TAMPA, Fla., February 16, 2026 – The time has finally come for USF's beach volleyball program — a great idea for a campus surrounded by some of America's best beaches — and imaginations are shifting into overdrive as the first official match approaches.
 
"We can be great … really great," said Bulls defender Josephine Sek, a graduate student from Toronto who was part of TCU's national-championship team last season. "I don't see a ceiling here. None at all.''
 
"We have the opportunity to make it top 20, top 10, top five in the country … whatever we want it to be," said Bulls blocker Sasha Pasloski, a sophomore from Calgary and one of six returners from last season, when USF had practices and exhibition matches. "The whole thing has been so anticipated. I just can't wait to get my hands on a volleyball where we're actually playing.''
 
On her bathroom mirror, Pasloski wrote a quote that she reads every morning.
 
It could be THIS SEASON.
 
Meaning: USF might be far more than a modest start-up program. Watch out, world! Here come the Bulls.
 
"All the stuff we've been talking about with future focus and what can be accomplished here … what if we're this program right now?'' Pasloski said. "It really is exactly what we make it.''
 
That's exactly what Bulls head coach Pri Piantadosi-Lima, a 17-year professional beach player and six-time champion representing Brazil on the South American Tour, envisioned when she accepted the USF job in 2023.
 
Piantadosi-Lima, a Tampa Bay area resident for the past 15 years, helped launch Eckerd College's beach program in 2015 and produced 92 collegiate players as owner/founder of Optimum Beach, a St. Petersburg-based club program.
 
"My peers on the pro tour would always ask me, 'Pri, why don't you coach college?' '' Piantadosi-Lima said. "Well, I wasn't going to leave paradise. I love the bay, you know. But I was like, 'It would be really cool if South Florida started a program. And it would be even cooler if they hired me.'
 
"So I think I kind of manifested this job. Thankfully, I became a really good candidate. Now here we are. It was such a no-brainer location-wise and potential-wise. I already lived here. We've been so looking forward to getting this off the ground. Now we're ready to go.''
 
USF begins Friday, Feb. 20, at the Green Wave Invitational in New Orleans, where the Bulls will face New Orleans, LSU, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tulane over the two-day event.
 
The Bulls will host a pair of events on Clearwater Beach — the March 27-28 Stampede Beach Opener (featuring Sacramento State, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, UAB and UTEP) and the Gulf Front Invitational (featuring Florida State, LSU, Florida Gulf Coast and Mercer, each ranked in last season's top 20).
 
There are 70 NCAA Division I beach volleyball programs vying for 16 spots in the NCAA Tournament. Because the American Conference doesn't have enough beach programs, USF will compete in Conference USA (along with defending champion Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Jacksonville State, Missouri State, Sam Houston, Tarleton State, Tulane, UAB and UTEP).
 
For those accustomed to USF's indoor volleyball program, which reached last December's NCAA Tournament, beach volleyball is a completely different vibe. It's five Olympic-style two-person teams (with a sixth non-scored match), usually competing simultaneously, and the first program to three match victories is the winner.
 
"I started with indoor volleyball and played beach in the summers, but when I turned 16, I went full-time beach,'' Sek said. "I think it's so much more fun. I'm biased, but I think it's the best sport you could play in college. You're more connected with your partner and more involved. It's outside in the elements.
 
"There's the music, the cheering, such a fiery environment. I mean, you're at the beach and it's great volleyball. I think it's an awesome sport for the fans to follow and be part of.''
 
The combination of a new beach program located in a beach volleyball Mecca (Tampa Bay) has been attractive for players.
 
The Bulls have a pair of players — Sek (TCU) and split Zoey Mitchell (USC) — who have been part of national-championship teams. A few others — blocker Julia Panko (FIU), split Addison Bounds (Cal Poly) and blocker Abigail Lagemann (South Carolina) — transferred from highly regarded programs.
 
Meanwhile, Piantadosi-Lima is high on young players such as freshman defenders Cornelia Crudu (Canada), Tereza Lajkebová (Czech Republic) and Raíssa Lucena (Brazil). There are also six freshmen who attended Florida high schools.
 
"We have some international freshmen who are going to rock this world,'' Piantadosi-Lima said. "We have big goals. We want to win our conference and go to nationals. That's what this program will stand for.''
 
It's a long way from Piantadosi-Lima's hiring, when she had no assistants, no players, no support staff … just a dream.
 
But so far, the reality of USF beach volleyball has surpassed her dreams.
 
"When I signed up for this job, I didn't know exactly what to expect in a lot of areas,'' said Piantadosi-Lima, a member of the University of Louisiana's Athletic Hall of Fame for her indoor volleyball career. "I didn't know that we'd have this kind of support staff and the school would be giving us all the resources we need to be competitive right off the bat.
 
"I was prepared for anything. But when I realized we were truly seeking to be the best and win (immediately), I was ready. You don't have to tell me twice. I mean, let's go!''
 
Piantadosi-Lima said she believes USF beach volleyball will quickly become a fan favorite.
 
"It's the ultimate sport where you learn how to be self-driven,'' Piantadosi-Lima said. "There are no subs. If you're not doing well, you've got to learn how to turn it around or else you're just going to crumble. No matter whether you're up or down, the goal is to sustain who you are the entire time.''
 
"The actual playing is so raw and intense, face to face,'' Pasloski said. "If you want to say something, it comes out. If you want to cheer aggressively, it's going to come out loud. It's an interesting paradox because the beach volleyball lifestyle is so laid-back. When people get the opportunity to see it, they're going to be hooked on the environment. They'll be like, 'Oh my gosh, this is what beach volleyball is? This is so cool.''
 
About USF Beach Volleyball
The University of South Florida Beach Volleyball program is the newest program in the now 21-team USF Athletics program. South Florida Beach Volleyball joined Conference USA on July 1, 2025. Pri Piantadosi-Lima was named South Florida's first-ever beach volleyball head coach on June 6, 2023. She also serves as the head coach of USAV Beach and the national team development program and was honored as the 2022 USA Volleyball Female Junior Coach of the Year. Before joining South Florida, Piantadosi-Lima helped launch the Eckerd College program in 2015 as an assistant coach and helped lead the program to its first AVCA national championship and two consecutive NCAA championship podium finishes.

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