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Illini volleyball coach Kevin Hambly doesn't expect his program to begin playing sand volleyball while it is an NCAA emerging sport. NCAA Division I members, at a Jan. 15 meeting, re-affirmed the addition of sand volleyball as an emerging sport for women.

A vote was taken on a proposal to strike down the previous adoption of sand volleyball, but it failed to attain the minimum five-eighths majority. All Big Ten schools voted against moving forward with sand volleyball.

Play is expected to begin in 2011-12, a year later than initially planned because of extended debate on the issue. If enough schools add the program during the following 10 years, sand volleyball would become an NCAA championship sport.

Hambly said he favors adding scholarship opportunities for female athletes but argues this is the wrong time, because of a weak economy, to be adding sports.
"Schools are cutting budgets, states are struggling, and it will be interesting to see what schools have

the money to get this started," he said.

After sand volleyball initially was approved in April 2009, opposition arose, primarily among land-locked and cold-weather schools. Their objections focused on whether schools with sand volleyball would gain a competitive and recruiting advantage over those that chose not to field a team.

"If we do or don't have sand ball, will kids not be interested?" Hambly asked. "Will it drive more players to the warmer states?"

But Hambly also acknowledges that cold-weather schools have proven they can be nationally successful in sports best suited to warm weather, such as golf, softball and tennis.

Hambly also has concerns about losing the traditional practice period in the spring, which he considers vital to the development of players' skills.

"It just raises more and more questions," Hambly said of the addition of sand volleyball, "and I am not sure we can know anything at this time. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out."