Back to the Beach at Gulf Shores with NCAA Volleyball Tourney

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission, along with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the City of Gulf Shores, host this year's NCAA Beach Voleyball Championships May 5-7.

The organizations also will continue to host the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships through 2022. Last year, the inaugural NCAA-sanctioned beach volleyball championship was held on the Gulf Shores Public Beach.

“The Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Sports Commission and Tourism offices are thrilled to host the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships alongside the City of Gulf Shores and the University of Alabama at Birmingham for the next five years,” said Beth Gendler, vice president of sales for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism. “Last year when we hosted the inaugural tournament, our cities, visitors and local community truly rallied around it. We look forward to continuing this relationship and helping to forge the path for beach volleyball across the nation.” 

The tentative dates for the upcoming tournaments are May 4-6, 2018; May 3-5, 2019; May 1-3, 2020; May 7-9, 2021 and May 6-8, 2022 at Gulf Shores Public Beach.

"With a successful inaugural championship, we are extremely excited to continue the championship in Gulf Shores through 2022,” said Kristen Fasbender, director of championships and alliances for NCAA. “Gulf Shores has served as an incredible host, and it is a great championship atmosphere and experience for our student-athletes. The sky is the limit with the beach volleyball championship, and it will be fun to see the growth it has to offer in Gulf Shores over the next five years."

For more information on the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship, visit NCAA.com/Championships/Beach-Volleyball/NC.