The University of Washington Beach Volleyball program will join the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation after the 2023-24 season. The Huskies have played in the Pac-12 since 2014, their inaugural season.
“We are excited to become founding members of a conference that is bound to be one of the top beach volleyball conferences in the nation,” said Head Coach Derek Olson. “The MPSF offers UW the chance to contend for national championships while allowing our student-athletes to compete daily against top talent. The West Coast is synonymous with beach volleyball, so joining the MPSF will allow us to stay true to our West Coast roots, keep soaking up the sun, and win.”
The Huskies will be joining the MPSF along with familiar Pac-12 foes California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and USC, with Grand Canyon also joining. That immediately makes the MPSF the premier beach conference in the country, with the Bruins and Trojans having won all seven NCAA team titles between them. Neither the Big Ten nor the ACC sponsor beach volleyball, giving the teams exiting the Pac-12 conference the opportunity to remain united.
Beach Volleyball becomes the third sport in the last two calendar years to be added to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The inclusion of the twelfth sport for the MPSF beats the previous all-time high of 11 during the academic years from 2010-13, as well as the current three-year stretch from 2021- 24. Washington’s most recent participation in the MPSF was in indoor track & field, which lasted from 1993-2020.
“We are excited to join the MPSF and continue building a program that competes for championships,” said Washington Director of Athletics Troy Dannen. “Under the leadership of head coach Derek Olson, our beach volleyball team has gained incredible momentum and created a culture of winning. As future members of the MPSF, we look forward to further developing that culture, competing on a national level, and providing a world-class student-athlete experience.”
The inaugural MPSF Beach Volleyball Championship Tournament is scheduled for April 2025, with the specific dates and location to be determined.
The Huskies will open their 10th and final season in the Pac-12 starting February 23rd. The Huskies are coming off their best finish as a program last year at No. 15 and have reloaded with a massive recruiting class which is made up of 11 athletes, including three transfers from Top-20 programs and eight freshmen to strengthen…
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