Texas Beach Volleyball ended its season on May 2 after a close loss to UCLA in the NCAA Championship semifinal at Gulf Place. The Longhorns fell to the No. 3 seed Bruins, 3-2, following a quarterfinal win over Loyola Marymount earlier in the day.
This marks the program’s best finish since its inception, as Texas completed its third season with a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship and an NCAA semifinal appearance for the first time. The team finished with a record of 28 wins and seven losses.
In the semifinal match against UCLA, Texas initially trailed by two points but tied it up with victories from Brecht Piersma and Katie Hashman on Court 1, and Anna Pavelkova and Kačka Pavelkova on Court 2. The deciding point came on Court 5, where UCLA secured the win in an extended second set against Chloe Charles and Karin Zolnercikova.
Earlier in the quarterfinals against Loyola Marymount, Piersma and Hashman led Texas with a straight-set victory on Court 1. Emma Grace Robertson and Lily Davis added another point before Loyola Marymount responded on Court 5. Chloe Charles and Eva Liisa Kuivonen clinched the dual for Texas with their win on Court 4.
Piersma and Hashman were named AVCA Collegiate Beach All-Americans—the first such honors for Texas Beach Volleyball. Head coach Stein Metzger was recognized as both AVCA Collegiate Beach Coach of the Year and MPSF Coach of the Year, becoming a three-time recipient of the AVCA award. Six Longhorns earned All-MPSF selections across first-team, second-team, and All-Freshman Team categories.
The team’s achievements this season reflect significant progress for Texas Beach Volleyball as it continues to build its presence at national competitions.
