Spartans Set for Competitive Weekend at FAU Beach Invitational
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa beach volleyball team is set for a challenging weekend at the Florida Atlantic University Invitational, where they will face four strong opponents in Stetson, Florida Gulf Coast, Alabama-Birmingham, and TCU.
About the Spartans: Tampa enters the weekend with a 3-5 record, looking to improve their standings against teams they have historically struggled against. The Spartans have already notched a 4-1 victory over Florida Gulf Coast this season on February 28, but have losing records against Stetson, Alabama-Birmingham, and TCU. A bright spot for Tampa has been its consistent representation in the Sunshine State Conference Duo of the Week honors, with Hailey Wolfe and Nevaeh Wolfe earning the award in the first two weeks and Angel Williams and Elizabeth Price receiving recognition after their strong performances against South Florida and Palm Beach Atlantic.
About Stetson: The Hatters opened their season in dominant fashion, recording four consecutive 5-0 sweeps at the Stetson University Spring Fling, including a win over Tampa's SSC foe Eckerd. Stetson has since built an impressive 10-2 record, highlighted by wins over No. 14 Florida International, No. 19 North Florida, and Florida Gulf Coast. The Hatters have historically controlled their matchups against Tampa, leading the all-time series 4-0.
About Florida Gulf Coast: The Eagles enter the weekend with a 4-6 record, having split their matches against Tampa and Eckerd at the Tampa Invitational. FGCU hosted its Inaugural Tournament, where they took down No. 14 FIU but fell to No. 19 North Florida, No. 20 Stetson, and South Carolina. They now face a tough test at FAU, where they hold a 6-17 all-time record against the hosts and have lost 10 of their last 11 meetings.
About Alabama-Birmingham: The Dragons have started their 2025 season off with an 8-3 record, currently on a 3 game winning streak. UAB kicked of their 2025 the season at Conference-USA rival, Tulane's Green Wave Invitational, then heading to South Carolina's Wheeler Bash, and finally hosting thier annual March To May tournament where they went undefeated; the Dragons face C-USA foe, Florida International before stopping in for FAU's tournament where they have a combined record of 6-25 against their tournament oppoenents in Georgia State (3-11), Florida Gulf Coast (0-3), Tampa (2-1), and Florida Atlantic (0-10), whom they haven't bested since 2012.
About TCU: The No. 4-ranked AVCA Horned Frogs have compiled a 7-3 record while facing an incredibly tough schedule, competing against nine top-15 ranked opponents. After a 3-3 start at the OUTRIGGER Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic in Hawaii, TCU found its rhythm, going undefeated at their own invitational, including a dominant sweep over No. 7 Florida State. TCU holds winning records over each opponent they will face this weekend, except for Southern California, against whom they are 1-10 all-time, with a loss coming recently in Hawaii.
This Weekend's Schedule:
Friday, March 14
- 11:00 AM – Tampa vs. Stetson
- 3:00 PM – Tampa vs. Florida Gulf Coast
Saturday, March 15
- 8:00 AM – Tampa vs. Alabama-Birmingham
- 1:00 PM – Tampa vs. TCU