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UW volleyball: Badgers practice for beach tourney using warehouse with 270 tons of sand

The Capital Times  —  4/19/2008 8:00 am

Playing in the sand is nothing new for the University of Wisconsin volleyball team.

Doing so in April is a different story.

In preparation for the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship in San Diego on Sunday, the Badgers filled a warehouse with 270 tons of sand and used it as a practice facility.

"I know the sand game is just so good for our players," UW coach Pete Waite told a reporter for the American Volleyball Coaches Association, which, along with the CBS College Sports Network and the AVP, is putting on the event.

"Every summer for the last five or six years, our team has made a point of playing in the sand here in Madison because it makes their game so much more well-rounded."

UW players Brittney Dolgner, Caity DuPont, Katherine Dykstra, Audra Jeffers, Nikki Klingsporn, Kim Kuzma, Faye McCormack, Morgan Salow and Allison Wack will take part in the event, in which six schools contribute four teams of two players.

Clemson, Nebraska, San Diego, Texas and Southern California also are involved.

The Badgers found an unused warehouse in which to place the sand, which was used for the AVP Hot Winter Nights event at the Alliant Energy Center in January. They purchased used railroad ties to make the frame.

Players brought in rakes and shovels to level off the surface, Waite said.

The warehouse the Badgers used is scheduled for demolition, but Waite said he hopes to have a permanent sand court at some point.

"Whether it's the football team doing some sand training during their conditioning sessions, or softball or tennis or anybody, I think they like the idea of doing some sand training," Waite said.

The Capital Times  —  4/19/2008 8:00 am