AVCA Beach Volleyball Championship April 17-19 at Gulf Place
AVCA Beach Volleyball Championship April 17-19 at Gulf Place
Gulf Shores and Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events will again host the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Small College Beach Volleyball Championship April 17-19 at Gulf Shores Public Beach as a prelude to the NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship May 1-3.
Admission is free and matches will be played at Gulf Shores Public Beach in front of The Hangout.
The event is the largest collegiate beach volleyball event in the country with 37 teams competing in over 505 total matches during the championship weekend.
It will include the top beach teams in the country from NCAA Division II, NCAA Dision III, and the NAIA. A champion is crowned in each division along with recognition of All-America/All-Tournament teams.
The championships also include a Pairs Challenge event for participating teams.
The field includes 19 Division 2 schools, 9 Division 3 schools and 9 NAIA schools playing on 20 championship courts and four practice courts.
The NAIA final is Saturday at 12:20 p.m. The Division 3 final is Saturday at 1:25 p.m., and the Division 2 final is Sunday at 1:50 p.m.
Tampa (pictured) won the Division 2, Mary Hardin-Baylor the Division 3 and Webber International the NAIA championship in 2025.
“The city has made a name in the beach volleyball community, and it was a great partner when the AVCA held the first collegiate national championships there from 2012-15, just before the NCAA took over,’’ said Dr. Jaime Gordon, AVCA CEO. “We look forward to continuing that partnership in April.”
“Our journey to become a desirable destination for collegiate beach volleyball started with hosting the AVCA before the sport became NCAA-sanctioned, and for that, we are forever grateful,” said Michelle Russ, Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events VP.
Tourney volunteers needed
Interested in volunteeing at the for the AVCA Beach Volleyball Championship? Go to alabamasbeachessportsevents.volunteerlocal.com and register. Volunteers will be keeping score. Floaters will help fill any gaps and help various needs of the championship staff. Volunteers can choose the charity they wish to receive $10 per volunteer hour designated for that purpose.
NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships will follow May 1-3
Single day and weekend tickets are available for the May 1-3 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship at Gulf Place Public Beach in Gulf Shores. All-session and day passes can be purchased at NCAATickets.com.
The 16 teams in the single-elimination tournament will compete in duals, where each school fields five pairs ranked by skill. Each pair plays a best-of-three-set match against their corresponding rank from the opposing school. The first school to win three of the five matches wins the dual. Championship duals often use a staggered start.
The entire tourney will air live on the ESPN family of networks, with the championship live on the flagship ESPN at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, May 3.
Eight of the 16 teams in the tourney will be automatic qualifiers, while the remaining eight will be selected at large. The bracket will be announced on Sunday, April 26.
The most recent AVCA Beach Volleyball rankings saw Stanford jump UCLA at no. 1. Texas moved up three spots to no. 3 in the April 6 poll. Defending champ TCU is ranked no. 8, and Washington was the only team to drop out of the top 20.
Gulf Shores will host the tourney through 2031, and city officials have made it clear they want to be its permanent home.
AVCA College Beach Poll: (As of 4/7) 1. Stanford; 2. UCLA; 3. Texas; 4. USC; 5. Florida State; 6. Cal Poly; 7. Loyola Marymount; 8. TCU; 9. California; 10. Long Beach State; 11. Grand Canyon; 12. LSU; 13. Arizona State; 14. Stetson; 15. Florida Atlantic; FAU; 16. Hawai’i; 17. North Florida; 18. South Carolina; 19. Boise State; 20. Arizona.
Division 2 Teams
1) Tampa
2) Colo Mesa
3) Con Irvine
4) Palm Beach Atlantic
5) Texas A&M – Kingsville
6) Car Newman
7) Saint Leo
8) Spring Hill
9) Fl Southern
10) Erskine
11) Eckerd
12) Vanguard
13) Tusculum
14) Wayne St.
15) Wingate
16) Catawba
17) Emmanuel
18) McKendree
19) SW Baptist
Division 3 Teams
1) Mary Hardin-Baylor
2) Berry
3) Stevenson
4) Southern Virginia
5) East Texas Baptist
6) Huntingdon
7) Lynchburg
8) LaGrange
9) Howard Payne
NAIA Teams
1) Wayland Baptist
2) Mobile
3) Texas A&M – Texarkana
4) Park
5) Texas Wesleyan
6) Webber International
7) Warner
8) Ottawa KS
9) Truett McConnell