Road to Gulf Shores: Your Complete 2026 Conference Championship Week Roundup
Conference championship week is low-key one of the best weeks in college beach volleyball. No drama tax. No suspense budget. Just programs leaving it all in the sand for one automatic bid to Gulf Shores. This week delivered. Here’s everything that happened, conference by conference.
ASUN — Stetson Hatters 🏆
Championship Final: Stetson def. North Florida, 3-0 John Hunt Park | Huntsville, Ala. | April 22–24
Stetson came in as the top seed and the No. 14 team in the country, and this time they didn’t let it slip away. The Hatters swept North Florida 3-0 in the championship final — sweet redemption after losing to the Ospreys in the ASUN final the past two seasons in a row. North Florida, the two-time defending ASUN champion, battled their way back to the final again but couldn’t get past Stetson’s Pair of the Year duo, Marta Carro and Maria Ozaeta, who were dominant all tournament long. Head coach Kristina Hernandez — a program institution in her 13th season — was named ASUN Coach of the Year; freshman EJ Cudmore took Freshman of the Year honors.
Stetson is no stranger to the big stage — they’ve been to the NCAAs multiple times dating back to the inaugural 2016 championship — but claiming this title after back-to-back final losses makes it hit different.
The automatic bid goes to Stetson — and the Hatters are heading to Gulf Shores with something to prove.
Big 12 — Florida State Seminoles 🏆
Championship Final: Florida State def. TCU, 3-0 Bear Down Beach | Tucson, Ariz. | April 23–24
This was the headliner of the week. Florida State — No. 1 seed, ranked No. 4 nationally, entering at 29-2 — went into Tucson and ran the table without dropping a single point across their two matches. They swept Arizona 3-0 in the semis, then swept defending national champion TCU 3-0 in the final. The Seminoles, in their first-ever season in the Big 12, claimed the conference title without so much as a scare. Top pair Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig were named Most Outstanding Pair, winning every court-one set all week.
For TCU, who were hunting a fourth straight conference crown, the 3-0 final was their starkest loss of the season. The good news for the Frogs: they’re still expected to earn an at-large bid for Gulf Shores. The better story is FSU arriving at the national stage at full throttle.
The semifinal bracket also produced a Friday morning double-upset — No. 6 Arizona took down No. 4 South Carolina 3-2, and No. 5 Boise State knocked off No. 3 Arizona State 3-2 — before both were dispatched by the top seeds.
FSU earns the Big 12 automatic bid — one of the most dominant performances of conference championship week.
OVC — Chattanooga Sandy Mocs 🏆
Championship Final: Chattanooga def. Lindenwood, 3-0 Skyhawk Beach Volleyball Complex | Martin, Tenn. | April 23–25
Three in a row. Chattanooga became the first program in OVC history to win three consecutive beach volleyball tournament championships, sweeping Lindenwood 3-0 in the final. The Sandy Mocs moved to 24-4 on the year and have now won nine straight OVC Tournament matches. It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing — the semifinal against Lindenwood was a gut-check 3-2 thriller where UTC trailed before their top two pairs delivered late. The final was a different story: straight-sets wins across the board. Ansley Gulledge and Sydney Jackwin were named OVC Tournament MVPs for the second straight year.
Chattanooga’s third straight automatic bid. The Sandy Mocs dynasty in the OVC is very real.
MPSF — Texas Longhorns 🏆
Championship Final: Texas def. UCLA, 3-2 Spiker Beach | Huntington Beach, Calif. | April 22–24
Texas made history at Spiker Beach, winning the program’s first-ever MPSF Championship in just their first season in the conference. The Longhorns — the No. 3 seed — ran through the bracket undefeated, beating Grand Canyon, UCLA twice, and USC along the way.
Their semifinal over No. 4 seed USC was a classic comeback: down 0-2, Texas rattled off three straight to advance. The championship final against UCLA was a 3-2 nail-biter with the decisive point coming on Court 5, where Karin Zolnercikova and Macey Butler clawed back from a set down to close it out. UCLA — who had swept No. 1 seed Stanford in the semis — led 2-0 before Texas took three straight. A gut punch for the Bruins, who are still without an MPSF title despite their talent.
