Written by Kathy Langdon, NCAA
148 percent.
That's how much NCAA women's beach volleyball has grown over the past decade. In the 2013-14 season, 39 teams participated. In 2023-24, that total will be up to 97 teams, all aiming for the same end goal: winning the national championship.
Seventeen teams will be selected for the 2024 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship. Brackets will be announced on NCAA.com on Sunday, April 28th, and games will begin on Friday, May 3rd.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be held on May 4th, and the national champion will be crowned on May 5th. All dual competitions will be held at Gulf Shores Public Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. This has been the home of the Beach Volleyball Championship since the first tournament in 2016. In 2025, the championship will be moved to Huntington Beach, California for two years.
This year's championship promises to be an exciting end to the new competitive season, which began in early February.
The past year
UCLA and USC have topped the AVCA poll all season, but many other teams have also had success. 23 different teams have been ranked at various times, with multiple programs in the top five.
There are no undefeated teams. In fact, no team has fewer than three losses. There were many upsets and close calls throughout the season. After more than 1,400 duals in the regular season, the conference tournament is underway.
Who will enter?
The spots for all 17 teams will be announced on Sunday, April 28th. Nine teams will be selected from the automatic qualifying round, and the remaining eight teams will be selected from the general public from all over the country. The Women's Beach Volleyball Committee meets throughout the season and ultimately selects the at-large team and seeds the entire field. The committee consists of her seven members and is chaired by Ashley Armstrong, Acting Athletic Director/SWA at Loyola Marymount University.
“We are excited to return to Gulf Shores for the 2024 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship. The city has done a great job supporting this championship and making it a great venue to watch the best collegiate beach volleyball in the country. Armstrong said.
“With the advent of college beach volleyball, this has become one of the best college championship experiences you can participate in. Fans, parents, and beach volleyball enthusiasts can purchase tickets and come to Gulf Shores to join us in 2024. We hope you will support our 17 teams as they compete to become national champions.”
Conferences that receive automatic recognition include:
- ASUN conference
- big west conference
- Coastal University Sports Association
- conference usa
- ohio valley conference
- PAC-12 Conference
- southland conference
- sunbelt conference
- west coast conference
For the eight large teams, the committee will use the following selection criteria to determine who will be selected.
- direct confrontation
- Results against common opponents
- strength of schedule
- Overall record (must be .500 or higher)
In the seven years of the championship, 22 different teams competed for the title. Since the creation of the championship, his only two teams have won. three-time defending champions USC (5 times) and UCLA (2 times). Will 2024 be the year when the new team makes a breakthrough?
catch the action
Instead of the opening game between the 16th and 17th seeds on Wednesday, that game will be moved to the opening game on Friday, May 3. The winner of that split will advance and join the other 15 seeds in a single-elimination bracket. The event will be televised on ESPN Networks, with live coverage on ESPNU on Friday, May 3. Live coverage will continue on ESPN2 on May 4th, and the championship will be broadcast live on ESPN on May 5th.
To attend the championship in person in Gulf Shores, tickets can be purchased at ncaa.com/beachvolleyball. Full session passes and day passes are available.
Competition begins Friday, May 3 at 8 a.m. Central Time.
