Beach volleyball the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was founded. At the professional level, the sport remained fairly obscure until the 1980s when beach volleyball experienced a surge in popularity with high-profile players such as Sinjin Smith, Randy Stoklos, and Karch Kiraly. Kiraly won an Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball in its first Olympic appearance in 1996, adding that to the two Olympic golds he won as part of the USA men's indoor team, and has won 142 titles. In the 1980s, the sport gained popularity on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1986, the
2018 Georgia State Panthers beach volleyball team 2018 Georgia State Panthers beach volleyball team The 2018 Georgia State Panthers beach volleyball represented Georgia State University during the college beach volleyball season of 2018. The team's head coach was Beth Van Fleet in her fifth season at GSU. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Beach Volleyball Complex and compete in the Division I Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. The 2017 season was the third as an official NCAA sport, and the second that the Panthers played in the CCSA. The Panthers finished with a 24-12 record, ranked 11th in the official NCAA sanctioned AVCA coaches poll.