LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY (July 18, 2023) — Following a highly successful debut in 2022, the AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships will return to Huntsville, Alabama, Nov. 3–5, 2023. The event will again feature a women’s pairs national championship and a men’s team national championship.
The women’s competition brings together top players from NCAA and NAIA beach teams across the United States. Bids to play in the event are awarded in three ways—based on results from the spring season, winners from regional qualifying events, and wildcard invitations—with no more than two pairs per school allowed.
The bulk of the bids, 55 of the 64, are being offered based on selection criteria utilizing 2023 results/records that will ensure a minimum of 39 schools will have the opportunity to be represented in Huntsville. Six pairs can earn bids through the qualifying events that will take place, which is a new wrinkle for this year. These sanctioned competitions will take place at sites in the East, Central, and West, with locations and dates to be determined (click here for more information on the hosting process). The three remaining bids are saved for wildcards, and they will be offered in mid-August.
The men’s part of the AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships will include team competition using best three-of-five format. Four schools will be selected, one from the East, one from the Central, one from the West, and one at large.
The schedule for the three-day fall tournament will include pool play for the women’s pairs on Friday, Nov. 3, followed by bracket play on Saturday and Sunday. The format ensures that all pairs will play each of the three days. On the men’s side, team competition kicks off with head-to-head play on Saturday followed by a single-elimination tournament on Sunday to crown the champion.
The Championships will take place at Huntsville’s John Hunt Park, which is home to a state-of-the-art beach volleyball complex with 15 lighted courts. The event is part of a collaboration between the AVCA, event organizer Rally Volleyball, the City of Huntsville—including the Huntsville Sports Commission and the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau—and Beach Volleyball Consulting.