Let's go to the sea. Gulf Shores, Alabama, that is.
The 8th Annual NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship is almost upon its first serve. 17 teams will enter, but only one will be crowned. Historically, only two teams have done so.
Only Southern California and UCLA have won national championships. The Trojans have won five times, including the last three seasons, while the Bruins have won twice. As the overall No. 1 seed, they are expected to win all the games this year as well. However, that doesn't mean it's set in stone. The Los Angeles rivals have split six duals this season. The Trojans got their last win with a sweep of the Bruins in the Pac-12 Championship.
Don't count Florida out. The Seminoles are the only non-California school to reach the NCAA finals. However, he missed all three games, including the most recent one in 2022.
In the tournament, five pairs will compete, with each team placing 1st through 5th. A win on the court earns the team his one dual point. If a team reaches 3 dual points, they have won the entire match. Sure, beach volleyball is his two-on-two game, but it's a team effort to win the national championship.
It's a single-elimination tournament, so one mistake can put the title at risk.
Since it's not possible for everyone to watch it all unfold on the beach, here's how to watch the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship from home.
More information: Watch every NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship game on Fubo (free trial)
NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship 2024 Frame, Schedule
For the second year only, the NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament will be a single-elimination format instead of using an elimination bracket. So if a team loses a dual, that team is out.
Additionally, the tournament was expanded to 17 teams. North Florida and Chattanooga will begin the tournament with a play-in dual. The winner will move on to his 16-team bracket and face Southern California.
May 3rd (Friday): Opening match
result | Time (ET) | TV/Live Stream |
(16) North Florida 3(17) Chattanooga 0 | 9am | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
May 3rd (Friday): 1st round
Match/Result | Time (ET) | TV/Live Stream |
(4) Florida 3(13) Washington 1 | 10 am | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
(5) Cal Poly 3(12) Arizona State University 0 | 11am | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
(1) USC 3(16) North Florida 0 | noon | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
(8) Loyola Marymount 3(9) Hawaii 1 | 1pm | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
(2) UCLA 3(15) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 0 | 2 pm | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
(7) Calories 3(10 Long Beach State 1 | 3 pm | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
(3) Stanford 3(14) Georgia State University 0 | 4pm | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
(6) TCU vs. (11) LSU | 5pm | ESPNU, ESPN+, Fubo |
May 4th (Sat): Quarterfinals
Match/Result | Time (ET) | TV/Live Stream |
(1) USC vs. (8) Loyola Marymount | 10 am | ESPN2, ESPN+, Fubo |
(4) Florida State University vs. (5) California State University | 11am | ESPN2, ESPN+, Fubo |
(2) UCLA vs. (7) California | noon | ESPN2, ESPN+, Fubo |
(3) Stanford vs. (6) TCU/(11) LSU | 1pm | ESPN2, ESPN+, Fubo |
May 4th (Sat): Semi-finals
Match/Result | Time (ET) | TV/Live Stream |
Semi-final #1 | 2 pm | ESPN2, ESPN+, Fubo |
Semi-final #2 | 3:30pm | ESPN2, ESPN+, Fubo |
May 5th (Sunday): National Championship
match | Time (ET) | TV/Live Stream |
semi-final winner | 11am | ESPN, ESPN+, Fubo |
NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship TV Channels, Live Streams
- date: May 3rd to May 5th
- position: Gulf Shores Public Beach, Gulf Shores, Alabama
- tv channels: ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNU
- live stream: ESPN+ | Fuho
Each round will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. The first round will be on ESPNU, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be on ESPN2, and the championship will be on ESPN. All pairs playing in each dual will be streamed on ESPN+.
Cord cutters can find complete coverage at Fubo, which offers a free trial.
If you can't watch the NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament live or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN provides a secure and private online connection so you can bypass geo-restrictions and access your favorite streaming services from any device, anywhere in the world.
Watch anywhere: Sign up with NordVPN (30-day money-back guarantee)
List of past NCAA beach volleyball champions
California is the queen of beaches. Many schools and conferences from around the country competed in the tournament, but only her two schools won.
Only USC and UCLA, which are based on opposite sides of Los Angeles, won this title. Pepperdine, Florida State and UCLA all finished as runners-up in the tournament.
Year | school |
2023 | University of Southern California |
2022 | University of Southern California |
2021 | University of Southern California |
2020* | – |
2019 | University of California Los Angeles |
2018 | University of California Los Angeles |
2017 | University of Southern California |
2016 | University of Southern California |
*Canceled due to the influence of the new coronavirus infection