2024 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship explained

Custom Title:2024 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship
Sport:Beach volleyball
Season:2024 NCAA beach volleyball season
Teams:17
Format:Single-elimination
Finals Site:Gulf Place Public Beach
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Title Count:6th
Coach Count:4th
Television:ESPN networks
Prev:2023
Tournament Link:NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship
Next:2025

The 2024 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship (officially the 2024 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship) was an intercollegiate tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women's beach volleyball national champion for the 202324 season. The eighth edition of the tournament was held from May 3 to 5, 2024, at Gulf Place Public Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The 2024 championship featured a single-elimination-only bracket for the second time, along with an expanded 17-team field. Nine of the participating schools automatically qualified by winning their respective conference tournaments, while the other eight were given at-large bids by the NCAA Women's Beach Volleyball Committee. The tournament was broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU.

Background

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began sponsoring women's beach volleyball as a championship sport in 2016, and the sport has since experienced rapid growth at the collegiate level, with a 500 percent increase in women's collegiate beach volleyball programs in the United States from 2011 to 2020.[1] [2] The NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship is the tournament held at the end of every regular season to determine the women's national collegiate champion across all NCAA divisions.[3] It has been held annually since the inaugural 2016 event, and 2023 marked its seventh edition. The 2023 tournament was held in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the same venue that hosted all six previous championships, and was co-hosted by Gulf Shores Orange Beach Sports & Events, the city of Gulf Shores, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Popularized on the beaches of California in the 1920s, beach volleyball is a sport played by two teams on a sand court. At the professional level, teams consist of a pair of players who compete in best-of-three-set matches, where the first two sets are played to 21 points and the third set, if necessary, is played to 15 points; each set must be won by a minimum two-point lead.[4] Conversely, NCAA beach volleyball is played using a flighted team-dual format.[5] In an NCAA dual, each team fields five individual pairs who are ranked from 1 to No. 5 by skill level, and each pair plays a flighted best-of-three-set match against their corresponding pair on the other team. The first team to win three of the five pairs' matches wins the dual.[5]

The NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship had historically been an eight-team double-elimination tournament, in which all participating teams were selected by the NCAA Women's Beach Volleyball Committee. However, with the growing popularity of the collegiate sport, the NCAA agreed to double the field for the 2022 championship,[6] [7] adding a 16-team opening knockout round that led into the established eight-team double-elimination bracket.[8] Along with the expanded field, the qualification process introduced eight automatic bids that teams earned by winning their respective conference tournaments.[9] Further changes were adopted for 2023, with the tournament becoming a single-elimination-only event,[8] and the field expanded to 17 teams to allow for nine automatic qualifiers.[10] [11]

Format and venue

The 2024 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship is a 17-team tournament that was held from May 3 to 5, 2024. The tournament began on Friday, May 3, with a play-in dual between the two lowest seeded teams. The 16-team single-elimination main bracket also began on Friday, May 3, with the winning teams advancing to the quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday, May 4, until a national champion was determined on Sunday, May 5.[12]

The tournament took place on one site at the Gulf Place Public Beach in Gulf Shores, which had been set up with five playing courts and five practice courts.[13] Over the years, the playing conditions at the Gulf Shores venue have been characterized by several factors; namely the compact sand that makes it easier for players to move and jump, the strong winds,[14] [15] and the possibility of rain during that time of the year.

Participating teams

Of the 93 eligible NCAA teams, a total of 17 qualified for the tournament and were seeded from No. 1 to No. 17. Nine of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. The remaining eight bids were allocated at large by the NCAA Women's Beach Volleyball Committee. The qualifying teams and seeding order were announced by the committee on April 28, 2024.[16]

Automatic bids

The following nine teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.[17]

TeamConferenceDate qualifiedWinloss recordAppearanceLast bid
HawaiiBig WestApril 26, 20242967th2023
North FloridaASUNApril 27, 202424111st–[18]
Texas A&M-Corpus ChristiSouthlandApril 21, 20242893rd2023
Loyola MarymountWest CoastApril 26, 202427134th2023
USCPac-12April 26, 20243358th2023
TCUC-USAApril 27, 20242974th2023
Georgia StateSun BeltApril 27, 202426124th2023
Florida StateCCSAApril 27, 20243078th2023
ChattanoogaOhio ValleyApril 27, 20241991st–[19]

