Tampa Opens 2025 Season as Sandy Spartan Invitational Hosts
TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa beach volleyball set to host four ranked opponents at the Sandy Spartan Invitational to kick off the 2025 season.
About the Spartans: The University of Tampa welcomes four top-20 teams for the annual Sandy Spartan Invitational, one of the most anticipated tournaments of early 2025. The Spartans are coming off a 25-9 record in 2024, capturing their fourth AVCA Small College National Championship, and aim to three-peat in 2025. Tampa returns three of their 2024 Top Flight Award winners—Angel Williams, Hailey Wolfe, and Nevaeh Wolfe—all of whom won at least 75% of their matches with their respective partners. The Spartans will also look for key contributions from graduate transfers Elizabeth Price and Logan Martin, as well as Pepperdine transfer Lauren Cook.
About No. 13 Georgia State: The Panthers enter 2025 after winning their third straight Sun Belt Conference title, finishing with a 26-13 record. Georgia State opens the season as both the conference favorite and the No. 13 team in the country. Head Coach Beth Van Fleet enters her 12th season with 234 career wins, boasting 11 straight winning seasons and five national championship tournament appearances. The Sandy Panthers hold a 7-0 all-time record against the Spartans, meeting every season since 2019.
About No. 14 Washington: The Huskies capped 2024 with a 20-16 record, competing against 22 nationally ranked opponents and earning their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, where they fell to No. 4 Florida State in the first round. Washington secured their bid by upsetting No. 8 Utah in the Pac-12 semifinals before falling to No. 3 Stanford in the championship. After back-to-back 20-win seasons, the Huskies now transition to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for 2025, entering the season ranked No. 14. This tournament marks the first-ever meeting between Tampa and Washington.
About No. 16 Florida Atlantic: FAU finished 2024 with an 18-19 record, facing 18 nationally ranked opponents before falling to No. 6 TCU and Tulane in the Conference USA Championship. The Owls return four players who earned CUSA postseason honors: Ashleigh Adams (First Team), Julie Honzovicova (First Team), Marketa Svozilova (First Team), and Olivia Strandberg (All-Freshmen Team). Although FAU leads the all-time series 4-1, Tampa won their last meeting at the 2024 Sandy Spartan Showdown.
About No. 17 Florida International: The Panthers posted a 22-10 record in 2024, earning five top-20 wins before falling to Tulane in the Conference USA tournament. Their biggest win came in a 3-0 sweep over No. 4 UAB in the CUSA tournament. Head Coach Terri Del Conte led FIU to 20 wins and a No. 12 national ranking in her first season. She now enters year two with a strengthened coaching staff, adding former WNBA first-round pick and international beach volleyball standout Kelly Raimon. FIU travels to Tampa for the first time in program history, looking to improve their 4-0 all-time record against the Spartans.
This Weekend's Schedule:
• Friday, 2/21
1:00 PM – Tampa vs. No. 13 Georgia State
5:00 PM – Tampa vs. No. 14 Washington
• Saturday, 2/22
10:00 AM – Tampa vs. No. 16 Florida Atlantic
4:00 PM – Tampa vs. No. 17 Florida International