The inaugural beach volleyball team at Bryant & Stratton College- Wisconsin kicked off last Friday with a 1-4 loss vs Lake-Sumter State College and a 2-3 loss vs State College of Florida in Hickory Point Beach, FL.

The Bobcats are currently the only program in Wisconsin to offer beach volleyball, which offers a very unique opportunity to these student athletes. 

Bringing beach to the Midwest certainly comes with challenges, but Bobcats head coach Heather Curley believes that the program is set up for success. "The biggest challenge was who we would be able to compete against and how to build a schedule that would provide our student athletes with a great experience," said Curley. "We are only improving as the weeks go on and I am excited to see how we stack up against the competition." 

Beach volleyball is one of the fastest-growing female sports at the NCAA level. As a result, many volleyball athletes are interested in competing in both the spring and fall indoor season. The new program allows this to become a reality.

The beach team also features six student athletes from Puerto Rico, which came to Wisconsin to participate in the new program. 

The Bobcats will look for its first team win this weekend in Fort Wayne, Ind., with matches Friday against Carson Newman College and Principa College Friday and Saturday against Tusculum and Morehead.

By Brady Connors