At-large bids

The following eight teams were allocated at-large bids by the NCAA selection committee.[20]

TeamConferenceWinloss recordAppearanceLast bidRef
UCLAPac-123268th2023
StanfordPac-123154th2023
CaliforniaPac-1221133rd2023
Arizona StatePac-122191st–[21]
WashingtonPac-1220151st–[22]
Cal PolyBig West2964th2022
LSUCCSA25117th2023
Long Beach StateBig West2893rd2023

Preview

From its inception in 2016 to 2023, only two teams had won the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship: the USC Trojans (five titles and two-time defending champion: 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023) and the UCLA Bruins (two titles: 2018 and 2019).[17] Both teams are in the running for the title once again in 2024. USC entered the NCAA tournament seeded No. 1 and topping the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) rankings.[23]

Bracket

The tournament bracket is as follows:[24]

Dual summaries

Opening Round

No. 16 North Florida v. No. 17 Chattanooga

T. Pierce/M. Rezentez (UNF) def. N. Clarke/C.Vale (UTC): 21-14, 21-16

P. Murray/M. Espy (UNF) def. G. Finch/M. Faychak (UTC): 21-13, 21-14

C. Humphries/H. Wooldrige (UNF) def. K. Gresham/P.Gallentine (UTC): 21-13, 21-10[25]

First Round

No. 1 USC v. No. 16 North Florida

A. Nourse/N. Nourse (USC) def. K. Camp/I. Fletcher (UNF): 21-14, 21-16

A. Pater/G. Seits (USC) def. C. Humphries/H. Wooldrige (UNF): 21-14, 21-8

M. Kriz/M. White (USC) def. P. Murray/M. Espy (UNF): 21-17, 21-18[26]

No. 2 UCLA v. No. 15 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi

M. Boyd/L. Denaburg (UCLA) def. C. Dodd/C.Tome (AMCC): 21-16, 24-22

J. Smith/K. Brower (UCLA) def. H. Doyle/S. Young (AMCC): 21-14, 21-13

N. Myszkowski/E. Alden (UCLA) def. E. Cortez/K. Moreno (AMCC): 21-15, 21-17[27]

No. 3 Stanford v. No 14 Georgia State

B. Rockwell/X. Hodel (STAN) def. A. Ferary/B. Ferary (GSU): 21-9, 21-18

T. Wilson/R. Sorra (STAN) def. L. Bordis/A. Keller (GSU): 21-17, 21-17

K. Belardi/C. Hoffman (STAN) def. S. Ebarb/D. White (GSU): 21-19, 21-15[28]

No. 4 Florida State v. 13 Washington

M. Anderson/A. Durish (FSU) def. M. Rabitsch/P. Monk-Heidrich (UW): 19-21 21-15 15-11

Z. Henson/L. Wilcock (UW) def. A. Hansen/A. Long (FSU): 21-16 20-22 15-13

R. White/A. Koenig (FS) def. K. Mather/K. Barton (UW): 21-16 21-17

S. Germann/M. Chacon (FSU) def. S. Dahl/N. Martin (UW): 21-14 22-20[29]

No. 5 Cal Poly v. No. 12 Arizona State

E. Connor/I. Martinez (CP) def. D. Kensinger/A. Williamson (ASU): 21-18, 21-19

P. Ferch/E. Inskepp (CP) def. A. Besecker/A. Pemberton (ASU): 21-14, 21-10

Q. Perry/L. Sparks (CP) def. T. Ames/L. Sweeney (ASU): 22-20, 21-16[30] [31]

No. 6 TCU v. No. 11 LSU

H. Hamlett/A. Khmil (TCU) def. G. Bailey/E. Shank (LSU): 21-17 21-18

S. Martin/A. Haynes (LSU) def. M. Williams/T. Patton (TCU): 17-21 21-17 15-9

P. Bracken/R. Allred (LSU) def. S. MacTavish/A. Parkhurst (TCU): 21-15 16-21 16-14

A. Namike/O. Clines (TCU) def. E. Meyer/Y. Ashush (LSU): 17-21 21-16 15-11

E. Larkin/A. O’Gorman (LSU) def. E. Glagau/A. Vergara (TCU): 20-22 23-21 15-12[32]

No. 7 California v. No. 10 Long Beach State

M. Gementera/T. Hagenah (LBSU) def. S. Caffo/A. Young-Gomez (CAL): 24-22, 21-16

E. Donley/K. Peters (CAL) def. M. Gibson/S. Standage (LBSU): 21-17, 21-9

