Colby Burleson walked into a meeting on the afternoon of April 29, expecting good news.

Utah beach volleyball was coming off its best season in program history, finishing with a 21-14 record after losing to No. 10 Arizona State in the Big 12 semifinals.

Burleson, formerly an assistant coach with the program, was hoping to step up as the program’s next head coach following the retirement of Brenda Whicker at the end of the season. But, as he opened the door and strolled into the conference room, his optimism evaporated.

“I instantly had a pit in my stomach,” Burleson said.

At that meeting, Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan told Burleson and a group of returning volleyball players that the U. was discontinuing the program.

“It was pretty cut and dry,” Burleson said. “There wasn’t a lot of explanation at that point. We were all pretty blindsided.”

In a news release, Harlan cited “little evidence of the sport expanding at this time” among the reasons the Utes decided to cut the sport.

“With the sport’s growth stunted, and without the home facilities with amenities that allow us to host championship-level events, we are not providing the world-class experience that we seek to provide to our student-athletes,” Harlan said.

The Ute athletic director noted that there are only three other teams in the Big 12, short of the six teams required for an automatic qualifier in the NCAA championship.

The program also lost money — about $157,000 in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the U.’s latest financial reports.

Harlan and the U. have promised to help the beach volleyball athletes find new teams if they don’t want to remain at Utah simply as students.

Still, multiple athletes who spoke to The Salt Lake Tribune said they were frustrated with the way Utah officials handled the matter, saying they were disheartened by the decision and felt disrespected in a follow-up meeting with Utah administrators.

“I think the main thing we’re really just upset about is the disrespect that [Harlan and Green] have shown us,” Utah senior Sonja Wessel said. “Obviously, there’s no easy way or easy time to cut a program.

“I think it was very disrespectful the way they handled it. They didn’t talk to us. They didn’t keep any of us in the loop.”

But the members of Utah’s now-defunct beach volleyball program said they are still fighting to save their team with the help of a prominent alum.

‘It was handled terribly’

Several days after the initial meeting with Harlan, the 18-member volleyball team requested a meeting with Harlan and Green to address the athletes’ concerns.

Some were frustrated they weren’t part of the initial meeting. Before the meeting, they prepared talking points and passed out papers with analytics. But at least four of the volleyball athletes who attended the meeting described the tone of U. officials as “defensive” and “disrespectful.”

“We wanted to go in prepared, and we wanted to genuinely ask questions about the decision,” said Bella Vezzani, a senior starter on the team last season. “That respect was not reciprocated at all.”

Associate athletic director Charmelle Green “came in and said, ‘That’s my seat, and that’s my athletic director’s seat, so you guys can move down there,’” said Ellyn Collins, a graduate on the team.

Vezzani said it felt like “they were bossing us around from the start.”

“I just think the whole situation was a mess,” Collins said of the meeting. “Charmelle Green interrupted us several times, and we were interrupting them. It was ridiculous, and I thought it was handled terribly.”

U. officials said they “dispute the characterization” of the meeting.

“Athletics administration agreed to this second meeting, which lasted more than an hour, for three administrators to listen to concerns and answer questions,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “We are very understanding of the disappointment and strong feelings associated with receiving and processing this decision, and in the meeting, we reaffirmed our commitment to supporting the student-athletes and offering as many services as possible to assist them throughout this process.”

In the end, some players said the hour-long meeting left many of the players more frustrated, angry and confused. But they said they still hold out hope there’s a chance for a reversal of the decision.

“This group of women, we have always kind of been the underdogs in this, especially in Utah,” Wessel said. “We’re going to fight as hard as we can.”

Maeve Griffin, a senior on the team, added: “What’s next on the agenda for us, as seniors and as a members of the team, is to advocate for the program and to keep fighting for female sports.”

An effort to save the program

Utah beach volleyball alum Melissa Powell says she is still “so passionate about this program” years after her last match as a Ute.

Now a professional beach volleyball player, Powell has remained close to Whicker, the program’s former head coach, and has even practiced with the team during the offseason. That’s why Powell said she knew she had to do something when she learned about the program’s fate.

