MARSHALL, Texas – A new and exciting era will begin in 2022-23 as the East Texas Baptist University athletic department announces the addition of women's beach volleyball. This new sport becomes the 23^rd team sport for ETBU and the seventh new program added in the past six years joining men's lacrosse, hockey, acrobatics and tumbling, men's and women's golf, and bass fishing. Their first competition will be in 2023.
 
ETBU will be the second NCAA Division III program in Texas and eighth overall to have women's beach volleyball. Berry College (GA), Bob Jones University (SC), Hendrix College (AR), Huntingdon College (AL), LaGrange College (GA), Mary Hardin-Baylor, and Stevenson University (MD) are the other NCAA Division III programs.
 
"We are pleased to announce the addition of Beach Volleyball to ETBU Tiger Athletics.  Beach Volleyball has made one of the quickest transitions from an emerging sport to a championship sport in NCAA history and is one of the fastest growing NCAA sports over the past few years," Vice President for Student Engagement and Athletics Ryan Erwin said.  "We feel that Beach Volleyball will be a natural fit at ETBU and look forward to expanding our athletic opportunities for female student-athletes within the department, as we recruit quality young women of faith and character, who are dedicated to excelling on the sand and in life."
 
Assistant volleyball coach Allison Kuster will lead the new program as beach volleyball's head coach. Her connections in both East and West Texas will help build this new program after coaching at Hardin-Simmons University and LeTourneau University as an assistant coach. She earned conference honors from the American Southwest Conference three of her four years playing at HSU and is in the Cowgirl record book for points, kills, digs, and aces.
 
"I have always had a passion for the sport of beach volleyball. I am thrilled that ETBU has decided to add this growing NCAA sport and I am honored to lead the program. As a NCAA Division III school, I am excited about the opportunity to provide a great student-athlete experience that is both competitive and Christ-centered," says Kuster.
 
The NCAA approved a multidivisional championship in 2015 for beach volleyball with 88 NCAA teams currently competing across the country. This sport is played in a dual meet style with five pairs and one (sixth) alternate pair competing in a best of three out of five match format. Each pair competes in a two-out-of-three set competition with the first two sets being played to 21 points and the third set to 15 poitns. A pair must win two sets to win a match and the first team to win three matches wins the meet.
 
"The addition of beach volleyball will be a great way to enhance our athletic department by attracting quality student athletes. We are grateful for the support from our administration to expand our athletic programs. It shows their commitment to making the student-athlete experience the best in class," says head volleyball coach Mallory Matthews. "Coach Kuster will do a great job leading this program spiritually and on the court. She brings a considerable amount of knowledge to this program from her years of experience in beach and indoor volleyball."
 
Other teams competing across the state of Texas include Texas Christian, Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Houston Baptist, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
ETBU will develop a beach court facility behind the Dean Healthplex for competition to begin in January 2023.