P. Sherman/J. Colligan (CAL) def. M. Widener/C. Deroos (LBSU): 21-18, 13-21, 15-10

E. Dreibholz/L. Boos (CAL) def. H. Carrington/E. Sparks (LBSU): 21-11, 21-6[33]

No. 8 Loyola Marymount v. No. 9 Hawaii

V. Prihti/M. Shaffer (LMU) def. J. Santer/A. Embry (UH): 21-18, 21-11

K. Glagau/P. Napoleon (UH) def. I. Reffel/A. Stevens (LMU): 21-17, 21-13

A. Pelloia/J. Ramirez (LMU) def. A. Maidment/S. Miller (UH): 21-16, 21-15

A. Thorup/M. Firnett (LMU) def. J. Thelle/S. Burton (UH): 21-10, 21-15[34]

Quarterfinals

No. 1 USC v. No. 8 Loyola Marymount

M. Kraft/D. Maple(USC) def. V. Prihti/M. Shaffer(LMU): 21-10, 21-9

M. Kriz/M. White(USC) def. I. Reffel/A. Stevens (LMU): 21-17, 21-12

M. Goellner/M. Thomas (USC) def. M. Firnett/A. Thorup (LMU): 21-15, 21-16[35]

No. 2 UCLA v. No. 7 California

M.Boyd/L. Denaburg (UCLA) def. S. Caffo/A. Young-Gomez (CAL): 21-19 21-18

P. Brennan/D. Newberry (UCLA) def. E. Donley/K. Peters (CAL): 21-17 21-15

J. Smith/K. Brower (UCLA) def. G. Fisher/M. Pally (CAL): 21-13 21-17[36]

No. 3 Stanford v. No. 11 LSU

B. Rockwell/X. Hodel (STAN) def. G. Bailey and E. Shank (LSU): 12-21 22-20 15-8

P. Bracken/R. Allred (LSU) def. T. Wilson/R. Sorra (STAN): 18-21 22-20 24-22

E. Larkin and A. O’Gorman (LSU) def. K. Belardi/C. Hoffman (STAN): 21-18 16-21 16-14

C. Stowell/K. Reilly (STAN) def. S. Martin/A. Haynes (LSU): 21-16 21-16

E. Meyer and Y. Ashush (LSU) def. M. Harvey/A. Vincent (STAN): 21-14 17-21 15-13[37]

No. 4 Florida State v. No. 5 Cal Poly

M. Anderson/A. Durish (FSU) def. E. Connor/I. Martinez (CP): 22-20, 21-19

P. Ferch/E. Inskepp (CP) def. A. Hansen/A. Long (FSU): 21-17, 21-12

Q. Perry/L. Sparks (CP) def. R. White/A. Koenig (FSU): 21-11, 21-11

A. Reinard/M. Nichols (CP) def. C. Moon/K. Truslow (FSU): 22-20, 21-12[38]

Semifinals

No. 1 USC v. No. 5 Cal Poly

M. Kraft/D. Maple (USC) def. E. Connor/I. Martinez (CP): 21-13, 21-16

A. Nourse/N. Nourse (USC) def. Q. Perry/L. Sparks (CP): 23-21, 21-17

A. Pater/G. Seits (USC) def. P. Naess/L. Walter (CP): 21-17, 28-26[39]

No. 2 UCLA v. No. 11 LSU

M. Boyd/L. Denaburg (UCLA) def. G. Bailey/E. Shank (LSU): 21-19 21-14

P. Bracken/R. Allred (LSU) def. P. Brennan/D. Newberry (UCLA): 23-21 21-18

J. Smith/K. Brower (UCLA) def. E. Larkin/A. O’Gorman (LSU): 21-19 21-19

J. Whitmarsh and T. Van Winkle (UCLA) def. S. Martin/A. Haynes (LSU): 21-9 21-11

Championship

No. 1 USC v. No 2. UCLA

M. White/M. Kriz (USC) def. P. Brennan/D. Newberry (UCLA): 21-14, 19-21, 15-13

A. Nourse/N. Nourse (USC) def. J. Smith/K. Brower (UCLA): 22-20, 15-21, 15-11

A. Pater/G. Seits (USC) def. J. Whitmarsh/T. Van Winkle (UCLA): 24-26, 25-23, 15-8[40]

Record by conference

Overview of conference performance in the 2024 NCAA beach volleyball tournament
ConferenceBidsRecordWin %Opening roundFirst roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsChampionship dualNational champion
Pac-126 9–5 .643 – 6 4 2 2 1
CCSA2 3–2 .600 – 2 2 1 – –
Big West3 2–3 .400 – 3 1 1 – –
WCC1 1–1 .500 – 1 1 – – –
ASUN1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – –
C-USA1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – –
Southland1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – –
Sun Belt1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – –
Ohio Valley1 0–1 .000 1 – – – – –