Powell is currently preparing to open the Beach Box Utah complex, an Olympic-level indoor beach volleyball training facility in Pleasant Grove — and she wants it to be the new home of the Utes.

Powell sent a letter to Harlan and the Ute athletic administration on May 3, offering Beach Box as a place to host practices and tournaments for free.

“It makes sense to me that — if I’m offering resources for free or getting the community to rally behind these girls — it would be a no-brainer to reinstate,” Powell said.

The Ute alum doubled down on her offer by including the services of Pompilio Mercadante, Brazil’s beach volleyball head coach in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as the program’s next head coach. She said she offered to pay his entire salary.

The university spokesperson confirmed they had received Powell’s proposal.

“We have had dialogue with Melissa Powell, and are appreciative of her concern and passion for the beach volleyball program. Conversations between Melissa and athletics administration will remain private,” a university spokesperson said.

The U. said it began reviewing the viability of the program in January.

“This was a very thorough and comprehensive process that resulted in a definitive decision shortly before the end of the season. We determined it would be best to inform the team immediately upon the conclusion of their season,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the U.’s latest financial report, beach volleyball brought in nearly $223,000 in revenue for the 2024 fiscal year but had $380,000 in expenses — a net loss of about $157,000.

Beach volleyball wasn’t, though, the only program to lose money. Utah’s baseball team recorded a $2.17 million loss in 2024, for example.

“I think it sends a horrible message,” she said. “I’m scared for women’s sports, because if they’re just looking at this [as a] revenue perspective … I’m worried we’re going to get rid of all women’s sports.”

The U. received a $14 million donation to support women’s sport initiatives this year.

A Utah spokesperson said the U. “remains confident” in its Title IX compliance following a comprehensive review. Scholarship funds previously allocated to beach volleyball will be moved to the U.’s other women’s athletics programs.

Powell followed up with Green via text on Tuesday, May 20, asking if she “ever got a chance to talk to Mark [Harlan]” about the offer.

Green replied: “Both Mark [Harlan], and I are aware of your desire to support in the areas of facility access, coaching and fundraising. Thank you.”

On May 27, Powell followed up with an email to Green, Harlan and other members of Utah’s athletic administration, asking for an answer regarding her proposal. In the email, Powell said, “I simply ask for clarity at this point so I can determine the best next steps moving forward.’

As of publication, Powell said she had not received a response from either Harlan or Green.

“I really hope that they consider it at least,” Powell said. “Hopefully, they give me the time of day to let me know that they’ve considered it and whether or not they’re denying or accepting it.”

‘All flipped right in front of us’

With Ellyn Collins’ Utah career likely over, she is trying to make decisions about what’s next for her future.

Collins said she was hoping to transfer to play indoor volleyball in her home state of Washington, while pursuing a teaching certificate. However, because the administration did not inform the team until April 29, she says she has missed application deadlines for schools there.

“The applications for these programs were due two months ago,” Collins said, “They said that they would help us and try and reach out to those programs. But it’s so much work at this point to make it all happen.

“My plan right now is, honestly, to just be done and go home and figure out my life for a year and go on from there.”

If any of the athletes want to stay at the U., the school will honor their scholarships until they complete their undergraduate degrees or through the projected completion of their athletics eligibility, whichever comes first.

“Utah will do all that it can to facilitate the process,” for those wanting to leave the program, Harlan said in a news release.

According to a statement from a university spokesperson, Utah’s athletic administration is working closely with beach volleyball athletes to help manage and resolve issues regarding signed apartment leases, including reimbursement for deposits lost due to terminating a lease.

As players and former members of the program continue to survey next steps, hope still remains for those wanting the beach volleyball program to be reinstated. In a petition organized by members of the program, they’ve amassed over 5,500 signatures in support of their cause.

But that hope dwindles as time passes.

“We were just so excited to come back,” Collins said. “Then, in a week, we literally all had to just change the trajectory of our lives.

“It was all flipped right in front of us.”

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