NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship May 3-5 In Gulf Shores
Schedule
Brackets will be chosen and streamed live on NCAA.com on Sunday, April 28 at 6 p.m. The final schedule will also be posted then. All Starting times are subject to change. There will be a minimum of 10 minutes between matches and matches will not begin before the time listed.
Thursday, May 2
11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.- Box Office open
11:30 a.m.- Gates open to the public
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.- All Team Autograph Session
1 – 2:10 p.m.- Open Team Practice
2:15 – 3:25 p.m .- Open Team Practice
3:30 – 4:40 p.m. – Open Team Practice
3:30 – 4:40 p.m. – Open Team Practice
4:45 – 5:55 p.m. – Open Team Practice
4:45 – 5:55 p.m. – Open Team Practice
Friday, May 3
7 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Box Office open
8 a.m. – Gates open
First Round
9 a.m. – Match 1
10 a.m. (approx.) – Match 2
11 a .m. (approx.) – Match 3
Noon (approx.) – Match 4
Elimination Bracket – First Round
1 p.m. (approx.) – Match 5
2 p.m. (approx.) – Match 6
Second Round
3 p.m. (approx.) – Match 7
4 p.m. (approx.) – Match 8
Saturday, May 4
7 a.m. – Box Office open
Noon – Gates open
Elimination Bracket – Second Round
1 p.m. – Match 9
2:10 p.m. – Match 10
Third Round
3 p.m. (approx.) – Match 11
Elimination Bracket – Third Round
4 p.m. (approx.) – Match 12
Sunday, May 5
7 a.m. – Box Office open
9 a.m. – Gates open
Elimination Bracket – Final
9:30 a.m. – Match 13
1 p.m. – Championship Match
NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship May 3-5 In Gulf Shores
By Ally Dorrough
With the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship May 3-5 at the Gulf Place Public Beach, collegiate student-athletes are vying for the chance to dig their way to Alabama’s beaches.
The future players of this growing NCAA sport will be competing simultaneously during the Gulf Coast Region USA Volleyball Beach Fest national qualifier May 4-5.
Hometown standout and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) verbal commit, Marti Mclaurin, shares her beach volleyball journey and the impact of the national championship co-hosted by UAB taking place in Gulf Shores.
“I entered my first volleyball tournament in sixth grade, played indoor for Gulf Shores Middle School and started getting serious in eighth grade when I joined a travel club in Pensacola,” Mclaurin says. “I played in my first national beach tournament in eighth grade – the first year of the NCAA-sanctioned championship being in Gulf Shores – and developed a true passion for the sport.”
Mclaurin has been training with Pleasure Island Volleyball Club Beach Elite in coastal Alabama for two years. In 2018, Mclaurin and her partner Lauren Quigley (pictured) gained national attention by winning the USA Junior Beach National Championship (16U) and coming in second in the RoxVB National Championship (16U).
“Marti is a dedicated athlete, and UAB will love her coachability, drive and energy that she brings to every workout, practice and game,” said Eddie Henry, Beach Elite coach.
Beach Elite director Shawn Weaver shares the excitement for Mclaurin and the sport’s growth in coastal Alabama.
“PIVC Beach Elite has been very successful in prior years with helping players reach the next level with athletes playing at Mercer University beach program and Spring Hill College beach program,” Weaver said. “This year, we have five athletes committed to a beach program at the college level. We are very proud of Marti and all her accomplishments. We can’t wait to see her play here locally one day as a UAB beach player.”
Mclaurin verbally committed to play beach volleyball at UAB in February.
“Our home state is so important to us and Marti represents a commitment from us to Alabama,” said Kyra Iannone, UAB head coach. “We are so proud that our school has been hosting the National Championship in Gulf Shores since before beach volleyball was an official NCAA sport, and for the next four years. This shows the commitment that UAB has to the future and success of beach volleyball as an Olympic sport, an NCAA sport and a local sport.”
Mclaurin says her purpose comes from above and within, not for the glory of playing on a big stage. As she moves towards a collegiate career, Mclaurin focuses her spare time on coaching 10 to 12-year-old girls for indoor and beach volleyball and being active in her church.
“When I start something, I go all out,” Mclaurin says. “My faith and family play a huge role in my life, and I strive to do everything in God’s name to inspire others to pursue their passions for the right reasons.”
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Road to the Championship
The NCAA Division I Women’s Beach Volleyball Committee will conduct team selections on April 28, selecting the top three teams from the East Region and the top three teams from the West Region, with the remaining two teams in the field of eight selected at-large from across the country among the 69 NCAA member institutions that sponsor 1,000 Beach Volleyball student-athletes across the country.
The final eight teams will compete in a double elimination tournament. The first and second rounds are on Friday, May 3, with winning teams advancing in the championship bracket and losing teams moving to the elimination bracket. The first round of the elimination bracket will also be conducted Friday, May 3, with winning teams advancing in the elimination bracket and losing teams being eliminated from the tournament.
On Saturday, May 4 the second and third round of the elimination bracket will be conducted with winning teams advancing in the elimination bracket and losing teams being eliminated from the tournament.
The third round match of the championship bracket follows with winning team advancing to the national championship match and the losing team moving to the elimination bracket.
On Sunday, May 5 the final match of the elimination bracket will be conducted with winning championship match will then be conducted on Sunday, May 5.
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National Rankings
(Through April 22)
1. UCLA – 28-1
2. Southern California – 24-4 3. Florida State – 28-5
4. LSU – 29-6
5. Hawai’i – 24-7
6. Pepperdine – 20-9
7. Stetson – 29-8
8. Cal Poly – 21-10
9. Florida Int. – 17-11
10. California – 19-7
11. Loyola Marymount- 27-11 12. Long Beach State – 18-9 13. Arizona – 24-4
14. Grand Canyon – 20-11 15. eorgia State – 24-12
16. South Carolina – 20-11
17. Florida Atlantic – 13-15
18 TCU – 18-16
19. Saint Mary’s – 20-9
20. Stanford – 10-16
Others Receiving Votes: College of Charleston, Arizona State, Florida Gulf Coast, Tampa, Washington, Boise State, Louisiana-Monroe, North Florida, Tulane
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