HOUSTON – The HCU beach volleyball program is set to open the 2026 campaign by hosting the Third Coast College Classic this Friday and Saturday at Third Coast Volleyball Club.
This year's Third Coast College Classic boasts a strong field that included No. 3 Cal Poly, St. Mary's, Southern Miss and Tarleton State. The Huskies are scheduled to take on Tarleton State on Friday at 11:00 a.m. followed by a 5:00 p.m. dual against the third-ranked Mustangs. On Saturday, HCU will take on St. Mary's at 10:00 a.m. before finishing out the tournament against Southern Miss at 4:00 p.m.
HCU's roster features seven returning letterwinners from the 2025 season, including senior
Paige Palmer who has 30 career wins for the Huskies. Other returning upperclassmen include senior
Killian Armstrong and junior
Lauren Vickery, who finished last year third on the team in wins with a 15-16 record playing on courts three and four. The Huskies also return four sophomores who saw action as true freshman last season in
Taylor Gardner,
Alexa Landmark,
Allie Patton and
Sophia Sabol.
Cal Poly enters the season with the highest preseason ranking in program history, checking in at third on the AVCA preseason poll. The Mustangs went 31-8 in 2025 and return three AVCA All-Americans from last year's team with Erin Inskeep and Ella Connor named to the AVCA National Player of the Year Award watchlist.
St. Mary's, picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, enters the 2026 campaign after ending last season with a 20-16 overall record. Senior Hannah Couch leads the Gaels, twice earning all-conference honors and winning 59 career matches.
Southern Miss finished the 2025 season with a 14-25 overall record, including a 3-2 loss to the Huskies in Baton Rouge, La. The duo of Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda returns to lead the Golden Eagles after posting a 22-17 record on court 2 last year.
The Texans begin their third season as a program after going 6-17 last year. They return senior Allison Bryant who tied for the team lead in wins last year, finishing with a 10-10 record playing on court 1. The Huskies and Texans have faced off once, in Tarleton's inaugural season in 2024, with HCU earning a 5-0 win.
Next weekend, the Huskies will travel to Baton Rouge for the Tiger Beach Challenge on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28, with matches against LSU, Tulane, North Alabama and UAB.
