LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College beach volleyball team is set to participate in the Sunshine State Conference tournament hosted by Saint Leo University on April 10-11 in a double elimination tournament at the Saint Leo Beach Volleyball Courts. The Moccasins (15-8) are selected as the fourth seed facing the fifth seed in Eckerd (16-12) on Friday morning.
2026 Inaugural SSC Beach Volleyball Tournament
Dates – April 10-11, 2025
Opponent - #5 Eckerd
Times – 8:30 AM
Location – Saint Leo Beach Volleyball Courts | Saint Leo, Fla.
The SSC BVB tournament will be double elimination except for when the remaining team in the winner's bracket plays the advancing team of the consolation bracket one time to determine the champion. All tournament matches will take place on five courts simultaneously and will be played to a decision. Sunday, April 12th, will be utilized as a rain date if necessary.
Following the tournament, Select SSC teams may receive an invitation to play in the
National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Tournament or the
AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championships. The NC event will be played May 1 through May 3 at Gulf Place Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. AVCA Small College will be April 17 to April 19 at Gulf Shores Public Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
"Year 2," stated head coach
Makena Wilson '20! "I am excited for another opportunity to compete in the conference tournament. This year our team is gritty and finds ways to win, so this will be a great opportunity to showcase that this weekend. The team has worked so hard all season long and I am ready to not only see their growth, but I am ready to see them compete on Friday. Every team competing this weekend is strong, so it will be a great challenge and will help us prepare for the Small CollegeChampionship as well. I am looking forward to another conference tournament!"
Fourth - Seed Florida Southern Moccasins
The Moccasins will participate in the second annual SSC postseason tournament entering the tournament as the fourth seed and an 15-8 overall record. FSC will potentially face all the teams that they faced during the regular season. Highlights from this year included a 7-0 run during the middle of the season. The Mocs went 3-3 against Sunshine State Conference opponents and are currently on a six-match win streak against Eckerd defeating the Tritons in both meetings this season, the first one on February 18 winning 3-2 and then March 20 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, and Palm Beach State on senior day.
Florida Southern has been pretty consistent in the pairs as the top flight of
Sydney Melcher and
Ryla Bryant went 15-8 from the top court. With another 15-8 overall record,
Hailey Carefoot and
Sarah Idler are on a five-game winning streak splitting time at courts two and three. Also, on a six-game winning streak and the best record for the Mocs was Lauren Passaglie and
Ella Pringle earning a 16-7 record for the season also splitting time between courts two through four.
Projected Lineup
- Sydney Melcher / Ryla Bryant
- Sarah Idler / Hailey Carefoot
- Ella Pringle/ Lauren Passaglia
- Lily Schlageter/ Victoria Rushing
- Sophie Harris/ Aubrey Wieser
The SSC announced the addition of beach volleyball on December 13th, 2023, and the inaugural season kicked off on February 1st, 2025. Beach volleyball will be the first league sport to award a maiden title since women's lacrosse in 2015.
