NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship In Gulf Shores To Expand

GULF SHORES, Ala. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Beach Volleyball Championship Tournament will expand from eight to 16 teams beginning with the next tournament in Gulf Shores, beginning on May 3, OBA reported. The NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Committee made the recommendation to bring all 16 teams to Gulf Shores for the 2022 championship. In addition to doubling the number of teams in the championship, the committee will continue to review selection criteria for teams that don’t earn automatic conference qualifications for the rest of the field. After a one-year COVID-19-induced hiatus, the championship returned to Gulf Shores in May 2021. ESPN has a contract to broadcast the tournament through 2022, and Gulf Shores will host it through 2023. It then moves to Huntington Beach, California, for two years. Gulf Shores is expected to bid to host it permanently beginning in 2026.