MONROE, La. – The ULM beach volleyball team begins its eighth season on Friday, Feb. 21, when it heads to Florida State for a three-day, four-match tournament that begins with a 3 p.m. clash with the host and No. 2 ranked Seminoles on Friday.
The Warhawks, who finished with an 18-13 mark a season ago, will also face Stetson (Feb. 22 / 2:30 p.m.), Tampa (Feb. 22 / 5:30 p.m.) and TCU (Feb. 23 / 2:15 p.m.) over the course of their stint in Tallahassee.
The ULM beach volleyball program made two significant changes since last spring, including the hiring of head coach
Charlie Olson and accepting an invitation to join the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association as a beach volleyball-only member.
The Warhawks' move to the CCSA took place on December 13, 2019. Beach volleyball members of the league include UAB, College of Charleston, FAU, FIU, Florida State, Georgia State, LSU, Missouri State, South Carolina, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane and UNC Wilmington.
Olson assumed the role of head coach on August 7, after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State. He worked under long-time SHSU coach Brenda Gray, helping lead the Bearkats' indoor program to 86 victories and five consecutive appearances in the Southland Conference tournament.
Prior to SHSU, Olson served as a volunteer assistant coach at Tennessee, where he helped train All-American libero Ellen Mullins. Olson has been involved in playing and coaching volleyball for 18 years with stops in California, Idaho, Arizona, Virginia and Tennessee. In 2012, he was the Virginia State AAA Coach of the Year after leading Floyd E. Kellam High School to a third straight state championship.
"It's going to be a great beach volleyball season, and a historic one at that," said Olson. "This is our first year of competition in a conference—which, is probably one of the toughest conferences from top to bottom. Each conference match will be a challenge, and we look forward to battling each opponent. First up, national preseason rank No. 2 Florida State.
"Our team has put in lots of hard work and dedication and can't wait to perform this Friday," said Olson. "This season, we will show grit, determination, and fight in every duel. We plan on taking it one point at a time. We don't plan on overanalyzing our opponent, but rather, playing to our strengths."
