, high schools, and clubs.</p> <p class="p1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="87436" first="Kylee" last="Fitzsimmons"] - </b>Class of 2021, Arizona University Beach Volleyball Commit</p> <p class="p1"> Kylee plays club volleyball for Madsand, a beach volleyball club in Plano. She committed to Arizona’s beach team to continue her volleyball career. At 5’11”, Kylee has a major height advantage which gives her an edge on the sand. She can move across the court well and is strategic with her shots on the outside and back row.</p> <p class="p1"> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p class="p1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="87458" first="Hailey" last="Hutchings"] </b>- Class of 2021, Grand Canyon University Beach Volleyball Commit</p> <p class="p1">Hailey is a versatile hitter that can swing well off of transition and serve receive in the middle and right side. At 5’10”, she has great height for sand and will be well suited for a pass-hit player on the sand. She plays in the Texas Beach Volleyball tournaments and was recruited to Grand Canyon where she will continue her career on their beach volleyball team.</p> <p class="p1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="87498" first="Arden" last="Besecker"] - </b>Class of 2022, Florida State University Beach Volleyball Commit</p> <p class="p1">Arden has an impressive beach recruitment video series that showcases her talent on the sand. She plays club with Austin Skyline and participates in beach tournaments as well. Committing to Florida State as a sophomore, Arden has tons of potential to become an excellent beach player and be a stand out in her freshman year at FSU on the sand. She has great control of her passing on serve receive and adapts well to her partner’s second touches. Her jump float serve will be a force to be reckoned with for her opponents.</p>