Saturday's national championship showdown between Penn State and Texas in Tampa, Fla., marks the end of the NCAA season. With the American Volleyball Coaches Association's annual convention taking place in Tampa in conjunction with the NCAA Tournament, however, the volleyball world looks to continue to grow.

The AVP is there rolling out a system to enable aspiring beach stars to achieve their dreams.

Yesterday's column expressed the need for a developmental pipeline in beach volleyball. Today, the AVP made an announcement detailing that pipeline—the ProTrack—from collegiate sand volleyball and the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship to new U26 and Qualifying Tours.

Collegiate Sand Volleyball

It starts with the push to defeat a sand volleyball override. For background information on the fate-determining vote coming Jan. 15 in Atlanta, click here.

Prior to open discussion at today's Division I coaches meeting, AVP CEO Jason Hodell addressed coaches. He emphasized the AVP’s interest in sand volleyball as a collegiate sport—a vital piece of the developmental pipeline.

Hodell made several points illustrating the need for collegiate sand volleyball and the benefits it will bring:

--The average age of women in the top 16 is over 30.

--On average, it takes more than three years to achieve a fifth-place finish for a player who starts playing sand volleyball after college.

--Internationally, athletes become specialized (indoor vs. outdoor) by age 16. In Brazil and China, this age is often lower.

--The AVP will help generate star power and make volleyball a more dominant sport in the United States.

--The AVP will work with the AVCA to deliver a coaching education program

Billy Stone, Executive Producer of the Alt Games, represented CBS College Sports Network while speaking in support of the media interest, both past and present, in sand volleyball.

Hodell spoke with Division II coaches as well, delivering a similar message but also praising them for taking the lead and unequivocally adopting sand volleyball next season.

Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship

Another opportunity for college athletes will come at the College Beach Volleyball Championship May 1 and 2 in Santa Barbara, Calif., as part of the AVP Santa Barbara Open.

The event will be restructured to include either 16 or 24 two-person teams. Eligibility requirements have also changed. Players who graduate 2010 and have exhausted their indoor eligibility or who graduated in 2008 or 2009 are eligible to compete.

Each school representing a team in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll will have the first opportunity to enter the championship. The AVCA will then review interest from other schools and work with the AVP and CBS College Sports Network to complete the field. Only one team per school may enter. If more than two athletes from a school show interest, the institution will decide which two-player team to enter.

A $5,000 prize purse will be awarded, with the winning team receiving $2,500; runner-up, $1,500; and other semifinalists, $500 each.

Also, the winning team will receive an automatic qualifier position in the 2010 AVP Huntington Beach Open.

U26 Tour

Immediately following 2010's College Beach Volleyball Championship, the AVP will launch the ProTrack's next step: the U26 Tour.

The AVP U26 Tour (for athletes 26 years old and under) will offer a path for aspiring beach volleyball players to reach the AVP Tour's main draw.

It will pay out $5,000 in prize money per event ($2,500 per gender). Players will earn AVP main draw points with each finish, and end-of-season champions will earn automatic entry into four "large-field" (32+ teams) events in 2011.

Tentative 2010 U26 Locations:

Siesta Key, Fla.

Long Beach, N.Y.

Milwaukee, Wis.

Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Qualifying Tour

Next on the ProTrack is the Qualifying Tour (formerly “Young Guns”). In 2010, the Qualifying Tour will include 12 events and pay out $10,000 in prize money per event ($5,000 per gender). Players will earn AVP main draw points with each finish. End-of-season Qualifying Tour champions will also earn entry into four large-field events in 2011.

Locations and dates for the 2010 Qualifying Tour are still being finalized.

Amateur

For those not yet ready to go pro, plenty of regional and local amateur opportunities still exist. Barefoot has a series of AVPNext-sanctioned events that take place year-round. Regional associations such as the California Beach Volleyball Association, MPVA, and East End Volleyball, plus large festival events such as Seaside and MotherLode provide additional options.

For those who are ready to go pro, a track to the AVP Tour awaits. Support Division I colleges voting NO on the override Jan. 15 in Atlanta to bolster beach volleyball’s developmental pipeline.