Head coach Jeff Nelson and assistant head coach Lisa Beauchene are heading the sand volleyball program, which Nelson has taken on in addition to his duties indoors. Beauchene said the sand play appeals to a broader range of potential players.
“It’s a way for us to get an edge on some of the teams that are very good programs,” Beauchene said. “It really complements our weather here, and brings some interest from the northern states and the east where maybe they don’t have that opportunity.”
While Nelson has been adamant about looking in-state for future players, he said the Lobos expect to start getting second looks from highly touted recruits across the nation.
“One of the reasons we took the proposal to Paul (Krebs) was because we felt like we were losing a pool of recruits,” he said. “For us, we felt that we had to go this direction.”
Sophomore Julia Warren is one of the hybrid players taking part in both indoor volleyball and sand volleyball. She said the new sport is going to bring attention to UNM.
“All the big programs in Division I have sand and indoor volleyball, so this is definitely going to put us out there with a different demographic in recruiting,” Warren said. “A lot of the girls will only talk to schools if they have both programs. It is only going to benefit recruiting and up the hype for UNM volleyball.”
New Mexico is serving as a trial runner in the Mountain West for the sand program. However, UNM is drawing interest from several teams in its conference interested in keeping pace with the sport. The NCAA has taken sand volleyball off the ‘emerging sport’ list: it is now a full-fledged NCAA-sponsored sport.
Nelson has appointed seven sand-only players and seven players that will play both on the hardwood and the sand. Nelson said indoor players will likely be in better shape in the fall with the added training on the soft surface.
“I think, for all of us, it is only improving our skills for indoor,” Warren said. “I think, for those of us going indoor and outdoor, it is only going to benefit us.”
The level of play the Lobos will bring to the inaugural sport remains to be seen. While New Mexico certainly wants to be a top-notch competitor, Nelson said he is just going to have to see where his squad fits in with the competition.
“This first year we’re really kind of operating on a minimum budget,” Nelson said. “We just need to find out what’s happening and really get our hands and feet dirty this first season and see where we’re at so we can build a solid program for this University.”
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Nelson said that, despite the low budget, he has devised a schedule that will bring some of the best competition the Lobos’ way in order to figure out exactly where the team stands.
While the squad has not yet officially released which of the 14 players will be partnered together, the Lobos will first embark on March 8 against LSU.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
