For a state known for its desert landscapes, Arizona sure loves its beach volleyball.

The state was the first to sanction high school beach volleyball for girls. Add the boys to the list after the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s executive board unanimously approved Monday boys beach volleyball as the AIA’s next sanctioned sport.

The first season will tip off during the fall of the 2025-26 school year with nearly 50 teams. The Mesa Public Schools District got the beach volleyball rolling for boys after a conversation with Eric Hodgson, the AZ Region director of outreach and coaching developer for USA Volleyball, a couple of years ago.

After kicking around the sand idea, Mesa dove right in.

Each of the six schools in the Mesa District have three sand courts. At first, the Mesa teams called their matches but then needed AIA officials as more in and out of districts teams wanted to join the fun.

With the level of interest high, the AIA’s board approved boys beach volleyball as an emerging sport last year after Mesa District athletic director Tommy Eubanks presented the idea.

“It doesn’t surprise me that it took off in a short time if you know the volleyball world,” Eubanks said. “They love beach volleyball. This also gives students more opportunities to participate.”

There’s hope also that the opportunities will expand beyond high school just like it did for girls, Hodgson said.

Colleges now offer beach volleyball and scholarships for girls.

“I think it (AIA adopting boys beach volleyball) is huge,” Hodgson said. “We’ve seen since 2013 an explosion of beach volleyball clubs. We haven’t seen that on the boys side, but with this you will start to see a lot of boys join beach clubs.”