New beach volleyball facility to be built in USF Athletics District

TAMPA, FEB. 18, 2026 - University of South Florida CEO of Athletics today announced plans for a six-court beach volleyball facility to be constructed within the current Tampa General Hospital Athletics District on the Tampa campus.

"We are very excited for the debut season of our beach volleyball program under head coach , which begins this week, and thrilled to be able to add to that excitement by announcing plans for a new beach volleyball facility that will begin hosting competition on our campus next season," Higgins said. "Through a combination of University and private funding, we look forward to providing our student-athletes, coaches and fans with an excellent competition and practice facility within the footprint of our Athletics District that will be the home of USF beach volleyball and play an integral role in the future success of our student-athletes and program."

The beach volleyball facility will feature six lighted courts situated next to the USF Track and Field Stadium and the newly opened USF Tennis Facility. A large digital scoreboard, which will be named in recognition of a tremendous gift from Steve and Teresa Oscher - along with a state-of-the-art sound system - will enhance the fan experience and amplify the energy that surrounds beach volleyball competitions. Supporters interested in contributing to the facility's continued development are encouraged to visit this LINK.

"Our student-athletes and coaches were absolutely thrilled when Rob shared the facility plans with the team earlier this week," Head Coach said. "This is something we've been working toward since I was selected to lead the program, and we are grateful for the support of the University and our private donors who are making it possible. My goal is to make Bulls beach volleyball nationally recognized and to develop student-athletes who compete at the highest level. This facility, located on our beautiful campus, is a major step toward achieving our program's highest goals and will provide a great venue for fans to experience beach volleyball and cheer on the Bulls."

The Bulls open their inaugural season Feb. 20-21 at the Green Wave Invitational, hosted by Tulane University. South Florida will host two home events this spring on Clearwater Beach. The Bulls will welcome five teams for the Stampede Beach Opener, March 27-28, and four teams for The Gulf Front Invitational, April 17-18. The latter event will feature three teams-Florida State University, Louisiana State University and Florida Gulf Coast University-that were ranked in the top 25 last season. The Bulls are currently practicing at McDugald Park in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa.

Piantadosi-Lima was named to lead the USF beach volleyball program in June 2023 and guided the Bulls through roster development and a practice season in 2024-25 ahead of their varsity debut this spring. She previously founded and owned Optimum Beach in St. Petersburg, which was named the 2022 USA Volleyball Beach Club of the Year, and she earned 2022 USA Volleyball Female Junior Coach of the Year honors. A native of Brazil, Piantadosi-Lima enjoyed a 17-year professional playing career, capturing eight U.S. professional tournament championships, five tour titles and eight finals appearances on the Banco do Brasil Tour, and six South American Tour championships.

About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 21 varsity teams, with 20 competing at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women's lacrosse and women's beach volleyball. The Bulls' athletic program, founded in 1965, celebrates its 60^thseason in 2025-26.

Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the Tampa General Hospital Athletics District on the east end of USF's Tampa campus. The Bulls have won 154 conference titles across 16 sports, with 82 men's championships and 72 women's championships. Men's tennis and men's soccer lead with 20 titles each, while women's programs have been headlined by women's tennis (14) and volleyball (13). Since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, USF has secured 36 conference team titles.

Academically, USF student-athletes have achieved a program record of 22 consecutive semesters with a combined GPA of 3.0 or above as of fall 2025. Since 2015, more than 800 Bulls have earned their degrees.

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