Who’s Heading to Gulf Shores

By: Cassie Langdon

More than 1,500 matches are played over the course of the season, but in the end, it all comes down to the final 15. Three rounds to determine one national champion.

Sixteen teams will be selected for the 2025 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship. The first round will begin the morning of Friday, May 2, with eight matches played all day long. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be on May 3 and the national champion will be crowned on May 4. All duals will take place at the Gulf Shores Public Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, which has been the home of the beach volleyball championship since the first championship in 2016. It will remain the home of the championship until at least 2031. 

With a regular season full of upsets and multiple teams vying for the top-ranked spot, this year’s championship is going to filled with thrilling and fierce competition. 

The Year So Far…

Three teams have been ranked in the top spot this season: perennial powerhouses Southern California and UCLA, as well as TCU. Twenty-one different teams have been ranked at various times this season, with seven different teams breaking into the top five. 

No team is unbeaten – in fact, no team has less than four losses. There’s been plenty of upsets, close-calls and split head-to-head matchups all season long. Heading into selections, more than 1,400 duals hve been played in the regular season.

Who is headed to Gulf Shores? 

The full 16-team field will be announced on Sunday, April 27. Eight of the spots will come from automatic qualifiers, with the other eight teams being selected at-large from across the country. The Women’s Beach Volleyball Committee meets throughout the season and ultimately selects the at-large teams and seeds the entire field. The committee is comprised of seven members and the chair is Ashley Armstrong, Deputy Athletic Director/SWA at Loyola Marymount University. 

“Collegiate beach volleyball is more competitive than ever.  Beach volleyball participation numbers continue to grow, and the collegiate format provides a team model that makes for an exciting event. The National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship is one of the best NCAA championships to be a part of and we can’t wait to be back in Gulf Shores for 2025.”

“Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events and the University of Alabama at Birmingham stepped up to bring the national championship back to Gulf Shores this May.  The community has done a great job of supporting the event, welcoming teams and fans from across the country, and creating a first-class venue to watch the best collegiate beach volleyball teams in the country battle for the title. “ 

“We look forward seeing fans, parents, and beach volleyball enthusiasts buy their tickets to come to Gulf Shores and support the 16 teams competing to be the 2025 NCAA national champion.”

Conferences receiving automatic qualification include:

• ASUN Conference
• Big West Conference
• Conference USA
• Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
• Ohio Valley Conference
• Southland Conference
• Sun Belt Conference
• West Coast Conference

For the eight at-large teams, the committee will use the following selection criteria to determine who is selected:

• Head-to-head competition
• Results versus common opponents
• Strength of schedule
• Overall record (must be .500 or above)

In the eight years of the championship, 25 different teams have competed for a title. Only two teams have won since the championship’s inception: Southern California (6) and UCLA (2). The 2025 regular season has shown multiple teams ready to add their name to this list – but who will walk away with the crown in Gulf Shores?

Don’t Miss a Minute of Action

All 16 seeds will compete in a single-elimination bracket, beginning on Friday, May 2. The event will be televised by ESPN networks, with ESPN2 providing live coverage on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3. The championship will be aired live on ESPN on May 4. Each individual court of every dual will be streamed live on ESPN+. 

For those wanting to attend the championship in person in Gulf Shores, tickets can be purchased at ncaa.com/beachvolleyball. All-session and day passes are available.

Competition begins Friday, May 2, at 8 a.m. Central Time.  

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