HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. – At the conclusion of the USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Championships, the podium was packed with five of the six spots hailing from California schools.

All three women’s podium finishers consisted of California schools, while the men’s saw the first two spots from the Eureka state, and in bronze from the Midwest.

The brand new pairing of Lucas Yoder (USC) and Michael Saeta (UC Irvine) won the men’s gold medal match, 21-16, 21-13 against UCLA’s Jackson Bantle/Hagen Smith. The all-USC women’s final saw Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes defeat their NCAA teammates Terese Cannon/Nicolette Martin, 19-21, 21-13, 15-11.

Finishing in third, Nathan Vander Meer (Davenport)/Logan Webber (Cincinnati Christian) defeated Hawaii’s Brett Rosenmeier/Colton Cowell, 21-15, 12-21, 15-11. The women’s bronze went to Corinne Quiggle/Brittany Howard (Pepperdine), when they topped Georgia State’s Delaney Rohan/Chelsea Ross, 21-17, 21-11.

To participant in the event, the athletes must have been collegiate volleyball student-athletes (indoor/beach), or within one year removed of having graduated.

The event was buzzing, riding off the momentum of the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships which wrapped the week prior in Gulf Shores, Alabama. In Hermosa Beach, the scene was the quintessential California vibe, but with the 23 different schools from around the country present, it was anything but a typical outing.

Team’s like Georgia State’s Ross/Rohan faced off against powerhouses Pepperdine and USC, en route to exceeding their seeding of 17th, with a fourth-place finish. Fans were treated to seeing Midwest schools represented, in Davenport University, Cincinnati Christian, Mount St. Joseph and Lewis University. There were the commonplace sightings of stars on the beach: Matt Leinhart, Casey Patterson, Kerri Walsh Jennings and at one point, eight Olympic volleyball players mingling around. Aside from the stars, the collegiate athletes showed the kids in the stands that the game has an accessibility about it.

It wasn’t just about beach volleyball being a California thing, though the podium was heavily West Coast. It was a chance to bring in the up-and-coming, from around the nation; to showcase programs that have put in the work and supported the sport. To grow the men’s game at the collegiate level. The athletes that played in the USAV Collegiate Beach Championships brought out the best of the sport, showing us that it’s anyone’s game, and a game for everyone.

Athletes

TOP RESULTS
Women
1. Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes (USC)
2. Terese Cannon/Nicolette Martin (USC)
3. Corinne Quiggle/Brittany Howard (Pepperdine)
4. Delaney Rohan/Chelsea Ross (Georgia State)

Men
1. Lucas Yoder (USC)/Michael Saeta (UC Irvine)
2. Jackson Bantle/Hagen Smith (UCLA)
3. Nathan Vander Meer (Davenport)/Logan Webber (Cincinnati Christian)
4. Brett Rosenmeier/Colton Cowell (Hawaii)