Let's go to the beach. Gulf Shores, Alabama, that is.
The eighth edition of the NCAA beach volleyball championships is about to take its first serve. Seventeen teams enter, but only one can be crowned. Historically, there's only two teams that have been.
Only Southern California and UCLA have won the national championship. The Bruins won twice while the Trojans are five-time winners, including the past three seasons. They're expected to win it all again this year as the No. 1 overall seed. It's not set in stone, though. The Los Angeles rivals split the six duals this season. The Trojans got the last victory with a sweep of the Bruins in the Pac-12 championship.
Don't count out Florida State. The Seminoles are the only non-California school to make it to the NCAA finals. They lost all three appearances, though, including the latest in 2022.
In the tournament, five pairs compete for every team, each ranked one through five. A win on a court earns a team one dual point. Once the team reaches three dual points, they win the entire match. So yes, beach volleyball is a game of two-on-two, but it's a team effort to win a national championship.
It's a single-elimination tournament, so one mistake is all it takes to risk the title.
Watching it all go down on the beach isn't possible for everyone, so here's how to watch the NCAA beach volleyball championships at home.
MORE: Watch every match of the NCAA beach volleyball championship on Fubo (free trial)
NCAA beach volleyball championships 2024 bracket, schedule
For just the second year, the NCAA beach volleyball tournament will be single-elimination, rather than using an elimination bracket. So once a team loses a dual, they're out.
In addition, the tournament expanded to 17 teams. North Florida and Chattanooga will begin the tournament with a play-in dual. Winner moves into the 16-team bracket to play Southern California.
Friday, May 3: Opening round
| Result |
| (16) North Florida 3, (17) Chattanooga 0 |
Friday, May 3: First round
| Results |
| (4) Florida State 3, (13) Washington 1 |
| (5) Cal Poly 3, (12) Arizona State 0 |
| (1) USC 3, (16) North Florida 0 |
| (8) Loyola Marymount 3, (9) Hawai'i 1 |
| (2) UCLA 3, (15) Texas A&M Corpus Christi 0 |
| (7) Cal 3, (10 Long Beach State 1 |
| (3) Stanford 3, (14) Georgia State 0 |
| (11) LSU 3, (6) TCU 2 |
Saturday, May 4: Quarterfinals
| Results |
| (1) USC 3, (8) Loyola Marymount 0 |
| (5) Cal Poly 3, (4) Florida State 1 |
| (2) UCLA 3, (7) Cal 0 |
| (11) LSU 3, (3) Stanford 2 |
Saturday, May 4: Semifinals
| Results |
| (1) USC 3, (5) Cal Poly 0 |
| (2) UCLA 3, (11) LSU 1 |
Sunday, May 5: National Championship
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV/Live stream |
| (1) USC vs. (2) UCLA | 11 a.m. | ESPN, ESPN+, Fubo |
NCAA beach volleyball championships TV channel, live streams
- Date: May 3-5
- Location: Gulf Shores Public Beach, Gulf Shores, Alabama
- TV channel: ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNU
- Live stream: ESPN+ | Fubo
Each round will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. The first round will be played on ESPNU, the quarterfinals and semifinals on ESPN2 and the championship on ESPN. Every pair playing in each dual will be streamed on ESPN+.
Cord-cutters can find full coverage on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
If the NCAA beach volleyball tournament is not available to watch live in your location, or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming service from any device, anywhere in the world.
WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day money-back guarantee)
List of past NCAA beach volleyball champions
California is queen of the beach. While many schools and conferences from around the country have made it to the tournament, only two have ever won.
Only USC and UCLA, based across town in Los Angeles, have taken the title. Pepperdine, Florida State and UCLA have all finished as runner-up in the tournament.
| Year | School |
| 2023 | USC |
| 2022 | USC |
| 2021 | USC |
| 2020* | – |
| 2019 | UCLA |
| 2018 | UCLA |
| 2017 | USC |
| 2016 | USC |
*Canceled due to COVID-19
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