GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's beach volleyball team will take part in four tournaments across its first-ever campaign in 2023, announced head coach Bryan Buckius.
The Pioneers are set to host back-to-back weekend tournaments in October, bookended by two nationally associated events.
"I am extremely excited to get our first season of men's beach volleyball at Tusculum started," said Buckius. "Being one of the only universities to offer men's beach volleyball creates a special opportunity for our current student-athletes along with future recruits. Our goal for this year is to make it to Huntsville and bring a national championship back to Greeneville!"
TU's debut is scheduled to be September 15-17 at the Men's Beach Collegiate Challenge, sponsored by USA Volleyball and hosted by Stevenson University in Maryland. The event is formatted with 32 teams (pairs) across eight pools with a round-robin system. The top three in each pool (24 total) advance to the single-elimination phase, leading up to the medal matches.
Tusculum's first-ever men's beach volleyball home tournament has been tabbed for Homecoming weekend (Oct. 14-15). Lincoln Memorial University and another team to be determined will visit Greeneville for the two-day event. Saturday is set to be team versus team, while Sunday is scheduled for pairs play.
The next weekend (Oct. 21-22) is set up in a similar format. Stevenson, Webber International University, and Erskine College make the journey to Tusculum for team action on day one. However, with Erskine unable to compete on Sundays, pairs competition will only feature the Pioneers, Mustangs, and Warriors.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has announced that Huntsville, Alabama, will be the site of the Second Annual AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships on November 3-5. The men's event will bring four schools to John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex to compete for the first men's collegiate beach team national championship. The facility is a 428-acre site located in the heart of the city, full of 15 state-of-the-art courts.
