By Savannah Ruiz, University Communications and Marketing intern
The team is gearing up to make history as it heads into its inaugural season with head coach Pri Piantadosi-Lima leading the way. Players have spent months practicing at McDugald Park in Tampa and will play their first home match at Clearwater Beach.
Head coach Pri Piantadosi-Lima
For Piantadosi-Lima, the opportunity to lead USF鈥檚 first-ever beach volleyball team was serendipitous. Before the program even existed, the idea had come to life in her mind. Living in Tampa and familiar with USF, Piantadosi-Lima recalls thinking how incredible it would be if USF launched a beach volleyball program. Even more, she marveled at the idea of coaching it herself. Soon enough, that dream became reality.
While the initial opportunity drew her to USF, the overall support convinced her to stay.
鈥淲hat really drew me to accept the position was the support from administration and athletics,鈥 Piantadosi-Lima said. 鈥淭he alignment the school has with athletics really helps support us inside and out. To start a first-year program with so many resources, and to be able to pull some of the greatest talents in the country, that was really a hit.鈥
A native of Brazil -- the mecca of beach volleyball -- Piantadosi-Lima began playing beach volleyball for fun before competing on the junior circuit. Eventually, she moved to the United States, and after graduating from college, she realized she wanted to pursue the sport professionally, a journey that ultimately led her to coaching.
Now, she describes leading the team as an honor.
USF volleyball players Abigail Lagemann and Josephine Sek
鈥淭o do this with these student-athletes is going to be so sweet. They鈥檙e invested. They understand alignment, being uncomfortable and putting the program鈥檚 goals ahead of personal feelings. That鈥檚 rare. I know this is going to be a special group. It鈥檚 going to be a special year.鈥
One of those student-athletes is sophomore Sasha Pasloski. According to Pasloski, Piantadosi-Lima was the main reason she decided to join USF. It was during the recruiting process that the head coach mentioned a small detail that stuck with Pasloski 鈥 one that suggested a sense of care and involvement in the team.
Sasha Pasloski
Josephine Sek
鈥淥n one of our first recruiting calls, she told us a random fact that a lot of her past players call her 鈥楳ama Pri,鈥欌 Pasloski said. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榶eah, this is my girl.鈥 It just felt right.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 100% in our hands how accountable we're going to hold ourselves and what we're going to make of this program. Hopefully it鈥檚 something little girls can look up to and something that establishes a real legacy.鈥 鈥 USF beach volleyball player Sasha Pasloski
It's a unique opportunity to make history and this fact is not lost on Pasloski. With the beach volleyball program being brand new, there is no roadmap to follow. Some might find that intimidating, but these athletes find a sense of freedom to make their own opportunities, standards and goals.
When graduate student Josephine Sek was invited to join the team, she was excited to step into a new chapter 鈥 one with a beautiful city, a great coaching staff and an environment that felt like home.
As Sek prepares for the matches, she explains the way the players work to uphold their internal standards. 鈥淲e have expectations of ourselves,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to put everything we鈥檝e been learning into our gameplay and really show up.鈥
As far as her personal goals, Sek wants to soak it all up. It鈥檚 her final year playing collegiate beach volleyball, and she is grateful for every opportunity that came from this journey. 鈥淚 just want to enjoy every last minute of it.鈥
For these athletes, preparation goes far beyond practice. Piantadosi-Lima emphasizes how important it is that her players spend as much time focusing on academics, nutrition, sleep, community involvement and personal growth as they do on athletic performance.
It also doesn鈥檛 hurt playing beach volleyball in the sunshine state. Florida has beach weather year-round, which is vital to Pasloski and Sek. Both are from Canada, where beach volleyball is limited to a short season.
Sek also said that attending a beach volleyball match is a win-win for fans. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e at the beach, you get to watch beach volleyball and you鈥檒l probably get a nice tan,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou really can鈥檛 lose.鈥
Fans will have several chances to catch the team in action. USF kicks off the season at Tulane University Feb. 20-21. Their first home competitions are March 27-28 and will be played on Clearwater Beach. The Bulls will return to Clearwater Beach April 17-18 for another home event featuring several top 25-ranked teams, including Florida State University, Louisiana State University and Florida Gulf Coast University.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be really fun,鈥 Piantadosi-Lima said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see the fire, how exciting beach volleyball is and hopefully you鈥檒l become fans for life.鈥
The competition courts are located near the parking lot between Frenchy鈥檚 Rockaway Grill and the Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill & Bar. Admission is free.