LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College beach volleyball team is headed to the AVCA Small College Beach Championships this week, running from Thursday to Saturday, April 17–19 for the seventh year in a row. The event, which takes place in Gulf Shores, Ala. brings together top beach teams from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and the NAIA.
The Moccasins (20-10) are selected as the eighth-seed facing the fifth-seed in Texas A&M-Kingsville (21-11) and 17th-seed Southwest Baptist (8-12) on Thursday in pool play.
In all, 33 teams will compete in 455 total matches, making the event the largest collegiate beach volleyball event in the United States. Team champions will be crowned in each of the three divisions, and there also is a Pairs Challenge event for participating teams.
2025 AVCA Small College Beach Championships
Dates – April 17-19, 2025
Times – Game 1 vs 17-seed Southwest Baptist | April 17, 12:20 p.m. & Game 2 vs 5-seed Texas A&M-Kingsville | April 17, 3:35 p.m.
Location – Gulf Shores, Ala.
Championship Info – Free for spectators
Real-time Results - https://avca.volleyballlife.com/tournament/27872?tab=information
"It is very exciting for the AVCA to again team up with Gulf Shores for a beach volleyball championship!" said Dr. Jaime Gordon, AVCA CEO. "The city has made a name in the beach volleyball community, and it was a great partner when the AVCA held the first collegiate national championships there from 2012-15, just before the NCAA took over. Bringing the 2025 AVCA Small College Beach Championships to Gulf Shores continues that partnership, and we look forward to a great event this week."
Eight - Seed Florida Southern Moccasins
The Moccasins took part in the inaugural SSC postseason tournament entering the tournament as the fourth seed entering the tournament 18-8 overall record. FSC faced fifth-seed Eckerd for the third time defeating the Tritons 3-1, advancing to face the top-seed University of Tampa falling 3-0 and heading to the consolation bracket. The Mocs defeated sixth-seed Barry, 3-0, to advance to day two. The Mocs concluded the inaugural SSC tournament falling to the second-seed Palm Beach Atlantic 3-1.
Highlights from this year included a 7-0 run during the middle of the season. The Mocs went 4-4 against Sunshine State Conference opponents and currently on a three match win streak against Eckerd with defeating the Tritons both meetings this season, first one on March 5 winning 4-1 and then March 15 winning 3-2. Florida Southern hosted 12 events at the Judy and Joe P. Ruthven Beach Volleyball Courts this season to go 9-3 at home with wins over Warner and Polk State College in the season opener, and Ave maria, St. Johns River, Barry, State College of Florida, two wins against Stevenson, and Lake Sumter on senior day.
Florida Southern has moved pairings around all season but the most consistent is the top flight of Ashli McKenny and Emma Winford. The duo owns a 17-12 record all at the #1 flight. With an 18-6 overall record, Isabella Muti and Zoe Lowe are on a six-game winning streak splitting time at courts three through five. Also on a six-game winning streak are Hailey Carefoot and Reagan Carlton earning a 15-7 record for the season also splitting time between courts two through four. The pair at court five Hayley St. Martin and Mary Olivia Muti are 15-4 on the season while Sydney Melcher and Nicole Eden are 13-11 on the season primarily at court two.
Projected Lineup
- Emma Winford / Ashli McKenny
- Sydney Melcher / Nicole Eden
- Zoe Lowe / Reagan Carlton
- Isabella Muti / Hailey Carefoot
- Hayley St. Martin / Mary Olivia Muti
Challenge Pairs:
Madeline Sanders / Sophie Harris
Sarah Idler / Aubrey Wieser
Here are the schedules for each division, as well as a link to the list of competing teams:
>>Division II (Thursday-Saturday), 18 teams
>>Division III (Friday-Saturday), 9 teams
>>NAIA (Thursday-Friday), 6 teams
>>Pairs Challenge (Thursday), 40 pairs
This will be the first year the AVCA Small College Beach Championships are in Gulf Shores. The city is no stranger to hosting big beach events, as it has played host to the NCAA National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship since its inception.
