Southern Cal claims NCAA beach volleyball title at Gulf Place

Southern Cal claims NCAA beach volleyball title at Gulf Place

For the second year in a row and fourth time in the event’s six year history as an NCAA sanctioned event, Southern California is the national champion in beach volleyball, beating a proud Florida State team 3-1 in the title match at Gulf Shores Public Beach. The Trojans won 36 consecutive matches to end the regular season and dropped only one set in Gulf Shores on their way to the title.
The Seminoles took down two time champion UCLA in a thrilling semifinal match earlier that morning to earn their place in the final for the third time (2016, 2018).
Georgia State, the No. 10 seed, earned its first NCAA tournament win in program history by upsetting 7th seed Grand Canyon 3-2 in the first round. The Sandy Panthers went on to upset no. 2 seed Texas Christian to register the largest upset in tourney history and the highest ranked victory in GSU athletics history. The crowd favorite Sandy Panthers’ historic season came to an end when they fell 2-3 to no. 4 Loyola Marymount.
The tourney attracted a record 10,151 fans during its final three days, according to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Sports & Events.
The tourney returns to Gulf Shores in 2022 (May 5-7) and 2024 (May 3-5) before moving to Huntington Beach for two years. Gulf Shores is already committed to hosting the tourney in 2027 and beyond. “It is a signature event for showing off who we are and what we do,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said.
Pictured: As is customary, the champions took a dip in the Gulf following the trophy presentation.