The University of Hawai'i is looking to add a women's sand volleyball program, officials said yesterday.

The NCAA Legislative Council this week declared sand volleyball "an emerging sport" for women, opening the way for varsity competition on the Division I level for 2010-11.

"We are looking at it," athletic director Jim Donovan acknowledged.

Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji said, "I think it has great potential. I think it is a natural."

If added, it would be UH's 20th sport and 12th for women. UH currently has 11 women's sports, seven men's sports and sailing, which is co-ed. The last women's sport UH added was track and field in 2000.

Sand volleyball is basically beach volleyball but the NCAA prefers the term "sand" over "beach." Beach volleyball has the AVP Tour, and the Olympics added it in 1996.

Dale Tamashiro, a longtime UH fan, said, "I usually watch (the Rainbow Wahine) on the TV and sometimes go to the actual game(s). I enjoy sand volleyball, playing as well as watching, so... yes, I would watch it."

Indoor volleyball is listed as the second most popular sport among those offered for women by NCAA members, trailing only basketball.

Earlier this year, UH officials discussed for the first time publicly the down-the-road possibility of cutting a sport if budget projections didn't improve. Donovan, at the time, maintained such action was seen "only as a last resort."

But adding sand volleyball, Donovan said, would allow UH to expand its opportunities for women, the under-represented gender on campus, with the possibility of minimal additional investment. "It (sand volleyball) would be much more cost efficient than starting up another sport," he said.

Women, who represent 54.5 percent of the student body, account for 44.8 percent of the unduplicated athletic opportunities. Athletes who have volleyball scholarships and also play sand volleyball could be multi-counted for opportunity purposes, similar to what is done with cross country runners who also participate in indoor or outdoor track.

Carmyn James coaches indoor and outdoor track along with cross country and Shoji could oversee sand volleyball in addition to the indoor team he has coached for 35 seasons.

Donovan said he and Shoji have discussed possible locations for a sand court for competition and practice. "In the long term," Donovan said, "we're thinking about where we could put a court with spectator facilities that would allow us to become revenue generating."

The T. C. Ching Athletic Complex is one possibility, Donovan said. But Shoji, noting that the AVP sets up sites, said "it doesn't have to be a permanent location."

Shoji said he is not without concerns. He said he hopes a spring sand season wouldn't take away interest from either the women in the fall or the UH men in spring.