USF Brings Beach Volleyball to Tampa Bay: Coach Pri Piantadosi Lima’s Vision for a New Era
Beach volleyball is unmistakably electric: the sunshine, the energy, and the simultaneous movement across multiple courts. This spring, that electricity sparks in Tampa Bay as The University of South Florida launches its inaugural NCAA beach volleyball season.
Pri Piantadosi Lima, a longtime professional beach volleyball player with an elite background, is leading the team. Season one is about more than wins. It’s about building an experience that athletes and families will remember for life.
Mama Bear
Off the sand, Lima is a wife and mom—raising her daughter, Mila (22 months), alongside her wife, Michelle. For Lima, her mother and coach identities are bound together and foundational to how she’s building USF’s beach volleyball program and mentoring young women: “I’ve always looked at my players like, if this was my daughter, how would I want other people to treat her?”
Lima and wife Michelle (volleyball coach at Eckerd College) work hard to be present with Mila and mindful of their time with her. With both parents coaching collegiate volleyball, focusing on flexibility and grace makes more sense than focusing on balance.
Mila has already experienced a lifestyle of travel and change—something Lima views as a gift. One that can lead to adaptability. Coaching a D1 team entails long stretches on the road: “Mila has become a great traveler. That’s all she knows.”
Lima’s view is that families must establish a rhythm that works for their situation. Success is about owning what works for you: “Our situation might be imperfect for some families, but it’s what we choose.”
A Vision Becoming Real
The roster, the schedule, and the challenge of competition are aspects of a first season most coaches find exciting. All well and good.
For Lima, the personal excitement is rooted in watching the vision become a reality. She expressed:
“Seeing all the student-athletes building relationships with each other as well as with the coaching staff is something I’ve dreamt of.”
Momentum built during the off-season is an essential precursor to a successful season. Lima is ready to see it all come alive on the sand. USF’s first-ever home events will take place on Clearwater Beach on March 27-28 and April 17-18.
Creating Culture
USF’s beach volleyball program is built with intention.
“Our team is high-level, which includes high-level expectations and high-level accountability.”
Lima feels strongly that the program’s responsibility includes building women ready for everything life presents post-college.
“We call it tough love,” she extends. “We want to make sure that they leave USF ready for all that life will throw at them after collegiate volleyball.”
Beyond athletic development, successful programs support student athletes’ personal growth and character development. USF’s resources for student athletes transcend athletics, including access to sports psychologists, nutritionists, and academic advisors.
One standout program is Enhancing U, which connects student-athletes with local mentors—helping them explore future careers through mock interviews, networking, and professional development experiences.
Ensuring athletes become adults who elevate everything they do is a responsibility Lima takes seriously: “The more well-rounded experiences they have, the more they are going to excel at the sport and in their future endeavors.” Lima values student-athletes’ parents’ trust that she has their child’s back.
Global Perspective
Lima’s ability to lead USF’s inaugural beach volleyball program isn’t theoretical. A standout professional player, she competed at the highest levels of beach volleyball for nearly two decades—even trying qualifying for the Olympics representing Brazil.
Playing against Olympians gave her deep understanding of the resilience needed to pursue greatness: “I hope that my background experiences help our players achieve continued excellence faster than I was able to. I’m willing to give our student-athletes everything they need to be successful.”
The Olympic-caliber mindset is reinforced by the staff. The team’s assistant coach has coached at the Olympic level with three different countries.
The roster reflects Lima’s attention to diversity. Student-athletes represent Florida, Washington, Canada, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Brazil.
More than strategically, the blend matters socially and emotionally.
“We’re like a family, and that will mean learning to navigate differences.”
Living with people, competing with them, and loving them through differences is part of building adulthood.
The Legacy
Years from now, match results won’t be Lima’s only measure of success. Instead, she hopes alumni remain connected and proud, returning to amplify the program for future athletes.
“I know our alums will be ever-present.”
She believes athletes remember relationships most. Creating a program where athletes feel supported and prepared for adulthood is a mission accomplished.
The mission is personal. She wants to lead by example for her daughter: “I want Mila to learn that her mom and I, no matter what life threw at us, came out on top because we chose to, repeatedly, do the right things.”
Time will tell if Mila follows in her mom’s athletic footsteps.
Family Fun Energy
For families who haven’t experienced collegiate beach volleyball before, the first match will prove unforgettable: “Spectators will be electrified by our team’s energy.”
Unlike indoor volleyball, beach volleyball features multiple, simultaneous matches. Excitement builds as fans run from match to match tracking points and results.
“Watching three to six matches going on at once is incredible,” Lima explained.
She sees beach volleyball as the perfect family outing: “You’ll see people running on the sand and kids will surely tire their way toward an amazing nap,” Lima laughed.”
USF is planning a family-friendly atmosphere with music and event-day extras. This season, while the program waits for its permanent facility on the USF campus, the Bulls will play in Clearwater—bringing one of the most exciting collegiate sports experiences to Tampa Bay, beachside.
*Originally published in the March 2026 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.