Volleyball's New Spin – a Win for Women
By Kerri Walsh, Pro Beach Volleyball Player, San Antonio Sun, 12/15/05

‘Tis the season — and what a season this year has brought. It was the 25th anniversary of the NCAA women's volleyball championships. I can't help but be excited for the women who were on the court in San Antonio and admire the progress that female student-athletes have made during the past 25 years. What started very quietly in 1981 has resulted in avid popularity. The first women's volleyball championships had minimal media coverage. The games are now televised nationwide and covered in major daily newspapers and sports magazines.

The awareness of, and participation in, women's college sports has grown markedly because of barriers kicked down during these past 25 years. Today, more than 150,000 female student-athletes participate in intercollegiate athletics and compete for a total of 44 NCAA championships in 20 sports. Thanks to the NCAA and a host of supporters backing women's sports, a generation of women has grown up with its sights set on winning national collegiate titles — while earning academic degrees and developing life skills that will help them long after their time in college. Young girls today can't imagine life any other way. What a tribute this is to our progress.

Full article can be seen online at http://www.mysanantonio.com/columnists/stories/MYSA121505.02O.walshcomment.168b42b4.html