Beach volleyball is the newest installment in Texas’ long list of athletic programs. With two competitive seasons now under its belt, the team has recently joined the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, or CCSA, joining the likes of ranked teams such as Florida State, LSU and South Carolina.
Texas head coach Stein Metzger ended his first season with the Longhorns on a high note. Metzger led the team to two victories in 2024, including Texas’ first success against a ranked team with a 4-1 win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
To build up this program’s experience is necessary. Joining a conference like the CCSA will help the Longhorns gain familiarity with other ranked teams that they will need to take on to have a winning season.
“We are excited to join the CCSA, which provides our student-athletes the opportunity to compete against some of the nation’s best,” Metzger told Texas Athletics. “Considering the changing landscape of college athletics, I feel confident we are joining the right group of institutions that have the motivation and resources to support women’s collegiate athletics, specifically beach volleyball.”
With only 11 players on the roster, the beach volleyball team is incredibly young. Almost all current players transferred within the last two years.
Redshirt sophomore Macey Butler and redshirt junior Katie Hashman both recently transferred to Texas from UCLA, with junior Chloe Charles joining from Florida State and junior Hannah Ogden from Stephen F. Austin. Graduate student Maddison Parmelly traded Florida Gulf Coast for Texas, while redshirt sophomore Ava Patton left the ranks of TCU. Junior Emma Grace Robertson previously played for Florida Atlantic, senior Kylie Wickey left Arizona State and junior Presley Wright transferred from South Carolina. Only rising sophomore Carys Patton has spent all of her collegiate career with Texas, now entering her second season.
Metzger built up a team of Texas natives, with several listing their hometowns as Austin. The singular out-of-town athlete is senior Karin Zolnercikova, hailing all the way from the city of Orlova in the Czech Republic.
Although each player is heading into their second season in Austin, they each carry skills and experiences that they gained while playing at each of their respective schools. Ranked teams especially, such as UCLA and Florida State, have more established programs that athletes are able to find value from playing in. Now, the Longhorns have the chance to test their abilities by playing against them.
“We have an incredible group of trailblazing student-athletes and a world-class coaching staff who already have initiated the foundation of our program,” Sarah Baumgartner, Texas executive senior associate athletic director, told Texas Athletics. “This conference affiliation helps pave the way for future success.”
Coming off a 7–8 debut season, the Texas team looks to make its way into the world of collegiate beach volleyball and, one day, bring home a national championship. Until then, its main focus for this spring is learning how to face off against ranked teams with established longevity.
