USF beach volleyball excited to kick off inaugural season

TAMPA, Fla. - Beach volleyball at USF is almost here with the Bulls opening up their inaugural season in Louisiana on Friday against New Orleans. 

"We have been brewing this so we are excited to show everybody to showcase our talent, energy and what we are going to be about," USF head coach Pri Piantadosi-Lima said.

One thing is clear heading into Year 1: the Bulls are all about intensity. The team has grown from six to 19 in one offseason. That has ramped up the energy. 

"The competition is fierce to say the least," USF redshirt freshman blocker Sasha Pasloski said.

That competitiveness is at a high level because there is a lot at stake — history is on the line.

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Big picture view:

"The opportunity to set the standard for the accountability and the history we are going to make; the legacy of this team is unlike any opportunity in the country," Pasloski said. "There are no preestablished traditions. It is entirely up to us how hard we are going to work and what we are going to make this team."

The inaugural season of USF beach volleyball certainly comes with its challenges, but the Bulls have some big goals. They plan to win, and to win now. 

"We want to go to nationals in our first year," Pasloski said. "We want to win conference. We want to win at Gulf Shores. We think we will have the ability to do that."

Dig deeper:

The team certainly has the talent to do that — two of the Bulls are national champions; another is a top four program transfer, and an incoming freshman was recruited by the No. 1 team in the country. While several players have advanced skills, USF knows they'll need more than that to hit those milestones. 

"I think the biggest thing is alignment - alignment to get to the level that we want," Piantadosi-Lima said. "We all agree on our goals and now we all agree on our alignment on how to get there and what is needed to get there."

The Bulls believe they already have all they need on campus.

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What they're saying:

"I can genuinely say I don't think I have ever been surrounded by so many girls who work their max every day," USF grad student Josie Sek said. "I show up constantly knowing I need to give 100 percent because everybody else is as well."

And USF is excited to show everybody what they can do.

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"I didn't know what to expect coming in but it has felt like family so far and I am really excited to actually start competing in the spring season," Sek said.

What's next:

The USF women's volleyball team kicks off its spring season against New Orleans. They will also play LSU, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Tulane this weekend.