Broadcast and attendance

The first round duals on May 3, 2024, will be broadcast live on ESPNU and ESPN+.[41] The first round matchups will all be featured on ESPNU and ESPN+. The quarterfinal and semifinal matchups will be aired on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The National Championship matchup on May 5, 2024, will be played on ESPN and ESPN+.

References

Notes and References

  1. Wilson. Tim. Croft. Chris. Reed. Sabrina. Promoting Intercollegiate Beach Volleyball: The Rise of the NCAA's Fasting Growing Sport. Journal of Managerial Issues. 2021. 33. 3. 274288. 1045-3695. April 28, 2023. EBSCOhost. subscription.
  2. Web site: NCAA Championship 'Super Nationals' Features Current and Future Professionals. Fédération Internationale de Volleyball. May 7, 2021. April 26, 2023. April 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426110406/https://en.volleyballworld.com/en/volleyball/worldcup/2019/news/ncaa-championship-super-nationals-features-current-and?id=93100. live.
  3. Web site: 202223 NCAA: Division I Manual. 2022. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 267, 341, 344, 346. April 29, 2023. April 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230428215047/https://web3.ncaa.org/lsdbi/reports/getReport/90008. live.
  4. Web site: Beach volleyball and how it's different from indoor volleyball: All the rules you need to know. International Olympic Committee. Jay. Lokegaonkar. February 6, 2023. April 28, 2023. April 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230428064547/https://olympics.com/en/news/beach-volleyball-indoor-difference-rules-history-olympics. live.
  5. Web site: Alike, but Different. July 20, 2016. Greg. Johnson. National Collegiate Athletic Association. April 28, 2023. April 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230428052848/https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/7/20/alike-but-different.aspx. live.
  6. Web site: Format still undetermined, but NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship doubles field to 16. Volleyball Magazine. Travis. Mewhirter. January 6, 2022. April 16, 2023. April 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426114855/https://volleyballmag.com/ncaa-beach-tournament-doubled-010621/. live.
  7. Web site: Expansion of beach volleyball, women's ice hockey brackets approved. National Collegiate Athletic Association. November 10, 2021. Greg. Johnson. April 28, 2023. April 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230428045910/https://www.ncaa.org/news/2021/11/10/general-expansion-of-beach-volleyball-womens-ice-hockey-brackets-approved.aspx. live.
  8. Web site: Beach volleyball championship format to change in 2023. July 15, 2022. National Collegiate Athletic Association. April 28, 2023. April 27, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230427005846/https://www.ncaa.com/news/beach-volleyball/article/2022-07-15/beach-volleyball-championship-format-change-2023. live.
  9. Web site: Postseason possibilities as NCAA beach volleyball teams eye bids to Gulf Shores. Lee. Feinswog. April 19, 2022. Volleyball Magazine. April 28, 2023. April 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230428050024/https://volleyballmag.com/ncaa-beach-volleyball-041922/. live.
  10. Web site: Memorandum. National Collegiate Athletic Association. February 6, 2023. Kristin W.. Fasbender. Julie. Cribbs. 1. May 1, 2023. April 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230426073334/https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/volleyball/nc/beach/2022-23NCBVB_InformationMemo.pdf. live.
  11. Web site: Report of the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee. National Collegiate Athletic Association. November 9, 2022. 2. May 1, 2023. April 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230424193444/https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/committees/d1/compoversig/Nov2022D1COC_Nov9Report.pdf. live.
  12. Web site: 2023 NC Beach Volleyball Championship: Official Bracket. National Collegiate Athletic Association. May 2, 2023.
