April 25, 2023
Huntsville, AL – The Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Beach Volleyball Championships will occur simultaneously April 27-29 at the John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex. SBC will play on courts 1-5 while CCSA will play on courts 6-10. The event is hosted by the Huntsville Sports Commission and Rally Volleyball with assistance from the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau and City of Huntsville.
This marks the third year the CCSA Beach Volleyball Championships is being held in Huntsville. Teams competing in the CCSA Beach Volleyball Championship include Florida State University (FSU), Grand Canyon University (GCU), Louisiana State University (LSU), Missouri State University, University of South Carolina and Texas Christian University (TCU).
Four of the six teams competing this year are ranked in the top 10 nationally based off the week 8 AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches Poll. FSU has claimed the CCSA championship title every year since 2016, excluding 2020, when the tournament did not take place due to COVID-19. Last year, FSU played in the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship match after fighting back through the elimination bracket. FSU eventually fell to Southern California 3-1 in the championship match.
CCSA Beach Volleyball Championship Schedule:
Thursday, April 27 – Courts 6-10
9:30 AM Match 1: GCU vs. South Carolina
11:00 AM Match 2: LSU vs. Missouri State
12:30 PM Match 3: TCU vs. W1
2:00 PM Match 4: FSU vs. W2
Friday, April 28 – Courts 6-10
9:30 AM Match 5: L2 vs. L3
11:00 AM Match 6: L1 vs. L4
12:30 PM Match 7: W3 vs. W4
2:00 PM Match 8: W5 vs. W6
Saturday, April 29 – Courts 6-10
10:30 AM Match 9: LM7 vs. WM8
1:30 PM Match 10: WM7 vs. WM9
The Sun Belt Conference recently added beach volleyball as its 19th sponsored sport with 2023 being the inaugural season, making it the first-ever SBC Beach Volleyball Championship. Teams competing in the SBC Beach Volleyball Championship include Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Georgia State University, University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), Mercer University, University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), University of Southern Mississippi and Stephan F. Austin State University.
After winning the 2022 Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship, Georgia State University played in the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship where they lost to UCLA in round 6 and were ultimately knocked out by LMU, fighting to extend tournament play.
SBC Beach Volleyball Championship Schedule:
Thursday, April 27 – Courts 1-5
9:00 AM Match 1: Georgia State vs. Stephen F. Austin
10:30 AM Match 2: UNCW vs. ULM
12:00 PM Match 3: Charleston vs. Mercer
1:30 PM Match 4: Southern Miss vs. Coastal Carolina
3:00 PM Match 5: W1 vs. W2
4:30 PM Match 6: W3 vs. W4
Friday, April 28 – Courts 1-5
9:00 AM Match 7: L1 vs. L2
10:30 AM Match 8: L3 vs. L4
12:00 PM Match 9: L6 vs. W7
1:30 PM Match 10: L5 vs. W8
3:00 PM Match 11: W5 vs. W6
4:30 PM Match 12: W9 vs. W10
Saturday, April 29 – Courts 1-5
10:00 AM Match 13: L11 vs. W12
1:00 PM Match 14: W11 vs. W13
The SBC Beach Volleyball Championship, courts 1-5, will be live-streamed on ESPN +. The CCSA Beach Volleyball Championship courts 6-8 will be live-streamed on Valley Sports Network and courts 9 -10 will be live-streamed on YouTube.
Parking and Admission is free for all beach volleyball championships. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for viewing. Concessions, food trucks and a cash bar will be on-site with items available for purchase. For more information and event updates, visit huntsvillesports.com.
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The Huntsville Sports Commission is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), organization that promotes and enhances the quality of life in Huntsville by identifying, recruiting, promoting, and staging sporting events and meetings. For more information, contact Brooke Izzo, Director of Marketing & Communications, 256-883-3769, brooke.izzo@huntsvilleal.gov.