BATON ROUGE – The LSU Athletics Department announced Tuesday that Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club will serve as the home for LSU’s sand volleyball program beginning in 2014 until an on-campus facility is constructed.
Opened in 1995, Mango’s is located off of South Sherwood Forest Boulevard in Baton Rouge. The facility has 11 sand courts where LSU will play its home matches and hold practices.
“Mango’s is an outstanding facility,” head coach Fran Flory said. “The courts and the atmosphere will be a wonderful avenue to kickoff LSU sand volleyball. We are appreciative of Mango’s owner Tim Bourgeois and his staff for allowing us to utilize such a great competitive venue. Tim has been a very positive and innovative individual within the sport of volleyball especially in the Baton Rouge area.”
“Our staff has worked for many years to provide the opportunity for Baton Rouge area sand volleyball players the opportunity to compete in a first-class facility,” Bourgeois said. “With our recent renovations and additions, we feel that serving as the site of the LSU sand volleyball program is a perfect fit. As strong advocates of the sport for many years, we are thrilled to be a part of the addition of sand volleyball within the LSU Athletics Department.”
Sand volleyball was added as LSU’s newest varsity sport in May and is currently categorized as an “emerging sport” by the NCAA. When 40 schools field varsity teams, the sport will become fully endorsed by the NCAA and will be classified as a championship sport.
Sand volleyball teams are required to play at least eight dates, three of the competitions must be dual matches. The maximum number of competitions is 16 dates, and the 2014 season begins on March 6.
For all of the latest information on Tiger sand volleyball, fans can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/LSUbeachVB and @LSUbeachVB on Twitter.