April 16, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- CBS College Sports Network, along with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the AVP, are again teaming up to stage an elite showcase featuring the nation's top women's collegiate volleyball players. Teams from Clemson University, University of Nebraska, University of San Diego, USC, University of Texas, and University of Wisconsin will compete in the 2008 Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship in San Diego, Calif. on Sunday, April 20. The Championship is part of the third annual Collegiate Nationals, a first-of-its kind event that crowns national champions in 11 events.

The USC squad will comprise of Taylor Carico, Zoe Garrett, Jessica Gysin, Alli Hillgren, Mychaela Miller, Kimmee Roleder, Geena Urango and Lauren Williams.

Extensive television coverage of the Collegiate Nationals kicks-off with a special one-hour program airing on CBS Sports on Sunday, May 25 (2:00 PM, ET). The show will launch eight consecutive days of Olympic-style programming on CBS College Sports Network, followed by sport specific shows. AVP All-Star and Olympic Bronze Medalist Holly McPeak teams with play-by-play announcer Chris McGee to call the volleyball action.

The Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship, which will take place at Mariners Point in San Diego, features a team-style format with each school fielding four teams of two players. Following the conclusion of the event, one school will be awarded the overall Championship. All six team's in this year's competition finished ranked in the 2007 CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, including No. 3-ranked USC, No. 5-ranked Nebraska and No. 6-ranked Texas. In addition, 2007 All-American players Taylor Carico (USC), Brittany Dolgner (Wisconsin) and Jordan Larson (Nebraska) will be participating. Nebraska's Larson was part of the team that won the 2007 Collegiate Nationals Beach Volleyball Championship. The complete list of teams and players are included below.

The Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship will adhere strictly to NCAA guidelines for college volleyball.

In addition to volleyball, San Diego will host a collegiate music festival and Championships for flowboarding and competitive eating. This year's Collegiate Nationals competition will again bring together athletes from over 100 different colleges and universities across the country, and will ultimately crown National Champions in 11 categories. For more information, visit www.thecollegiatenationals.com.