LakePoint, Ga. – The Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) and Eleven Sports announced a broadcast partnership for the sport of beach volleyball. With this partnership, Eleven Sports will broadcast the 2018 CCSA Championship Semifinals and Final on Sunday, April 22 from the Rally Volleyball Complex at LakePoint Sporting Community.
The CCSA rebranded in the summer of 2016 to expand its sports offerings. Previously, the CCSA had only been a swimming and diving conference, but with the expansion, beach volleyball became part of the league. Beach volleyball launched with eight founding members, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University (FIU), Florida State University, Georgia State University, Louisiana State University (LSU), University of South Carolina and Tulane University.
Since the inaugural season, the conference has expanded to 10 members in beach volleyball with the College of Charleston and University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) joining the league in 2017. Each of the previous two championships have been played at the Rally Volleyball Complex, with Florida State winning both titles.
Eleven Sports positions themselves as a sports hub "For The Fans", where emerging and established sports will be combined with engaging and compelling action tailored towards the millennial generation. With the launch of their new digital channel, Eleven Prime, Eleven has opened the doors to more viewers and a new demographic. The CCSA Championship will be airing live on Eleven Prime on twitch.tv along with their linear channel; which is available on on DIRECTV channel 623, Verizon Fios channel 597 and AT&T U-verse channel 1665.
"Eleven Sports is thrilled to announce our partnership with the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association", said Anthony Bailey, SVP Managing Director for Eleven Sports in the U.S. "We are looking forward to showcasing the CCSA Volleyball Championship and excited to be airing the semifinals live for the first time in conference history".
The NCAA recognized beach volleyball as its 90th championship sport in 2016 and the CCSA has featured multiple teams in the National Championship field in each of the past two seasons. Florida State, which finished as the national runner-up in 2016, has qualified for both NCAA National Championships, while Georgia State, LSU and South Carolina each have one appearance in the postseason tournament.
"We are excited to welcome Eleven Sports as a broadcasting partner for the 2018 CCSA Championship." said Jerome Rodgers, Executive Director of the CCSA. "Our conference includes some of the top beach volleyball programs in the nation. We continue to search for opportunities to showcase these outstanding student-athletes and when Eleven Sports showed interest in broadcasting the championship semifinals and final, we felt it would be a positive step for all parties involved."
This season, the CCSA has featured multiple teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-20 beach volleyball poll. In the most recent poll (April 2nd), seven of the 10 CCSA teams were ranked in the top-20, with four of the teams ranked in the top-10, showcasing the depth and quality of play the CCSA has to offer.
Thanks to Eleven Sports, the 2018 CCSA Championship semifinals will be aired live for the first time in conference history. All 10 league teams will participate in the 2018 CCSA Championship at the Rally Volleyball Complex.
The CCSA is a progressive NCAA Division I conference dedicated to the enhancement of opportunities for students. The conference is committed to the students who compete in its championships and their success in the classroom, in the field of competition, and life after graduation.
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