  13. Web site: NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship: May 57, 2023. August 22, 2018 . Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism, City of Gulf Shores. May 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230501115924/https://www.gulfshores.com/sports-commission-website-event/ncaa-beach-volleyball/. May 1, 2023.
  14. Web site: How LSU beach volleyball will use NCAA Championship site sand, wind to its advantage. Daniella. Medina. The Daily Advertiser. May 5, 2021. https://archive.today/20230509145246/https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/2021/05/05/lsu-beach-volleyball-ncaa-championship-gulf-shores-prepare/4955152001/. May 9, 2023. live. subscription.
  15. Web site: Uncontrollable elements at sand volleyball championships call for UCLA to keep focused. Daily Bruin. Liz. Schneider. May 3, 2013. May 10, 2023. May 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230509153728/https://dailybruin.com/2013/05/03/uncontrollable-elements-at-sand-volleyball-championships-call-for-ucla-to-keep-focused. live.
  16. Web site: 2024 NC beach volleyball championship field announced .
  17. Web site: 2024 NC beach volleyball championship field announced .
  18. Web site: North Florida Draws No. 16 Seed in NCAA Championship . April 28, 2024 .
  19. Web site: Mocs Set to Go Dancing for the First Time in Program History . May 3, 2024 .
  20. Web site: 2024 NC beach volleyball championship field announced .
  21. Web site: Sand Devils Set for NCAA Championships . May 2024 .
  22. Web site: Beach Volleyball Heads to Alabama for the National Championship .
  23. Web site: May 3, 2023 . April 30, 2024 - AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230504090443/https://uclabruins.com/news/2023/5/3/top-seeded-ucla-ready-for-ncaa-championship.aspx . May 4, 2023 . May 4, 2023 . UCLA Bruins.
  24. Web site: 2024 NC Beach Volleyball Championship Official Bracket .
  25. Web site: 2024-06-25 . Beach Volleyball's Historic Season Ends in the Opening Round of the NCAA Tournament . 2024-07-30 . University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics . en.
  26. Web site: 2024-07-25 . No. 1 USC Beach Volleyball Grounds Ospreys in NCAA First Round Dual . 2024-07-30 . USC Athletics . en.
  27. Web site: Beach Volleyball Concludes Season in NCAA Tournament after Battled Loss to No. 2 UCLA . 2024-07-30 . Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Athletics . en.
  28. Web site: No. 3 Cardinal Sweeps Georgia State at NCAA Championship . 2024-07-30 . gostanford.com . en-US.
  29. Web site: Washington Huskies . 2024-07-30 . Washington Huskies . en.
  30. Web site: 2024-05-03 . Season Ends for Sand Devils with Loss to Cal Poly . 2024-07-30 . Arizona State University Athletics . en.
  31. Web site: Mustangs Sweep Sun Devils to Advance to NCAA Championship Quarterfinals . 2024-07-30 . Cal Poly . en.
  32. Web site: 2024-05-03 . LSU Defeats No. 6 TCU, 3-2, To Advance and Is Set To Face No. 3 Stanford . 2024-07-30 . LSU . en-US.
  33. Web site: https://longbeachstate.com/news/2024/5/3/womens-beach-volleyball-long-beach-state-drops-tough-match-in-opening-round-of-ncaa-championship . 2024-07-30 . longbeachstate.com.
  34. Web site: 2024-05-03 . Lions Advance in Fourth Consecutive NCAA Championships After Defeating Hawaii, 3-1 . 2024-07-30 . Loyola Marymount University Athletics . en.
  35. Web site: 2024-07-25 . No.1 USC Beach Volleyball Sweeps No. 9 LMU in NCAA Quarterfinal . 2024-07-30 . USC Athletics . en.
  36. Web site: Season Comes To An End For No. 7 Cal . 2024-07-30 . California Golden Bears Athletics . en.
  37. Web site: 2024-05-04 . LSU Defeats No. 3 Stanford, 3-2, To Advance; Fell To No. 2 UCLA In Final Four Match . 2024-07-30 . LSU . en-US.
  38. Web site: Florida State University Athletics . 2024-07-30 . seminoles.com.
  39. Web site: 2024-07-25 . No. 1 USC Beach Volleyball Advances to Seventh NCAA Championship Dual . 2024-07-30 . USC Athletics . en.
  40. Web site: UCLA . 2024-07-30 . uclabruins.com.
  41. Web site: ESPN Platforms Serve Up Exclusive Coverage of the 2024 National Collegiate Women's Beach Volleyball Championship . April 30, 2024 .

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