GhostOfBuchanan said

It's embarrassing, especially with soccer and volleyball. We live in an area with some of the best club soccer in the nation (especially on the women's side) and we've been awful for years. Time for Donev and Dooley to take a hike.

Volleyball hasn't been much better, either.

I agree on the recruiting front for women's soccer, but it is hard to argue against these numbers:

"Winning nearly 70% of his career matches, Dooley's all-time record entering the 2009 season stands at 170-75-16 (.681), ranking him in the top 20 among active Division I coaches in career winning percentage. 10 times in 14 seasons as a head coach his teams have won 11 or more matches. Seven different times his teams have posted season win-totals of 14 or more.

The Owls have enjoyed eight winning seasons in the past nine years under Dooley. He has taken the university to its first appearance in the NCAA College Cup tournament and his 71-24-7 conference record since he took over at FAU in 1999 has put the Owls in position to consistently challenge for league titles."

Source: fausports.com

Signing one striker can turn this season's performance around down the line in a hurry…

We went from the A-Sun to the SBC - a huge upswing in league talent…and they slashed the recruiting budget as well at the same time…just saying…but  I hear ya…

GhostOfBuchanan said

It's embarrassing, especially with soccer and volleyball. We live in an area with some of the best club soccer in the nation (especially on the women's side) and we've been awful for years. Time for Donev and Dooley to take a hike.

Volleyball hasn't been much better, either.

As I mentioned a long time ago, Volleyball sold 0 tickets in the last year. So it's doesn't seem like there's any real pressure to win other than to maintain a reputation. I'm sometimes surprised that college athletics - which is a business - continues to fund these sports that don't generate revenue. I know that's a weird statement but think about it. Why do we have it? In the case of volleyball, it seems like we have it because a) we're expected to have it and b) it allows us the balance required by Title IX so we can have revenue-generating men's sports. People pay for football, people pay for basketball, people pay for baseball, people here and there pay for other sports like soccer or softball. But track? Volleyball? Swimming and diving? Do they make any money? What does a post-season victory bring in for, say, volleyball? Help me out here.

I think the University would suffer if they just kept the income sports because our best chance of getting a national championship is and will always be in the non-income sports.  They aren't just a business, they contribute to the University experience and bring in student-athletes that are generally more school spirited than their counterparts.

Rather than cut sports I think we should expand, take on Water Polo (we would be only school in the state with D-1 Water Polo), and other sports that suit our climate ("sand" volleyball begins in 2010-2011).  Bring in Men's Track (imagine the sprinter-running back possibilities), and Lacrosse (imagine the players that would rather go to school in Boca than say New Brunswick, NJ), and even Field Hockey could work.

SeminOWL2006 said

"sand" volleyball begins in 2010-2011.

Is that projection or fact?

http://www.usavolleyball.org/news/article/12131

NCAA Approves Sand Volleyball as Emerging Sport
April 22, 2009

USA Volleyball Beach Contact: B.J. Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone:  719-228-6800
E-Mail: [email protected]

(April 21, 2009) – The NCAA Division I Legislative Council added sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women, it was announced today, clearing the way for schools to use the sport toward minimum sponsorship requirements and minimum financial aid awards.  NCAA Division II had already voted to add sand volleyball to the emerging sports list at the 2009 NCAA Convention in January.

“The opportunity to play sand volleyball in the spring will spur growth in the sport. I wish I had that opportunity when I was at Stanford,” said 2008 Olympic Beach Gold Medalist, Kerri Walsh.  “Additionally, this development will give more women an opportunity for a professional volleyball career in the United States."

Capitalizing on the recent success of USA Volleyball’s beach teams in the Olympics and the growth in grassroots programs, the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics made the recommendation to add the sport to the emerging sports list last summer.

"The United States has a proud and successful history in sand volleyball, having won at least one gold medal in every Summer Games since the discipline was added to the Olympic program in 1996,” said USAV CEO Doug Beal. “This move by the NCAA is wonderful, particularly in light of the increased varsity athletic opportunities for young women at the collegiate level and the synergy with already existing USA Volleyball programs.”

"The addition of sand volleyball as an NCAA sport will help us grow the discipline and increase its visibility around the country,” said Ali Wood Lamberson, USA Volleyball’s Director of Beach Programs. “Along with USA Volleyball's already existing Beach High Performance and Development Programs and the USA Beach Junior Tour, NCAA sand volleyball opportunities will start young athletes looking at beach as an option much earlier in their careers.  This will help the United States sustain our level of competitive excellence.  Further, USAV is poised to support NCAA sand volleyball with various programs including coach and official education programs.”

The NCAA will call the new sport “sand” volleyball, rather than “beach” volleyball, in hopes that the sport will have broad appeal across the country and not be confined to coastal areas.  Already schools including The University of Texas, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Utah are competing in collegiate competitions in the spring.

“The addition of sand volleyball to the list of collegiate options is significant for our sport,” said Kathy DeBoer, Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. “With more than 400,000 girls playing high school volleyball, we welcome the addition of collegiate roster spots.”

The group most responsible for spreading the popularity of the sport beyond the California coast is the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) which hosts a series of competitions on man-made courts at in-land locations like Cincinnati, Ohio, Atlanta, Ga., and Las Vegas, Nev.  The AVP also sponsors a series of indoor sand competitions in January and February called “Hot Winter Nights” in cold-weather cities like Omaha, Ne. and Grand Rapids, Mich.

“We are thrilled that the NCAA has voted to make sand volleyball a collegiate sport,” said Jason Hodell, CEO of AVP Pro Beach Volleyball. “The vote confirms the momentum behind the sport of beach volleyball, and we are excited to help grow our sport on the college level and create new beach volleyball stars around the country.”

The NCAA will spend the next year developing the rules that will govern sand volleyball as a collegiate sport, including regulations on financial aid, playing dates and recruiting.  Institutions will be able to sponsor varsity programs starting in the 2010-2011 academic year.

We should get a team and clean house in that…

Be one of the first to do it…

More exciting than indoor volleyballl IMO…….

Plus we can recruit players for both, 1 scholarship for 2 sports.

SeminOWL2006 said

Plus we can recruit players for both, 1 scholarship for 2 sports.

Brilliant!

Rick said

More exciting than indoor volleyballl IMO…….

Because of the bikinis, you mean. That's why I've watched it anyway. I guess there's some sport in there too but yeah. Bikinis.

It's too bad that it's only for women, there is a lot of talent out on our beaches down here and guys that play volleyball in HS have to leave town in order to continue to play in college.