ASUN RELEASE

MOREHEAD, Ky. – After spending its first two seasons competing as a NCAA Division I independent, Morehead State beach volleyball will have a new conference home beginning in 2019. Morehead State will join fellow independents and traditional Ohio Valley Conference foes Austin Peay and Jacksonville State in joining the Atlantic Sun Conference for beach volleyball.

"We are very excited to join the participating members of the Atlantic Sun Conference and with our current OVC members, Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, as beach volleyball conference members," said Morehead State Director of Athletics Brian Hutchinson. "It is critically important that we provide conference championship opportunities for all our student-athletes and this one fits us well. We look forward to playing a full conference schedule next season and hope to develop our niche in the league moving forward as this program continues to grow and develop."

The move to the ASUN will include a few familiar faces as well. Pioneer Football League members Stetson and Jacksonville are members of the six-team conference, joining Coastal Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, Mercer, and North Florida in the league's membership for beach volleyball.

The Atlantic Sun has a long history with the sport of beach volleyball, hosting conference tournaments each season since 2012. In 2016, conference champion Stetson qualified for the NCAA Championships as the eighth seed.

"Conference affiliation for the beach program is so important for our development, and being a part of the Atlantic Sun is a great opportunity for our student athletes," said head coach Jaime Gordon. "We are excited to be a member of such a competitive beach volleyball conference. While having a couple familiar faces is nice, we are looking forward to establishing new rivalries as well."

Morehead State is currently in its second season of competition after the sport was added to the Morehead State roster prior to the 2016-17 academic year.

The Eagles conclude their season this weekend, competing at the Ohio Valley Challenge in Clarksville, Tenn. The Eagles will play host Austin Peay and Carson-Newman (Tenn.) on Friday, before taking on Spring Hill College (Ala.) and Lincoln-Memorial (Tenn.) on Saturday.