Bama Beach Volleyball Club competed at nationals in February. The club had six team members medal and as a team brought home the spirit award.
Bama Beach Volleyball was founded in 2023 by graduate student Ady Pitts, who is from Panama City Beach, Florida.
Pitts says she created the club because she was frustrated at the lack of organized beach volleyball at Alabama despite there being a sand volleyball court at Burke Hall.
“I wanted to figure out a way to have consistent play and building a club was the easiest way to do that, so that’s what I did,” Pitts said.
The first year the club was on campus it only had 25 members. Since then the club has grown to over 400 members, with around 60 people who regularly compete for the club.
“It’s grown far beyond anything I could have thought it would,” Pitts said. “I think it’ll just continue to grow as beach volleyball grows across the country.”
Most recently, the club competed at the Sunshine State Outdoor Volleyball Association’s national tournament in Bradenton, Florida.
Last year, Alabama competed at the same tournament with only four members of the team. This year, the club had 19 members participate.
Of the 19, six members medaled at the tournament. The team also brought home the spirit award, which is awarded to the team that shows the most school spirit and takes the best care of the beach they play on.
“We have a lot of people who have bought into our program and into the community we have built,” Pitts said. “Seeing them be so passionate about the club and the university and taking that to other cities, states, and cheering on their teammates while they’re playing is really inspiring.”
The Bama Beach Volleyball Club will compete again in a co-ed tournament on Saturday at The Venue in Northport.
