Pac-12 adds beach volleyball as 23rd sport

Sand volleyball has been added as the 23rd Pac-12-sponsored sport beginning in the 2015-16 academic year, the Pac-12 Conference announced on Sunday in San Francisco.

With eight member institutions (Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington) currently fielding sand volleyball teams, the Conference of Champions becomes the first major conference to sponsor sand volleyball as an official sport.

The decision comes after a vote by the presidents and chancellors of the 12 member universities at the annual Pac-12 summer meetings.

As part of the addition, the Pac-12 will also sponsor a sand volleyball championship in 2016, the format of which will be determined based upon the to-be-established NCAA qualification requirements.

Last season, USC sand volleyball went undefeated to capture its first AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Team Championship. Stay with Pac-12 Networks and Pac-12.com for continuing sand volleyball coverage.