Spartans Set For Inaugural SSC Beach Volleyball Championship
TAMPA, Fla. – The inaugural Sunshine State Conference Beach Volleyball Championship will take place April 11–12 at the Beach Volleyball Courts on the campus of Saint Leo University. The No. 1 seed Tampa Spartans enter the tournament with a first-round bye, earning the top seed after closing the regular season on a seven-match winning streak.
About No. 1 Tampa: The Spartans finished the regular season with an 11-8 record, riding a seven-match win streak that included victories over Eckerd, Saint Leo, Palm Beach Atlantic, and Barry. Hailey Wolfe and Nevaeh Wolfe recently earned their fifth Sunshine State Conference Duo of the Week award. While Tampa did not face Florida Southern this season, the Spartans hold a dominant 12-1 all-time record against the Moccasins, including an 11-match win streak dating back to 2018, nine of which were sweeps. Additionally, the Spartans could potentially face an Eckerd team they defeated twice this season and have not lost to since the 2018 season.
About No. 2 Palm Beach Atlantic: The Sailfish enter the SSC Championship as the only team to defeat Tampa this season. In two meetings over the past month, Palm Beach Atlantic edged Tampa 3-2 before falling in a rematch at Eckerd's Battle on the Bay tournament. The Sailfish closed the regular season at 14-9, winning their final two matches. They will face the winner of Barry and Saint Leo, two teams the Sailfish swept earlier this season.
About No. 3 Saint Leo: The Lions wrapped up the regular season with a 12-8 record, the third-highest win total among tournament teams. The Lions are 2-0 all-time against Barry, with both wins coming via sweep. If Saint Leo advances past Barry into Match 4, they'll meet Palm Beach Atlantic, who not only swept them earlier this season but also holds a commanding 12-3 all-time series lead over the Lions.
About No. 4 Florida Southern: Posting an impressive 18-8 regular season record—the most wins of any team in the SSC, Florida Southern enters the tournament as the fourth seed. While the Moccasins did not face Tampa this year, they went 4-6 against other conference opponents, including a 2-0 season sweep over Eckerd, their opening-round opponent. Earlier this season, their 1's pair Ashli McKenny and Emma Winford, along with the 2's pair Hailey Carefoot and Reagan Carlton, earned back-to-back SSC Duo of the Week honors.
About No. 5 Eckerd: Eckerd ended the regular season at 6-18, including four straight losses at their own Battle on the Bay tournament. As the No. 5 seed, the Tritons face Florida Southern, who swept them in both meetings this season. Despite an eight-match losing streak to close the year, the 1's pair of Brooke Hand and Anna Jupin earned a Sunshine State Duo of the Week nod, breaking Tampa's five-week streak of winning the award.
About No. 6 Barry: The Barry University beach volleyball team finished out its program's second season with a 4-9 record, the fewest wins across the entire conference. Furthermore, the Buccaneers went 0-6 against their fellow Sunshine State Conference counterparts, being swept in four of those games and faltering in both matchups against Saint Leo, whom they meet again in Match 2 of the championship tournament.
This Weekend's Schedule:
Thursday, April 11
• Match 1: 8:30 AM – Florida Southern vs. Eckerd
• Match 2: 10:00 AM – Barry vs. Saint Leo
• Match 3: 11:30 AM – Tampa vs. Winner of Match 1
• Match 4: 1:00 PM – Palm Beach Atlantic vs. Winner of Match 2
Friday, April 12
• Match 7: 10:00 AM – Semifinal: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4
• Match 10: 3:30 PM – Championship Match