Iowa Central continues to lead by example when it comes to junior college athletics.

The school announced on Wednesday plans to add women’s beach volleyball to the list of sports offered starting this fall. They will be the first junior college in the state of Iowa to do so.

“There’s a different kind of energy when you know you’re the first,” said Iowa Central athletic director Guy Horn. “You get to set the tone, create a culture and leave a legacy for others to follow.

“Every great journey starts with a single step. That step then becomes a leap toward growth and something bigger than yourself. This is a great opportunity for our current staff to grow, develop and lead the program to new heights.”

Since 2020, beach volleyball has seen a 50 percent growth rate at the collegiate level in the United States. At the NCAA ranks alone, over 100 institutions field teams with over 1,600 athletes competing in the sport in 2023.

This past year, TCU won the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship over Loyola Marymount in Gulf Shores, Ala. A total of 16 teams competed in the single-elimination tournament, which was first played in 2016 with USC and UCLA winning all eight previous titles.

The youth numbers are also growing for beach volleyball at a 15 percent increase in recent years in terms of teams competing at the national level. The 2024 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour featuered a record number of events in 2024 with 59 across 20 different countries.

Palm Beach State won the 2025 NJCAA national beach volleyball title, besting State College of Florida. That tournament took place in early May from Huntsville, Ala. with eight teams in all qualifying.

The NJCAA has announced plans to add a pairs event at the 2026 NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championship with 16 groups competing over two days.

Iowa Central will lean on Sara Horn and Gabby Marker to lead the program. Horn has helped transform the Triton volleyball team into national title contenders with Marker serving as her assistant after playing for Horn.

“We’re really excited about adding women’s beach volleyball,” Sara Horn said. “In addition to the new training opportunities our players will get, it provides potential student athletes a chance to play a new sport that is growing rapidly in popularity.

“With consistent growth in youth volleyball participation, we’ve seen many youth beach volleyball clubs popping up in Iowa and surrounding states, and we’re excited to give girls the opportunity to continue playing at the college level.”