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MACON, Ga. – DiG Beach Volleyball Magazine released its first Women’s Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll of the 2016 season and six of eight Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) beach teams were represented among the top-20. That marks the most of any conference heading into the 2016 beach season.
Florida International (FIU) is coming off a 20-3 season last year and enters as the highest ranked CCSA team at No. 5 in the DiG poll. Tina Toghiyani and Aren Cupp are the top returning pair for the Panthers with a 13-1 overall record last season, including 5-0 in pairs competition.
Florida State comes in at No. 6 right behind the Panthers as the second highest CCSA team ranked in the poll. The Seminoles are coming off a seventh place finish at the AVCA Collegiate Championships last year and won 13 games. First year head coach Brooke Niles looks to help Florida State improve on that record in 2016.
Coming in at No. 8 is Georgia State, giving the CCSA three top-10 teams in the first poll of the season. The Panthers completed last season with an 18-3 record and a trip to the AVCA Collegiate Championships. Georgia State has put together a tough schedule, including three teams that made it to the national tournament last season.
South Carolina checks in at No. 17 in the DiG Magazine poll to open the season. The Gamecocks will play four home tournaments this upcoming season. Coming off a 14-win season, head coach Moritz Moritz has put another challenging schedule together for his squad. The pair of Sarah Blomgren and Jade Vitt returns after collecting 16 wins last season for South Carolina.
Tulane (18th) and LSU (19th) round out the six CCSA selections. The Green Wave enter their fifth season of competition and are 26-17 in the last two seasons under the direction of current head coach Wayne Holly. LSU is ranked for the first time in team history in only their third year of competition. The Lady Tigers went 14-9 last season, including a 7-2 home record. Florida Atlantic (FAU) was among nine schools receiving votes in the first DiG Magazine poll. The Owls went 9-6 last season.
The 2016 season is the first in which Beach Volleyball will hold an NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama from May 6-8. CCSA member UAB will serve as the host institution of that event, with eight teams qualifying to compete for the first-ever NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship.
