Fresno Pacific plans first college beach volleyball program in Fresno area
Fresno Pacific plans three beach courts near its track complex and wants to raise $300,000 to launch the Valley’s first four-year college beach volleyball program.
Fresno Pacific University is drawing up plans for three beach volleyball courts and bleachers near its track and field complex, a move that would give the Fresno area its first four-year collegiate beach volleyball program. The school is targeting a 2027 launch and says it still needs to raise $300,000 before the inaugural season can begin.
The plan matters well beyond one new sport. Fresno Pacific already fields 15 NCAA Division II programs, and beach volleyball would add another visible piece to its athletics footprint as the university moves into a new conference home. Fresno Pacific will begin competing in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in the Fall 2026-27 academic year while remaining in the PacWest through 2025-26, putting the beach volleyball push in the middle of a broader athletic transition.
Head volleyball coach Kelsee Montagna said Valley recruits have already been asking when beach volleyball would arrive, and some players have had to go elsewhere to play the sport. That makes the proposed program both a recruitment tool and a way to keep local talent in Fresno rather than losing it to other colleges. Montagna’s profile gives the effort added weight. Fresno Pacific has said she helped reshape the women’s volleyball program and earned both PacWest Conference Coach of the Year and American Volleyball Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year honors. The university has also said she directed the Valley Volleyball Club and previously assisted with indoor and beach volleyball at Fresno City College.
The timing lines up with a stronger local beach volleyball scene. Fresno City College’s women’s beach volleyball team just finished 29-0 and won the 2026 3C2A state championship after taking second place in 2024 and 2025. ABC30 has also reported that three Fresno Pacific indoor volleyball players were dual-enrolled at Fresno City College to play beach volleyball, a reminder that the region already has athletes stitching together opportunities across campuses. If Fresno Pacific can raise the money and build the courts, the school could offer those players a pathway close to home.
For Fresno County, the project is a test of whether a private university can turn donor interest into a new competitive niche. The renderings point to more than a symbolic addition; they suggest a real facility effort with construction, fundraising and scheduling implications. If the courts open on time in 2027, Fresno Pacific would not just add a sport. It would expand the county’s college athletics pipeline and give local beach volleyball players a place to stay.
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