LSU hires Brock to lead sand volleyball program

LSU has named its first-ever sand volleyball head coach.

With the program heading toward its inaugural season this coming spring, the Tigers’ athletic department announced this week that Russell Brock will be the team’s first head coach.

Brock lands at LSU after eight seasons as an assistant coach for Rice’s indoor team – a time that saw the Owls win 141 games and make two trips to the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to leading the sand team, Brock will serve as the associate head coach for the Tigers’ indoor volleyball squad.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to have the opportunity to join the LSU family and to be an integral part of the inception of the LSU sand volleyball program,” Brock said. “Sand volleyball has been a passion of mine for a long time. I feel blessed to be able to invest the time and energy to help develop LSU into one of the best programs in the country.”

In Brock, the Tigers are adding arguably one of best volleyball minds in the South.

While at Rice, the new LSU coach worked primarily with middle blockers and the Owls’ defensive attack. Brock coached two All-American blockers during his stint with Rice, including three-time All-American Nancy Cole. In total, Brock coached eight All-Conference USA players and four player on Rice’s top seven all-time blockers.

Before coaching at Rice, Brock spent 11 years at Baytown Christian Academy in Texas, coaching the team to multiple state championships.

As a player, Brock was a standout at the University of Southern California, setting the program’s record for digs.

LSU indoor head coach Fran Flory said Brock is a great hire.

“I’m very excited to add Russell to our LSU volleyball family and staff,” Flory said. “He is an amazing coach and an even more amazing person. His ties to the sand volleyball community along with his extensive experience in the sport make him a perfect fit to help start our program. He is an outstanding recruiter which will enable him to attract outstanding sand volleyball student athletes into our program.”

So now, it seems like the only question left unanswered is how the Tigers will compete in their first-ever sand season.

Brock and LSU Athletics Director Joe Alleva think so.

Both coach and AD said that they are excited about the birth of LSU’s latest sport, adding that the Tigers hope to be competitive right away.

Without question, sand volleyball is the fastest-growing NCAA sport. In the 2014 season, programs like LSU, Notre Dame, Arizona State and Oregon will compete in their first-ever varsity seasons.

Other programs like Alabama, UL-Monroe, Hawaii and other top-tier programs that have kicked off their programs.

In last season’s competition, a doubles team from USC took home the individual titles.

Long Beach State University won the team-wide national championship.

“LSU is excited to be on the forefront of adding the new sport of Women’s Sand Volleyball and increasing participation opportunities for our female student-athletes,” Alleva said. “I am confident that under the leadership of Head Coach Fran Flory and Associate Head Coach Russell Brock, we will have a very competitive and successful team.”

Brock agreed, but reflected the credit back to Alleva.

He said that the Tigers will be successful because of the money the university is agreeing to put into the upstart program.

Since the program’s birth, Alleva and other LSU officials have said that they have plans to fully support sand volleyball so that the program can survive in the early years of its inception.

“With the resources and support that LSU provides its athletic teams along with the ability to attract elite athletes to this respected university, I have high expectations for the program,” Brock said. “I can’t wait to start working hard with the program.”

LSU is expected to announce it’s 2014 schedule in the coming weeks.

According to the team’s official website, five players are currently on the Tigers’ roster.

More are expected to be added before the season.