COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Volleyball will host a collegiate pairs championship in May of 2017 as part of the Team USA Summer Champions Series, presented by Comcast.
The USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Championships will be May 11-13 in Hermosa Beach, California, in partnership with the Team USA Summer Champions Series. The competition field will consist of 24 women’s pairs and eight men’s pairs, playing for a title which will earn them a spot on a USA Volleyball collegiate beach national team.
“USA Volleyball is delighted to be a part of Team USA’s 2017 Summer Champions Series,” said Jamie Davis, USA Volleyball’s Chief Executive Officer. “This collegiate tournament aligns with our strategic direction of increasing participation at all levels and we believe the partnership with NBC Sports Network will invite new boys and girls to join us on the beach.”
NBCSN will air the women’s final live on May 13 from 6-7:30 p.m. ET, and immediately afterwards the taped delayed men’s final. Men’s and women’s pool play will take place on Thursday, wrapping up Friday morning. Single-elimination bracket play will span Friday and into Saturday’s broadcasted finals.
“The opportunity to partner with the United States Olympic Committee to bridge the collegiate game to our National Teams is a fantastic initiative in continuing USA Volleyball’s international competitive excellence,” Davis added. “As volleyball’s National Governing Body, the winning athletes will be selected to play on one of our collegiate beach national teams.”
The eight schools that qualify for the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships will earn one automatic berth for their top team, subject to the committee’s approval. The remaining women’s pairs and all eight men’s pairs will be chosen by the selection committee based on merit from the 2017 season and USAV Beach Ranking. Up to two women’s wild card pairs may be given by USA Volleyball. Any unused wild card spots will be decided by the selection committee.
The selection committee is made up of six NCAA representatives, three staff members from USA Volleyball, one AVCA representative and two athlete representatives.
| Committee Member | Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Scott | USAV Director, Beach National Programs | |
| Megan Burgdorf | USAV Manager, Beach High Performance | |
| Michelle Meyer | USAV Coordinator, Beach High Performance | |
| Kathy DeBoer | AVCA Executive Director | |
| TBD Coach | Men’s NCAA indoor volleyball | |
| TBD Coach | Atlantic Sun Conference | |
| TBD Coach | Big West Conference | |
| TBD Coach | Coastal Collegiate Sports Association | |
| TBD Coach | Pac-12 Conference | |
| TBD Coach | West Coast Conference | |
| TBD | Athlete Representative | |
| TBD | Athlete Representative |
The introduction of a major beach volleyball event under the umbrella of Team USA and USA Volleyball comes off the heels of the successful showing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The 2017 Team USA Summer Champions Series, presented by Comcast, consists of events with three additional National Governing Bodies: diving, swimming, and track and field – which will air on NBCUniversal throughout the summer.
Admission to the venue on Hermosa Beach Pier will be free and open to the public.