Head coach Stein Metzger had called this “the most competitive conference tournament in the history of the sport,” and the bracket backed him up completely.
Texas earns the MPSF automatic bid. A statement arrival in their new conference home.
WCC — LMU Lions 🏆
Championship Final: LMU def. Santa Clara, 3-1 Ocean Park Beach | Santa Monica, Calif. | April 23–24
Seven in a row. LMU has now won seven consecutive West Coast Conference Beach Volleyball Championships, and it’s starting to feel like gravity. The Lions — ranked No. 7 nationally and coming off last year’s national championship appearance — swept Pepperdine in the morning and handled a scrappy Santa Clara squad 3-1 in the final.
Santa Clara made it interesting, reaching the title match for the second straight year after three consecutive elimination wins through the loser’s bracket, but LMU ultimately controlled the dual behind veteran pair Chloe Hooker and Ines Piret. Hooker — the all-time winningest player in program history — clinched on Court 2 with a decisive kill. The Lions then raced to the Pacific Ocean to celebrate with the trophy in hand.
LMU punches their automatic bid — and heads to Gulf Shores looking to finish what they started in 2025.
Conference USA — Tulane Green Wave 🏆
Championship Final: Tulane def. Florida Atlantic, 3-0 Youngsville, La. | April 23–25
Tulane came into the CUSA Championship as the No. 5 seed and walked out as champions. The Green Wave beat USF, then FAU twice — including the title dual — to claim the program’s first-ever Conference USA Championship. Head coach Eyal Zimet, just extended through 2030, now takes his team to Gulf Shores for the first time.
Top flight duo Molly Trodd and Skylar Ensign swept the championship final and were named CUSA Pair of the Tournament. Third flight partners Amirah Ali and Tawny Ensign clinched it in three sets with Ali’s big swing on match point. A fifth-seed winning it all — Tulane is the Cinderella team of conference week, full stop.
Tulane earns the CUSA automatic bid. A first-ever NCAA Championship appearance for the Green Wave.
Sun Belt — Georgia State Panthers 🏆
Championship Final: Georgia State def. Coastal Carolina, 3-0 Foley Sports Tourism Complex | Foley, Ala. | April 23–25
Four straight. Georgia State is the Sun Belt’s untouchable dynasty, sweeping No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina 3-0 in the final. The Panthers are now an absurd 16-0 all-time in Sun Belt tournament play.
Coastal entered as the regular season champion and top seed after going a perfect 6-0 in conference play — and still got swept. Georgia State beat them 3-2 in the winner’s bracket semifinal, then made it look easy in the championship match with straight-sets victories at Courts 4, 2, and 5. Kealy Dirner and Ella Mozeleski were named Pair of the Tournament and kept their unbeaten record in championship matches intact.
Georgia State earns the Sun Belt automatic bid — their fourth straight trip to Gulf Shores.
Your 2026 Automatic Qualifiers at a Glance
| Conference | Automatic Qualifier |
|---|---|
| ASUN | Stetson Hatters |
| Big 12 | Florida State Seminoles |
| OVC | Chattanooga Sandy Mocs |
| MPSF | Texas Longhorns |
| WCC | LMU Lions |
| Conference USA | Tulane Green Wave |
| Sun Belt | Georgia State Panthers |
| Big West | TBD (selection show April 26) |
What’s Next
Seven automatic bids are locked in. The eighth goes to the Big West champion, announced today (April 26) at the 1 p.m. ET selection show on NCAA.com. Eight at-large bids will round out the 16-team field.
The tournament kicks off Friday, May 1 at Gulf Place Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with the semifinal and championship match on Saturday–Sunday, May 2–3 on ESPN2 and ESPN.
Watch for Florida State, LMU, and TCU (likely at-large) as early title favorites — and keep an eye on Tulane and Stetson, who both just showed they can take down anybody on a big stage. Gulf Shores is going to be must-watch TV.