Iowa may be 1,500 miles from the shores of Miami, but over the past week, 47 teams have found their way to the Hawkeye Recreational Fields to whip up their visions of the beach with some sand volleyball.

Played six-on-six just like its indoor counterpart, intramural sand volleyball finished its eight-day-long divisional play on Wednesday. Each division consisted of three or four teams, with squads playing two games within their pools.

After the pool-play games, the bottom team was eliminated, and the rest moved on to the playoffs, which will begin on Sept. 21 and end on Sept. 24.

A single-elimination playoff would seemingly be cutthroat, but Jon Randle, a Recreational Services graduate assistant and the person in charge of organizing sand volleyball, said students have a good time playing the games.

“A lot of teams are just out there for fun and enjoyment,” he said, and much of the appeal may lay in the idea that sand volleyball is a much more casual sport and involves no contact, which contrasts to the only other intramural sport currently in season — flag football.

But casual or serious, teams are still solidly displaying their talent on the dunes. While some squad members are out to enjoy themselves, there are many players who admit that sand volleyball isn’t all fun and games.

“Were all pretty competitive, so no one wants to lose.” said freshman Will Radostits of Team Blue.

And while U.S. Olympic volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh may not be playing in the sand pits at the Hawkeye Recreational Fields, there have been several blowout games and shutout matches in the initial pool play.

In a system in which games are played to 25 points — the first team to two wins — 31 of the 37 pool-play sets ended in 2-0 shutouts.

With spiking allowed in the league, and no rules requiring women to hit the ball during a rally, the first thought may be that the men would lead the scoring charge.

But really it’s the other way around, Randle said.

“In most cases, there is no organized men’s volleyball [in high school] — at least where I went to school,” he said. “So it’s the [women] who have more experience.”

Recreational Services graduate assistant Dan Payne echoed Randle’s view.

“I know there are more women who play [volleyball] than men,” Payne said.

And with women’s participation in intramurals notably lower than men’s, the opening tournament may be a great way for Recreational Services to gain popularity with both sexes.

According to the department, many intramural sand volleyball players participate in the intramural indoor volleyball league. Unlike sand volleyball, though, the indoor variation offers a men’s, women’s, and co-recreational league.

The indoor season will begin on Oct. 18 with registration taking place on from Oct. 12-13. Much like sand volleyball, it appears indoor will also be a hit with both men and women.

“We have a women’s competitive and a women’s recreational league,” Payne said. “There’s only one men’s league.”