Tampa Beach Volleyball Set to Host First Tournament of Season
TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Beach Volleyball set to host first tournament of the Spring Season.
About the Spartans: The University of Tampa welcomes four top 20 teams in what is set to be one of the most competitive beach volleyball tournaments of the early 2024 season. Tampa comes off a 2023 season in which they captured their third AVCA Small College National Championship in six years and look to make a splash early in the 2024 season, playing hosts to No. 11 Florida Atlantic, No. 12 Georgia State, No. 17 South Carolina, and No. 18 Arizona State. Tampa returns eight of their ten starters including Division II All-American Peyton Brunick and three other seniors. The Spartans added grad transfer Olivia Margolies and will look for key contributions from incoming freshmen. Tampa will begin their 2024 season in a duel against No. 17 South Carolina, who hold a 1-0 all-time series record against the Spartans.
About No. 17 South Carolina: The Gamecocks sported a 19-12 record in the 2023 season with wins over three top 20 teams including a sweep of No. 13 Cal Poly and a 3-2 win over No. 5 LMU, yet narrowly missed out on an at large bid to last year's NCAA tournament in Gulf Shores. The Gamecocks begin their 2024 campaign against the Tampa Spartans, who traveled to Columbia last year but had their duel canceled due to weather. The only other meeting between the two schools took place in 2019, which ended in a 5-0 for South Carolina.
About No. 18 Arizona State: The Sundevils ended the 2023 season with an 11-13 record following a loss to No. 20 Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament. Ironically, their best two wins of the season came against the Arizona Wildcats, who were ranked on both occasions. The Sundevils look to make an NCAA tournament push in the 2024 season, evident by the addition of five Division I transfers from the likes of top schools TCU, Florida State, USC, and Grand Canyon. The Sundevils begin their 2024 journey against No. 12 Georgia State, who hold a 3-0 series history over ASU. The Spartans will square off against the Sundevils for the first time in program history this weekend.
About No. 12 Georgia State: The Panthers come off a 2023 season that boasts six top 20 wins, a 2023 Sun Belt Conference Championship, and an NCAA tournament appearance. Their best win of the season came early against No. 11 Stetson and their 2023 campaign ended in a 3-0 loss to eventual NCAA National Champions: USC. GSU returns a strong roster with five seniors, including NCAA 2nd Team All-Americans Angel and Bella Ferary. The Panthers embark on their 2024 season against No. 11 FAU, who have a losing record of 8-13 against GSU. Tampa looks to claim their first win against GSU in series history on Saturday.
About No. 11 Florida Atlantic: In 2023, the Owls claimed a 19-13 record with four top 20 wins, a Conference USA Championship, and an NCAA tournament appearance. Their best win of the season came against No. 12 FIU in the Conference USA Championship but fell in their opening round matchup of the NCAA tournament to No. 5 seeded LSU. The Owls field a roster with only four seniors but are supported by a strong young group of nine freshmen and sophomores. FAU have taken three of the last four duels against GSU and look to improve to four of the last five when they open their season on Friday. The Spartans look to grab their first win against FAU in program history when the two schools face off on Saturday.
This Weekend's Schedule: The Spartans square off against No. 17 South Carolina and No. 18 Arizona State tomorrow, Friday 2/23, at 11 AM and 5 PM respectively. Then Tampa takes on No. 12 Georgia State and No. 11 FAU on Saturday 2/24 at 10 AM and 4 PM respectively.