Nya Crump (16) and Angelina Bour (10) both return after being the Gaels #3 flight last year
Photo by: WCC / Moira Sweeney
BVB | 2026 Season Kicks Off at the Third Coast Challenge
2/19/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
HOUSTON — The wait is finally over for college beach volleyball fans, as the 2026 season begins this week, and the Saint Mary's Gaels will trek 1900 miles to begin their campaign at the Third Coast Challenge in Houston. This event will feature teams both from the Gulf Coast region, as well as California, and will prove to be a good early test for the Gaels.
Saint Mary's finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-16 record, good for third in the West Coast Conference. It was its first 20-win season since 2019, and just the second in program history. Janice Harrer became the winningest coach in program history, and looks to add to her win tally of 54 in year four at the helm.
The Gaels graduated four from last season's regular 10-player rotation, but return a group of standouts including active program wins leader and preseason All-WCC selection Hannah Couch, and last year's third flight pairing of Angelina Bour and Nya Crump. In the offseason, the Gaels added to their depth to the tune of five true freshmen and three transfers, who should all look to contribute throughout their Saint Mary's careers.
The Third Coast Challenge will take place in Houston at the premier beach volleyball facility in the Gulf Coast and will feature the Gaels, as well as host Houston Christian, Tarleton State, Southern Miss and No. 3 Cal Poly. The Gaels will take on Southern Miss and Cal Poly on day one (Friday), before shifting their focus to the Texas schools on day two (Saturday).
Southern Miss went 14-25 a year ago under the direction of head coach Shawn Taylor, who returns for year seven at the helm of the Golden Eagles. They return their winningest pair from last year, Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda, who went 22-17 playing exclusively in the #2 flight. This will be the first ever meeting between these two programs.
Cal Poly enters the year ranked third in the country after going 31-8 last year and making it to the NCAA Tournament Semifinals. 11th year head coach Todd Rogers had four AVCA All-Americans last season, three of which (Izzy Martinez, Logan Walter and Erin Inskeep) return to build the backbone of this program. The Gaels are 3-3 all-time against Cal Poly, and haven't matched up with them since 2022.
Tournament host Houston Christian went 13-20 last year on the sand, and went 3-1 in this very tournament a year ago. Head Coach Cameron Sitler enters year nine leading the Huskies, and will look to guide them to their first winning season since 2019. HCU lost their top two players from a year ago, but return junior Lauren Vickery, who won 15 matches last season. While this will be the Gaels' first ever meeting with Houston Christian, they are not completely unfamiliar, as incoming transfer Alisia Silverthorn spent her first three collegiate years there.
Rounding out the Gaels' opponents will be Tarleton State. Just a third-year program, Tarleton will look to build off of six wins from last season, a four win improvement from their inaugural campaign. Second year head coach Dayna Masters and returning star Allison Bryant should certainly help with the team's goal to have another year-over-year win improvement. This will be the first ever meeting between Saint Mary's and Tarleton State.
#GaelsRise
Saint Mary's finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-16 record, good for third in the West Coast Conference. It was its first 20-win season since 2019, and just the second in program history. Janice Harrer became the winningest coach in program history, and looks to add to her win tally of 54 in year four at the helm.
The Gaels graduated four from last season's regular 10-player rotation, but return a group of standouts including active program wins leader and preseason All-WCC selection Hannah Couch, and last year's third flight pairing of Angelina Bour and Nya Crump. In the offseason, the Gaels added to their depth to the tune of five true freshmen and three transfers, who should all look to contribute throughout their Saint Mary's careers.
The Third Coast Challenge will take place in Houston at the premier beach volleyball facility in the Gulf Coast and will feature the Gaels, as well as host Houston Christian, Tarleton State, Southern Miss and No. 3 Cal Poly. The Gaels will take on Southern Miss and Cal Poly on day one (Friday), before shifting their focus to the Texas schools on day two (Saturday).
Southern Miss went 14-25 a year ago under the direction of head coach Shawn Taylor, who returns for year seven at the helm of the Golden Eagles. They return their winningest pair from last year, Laurel Dennis and Sadie McAda, who went 22-17 playing exclusively in the #2 flight. This will be the first ever meeting between these two programs.
Cal Poly enters the year ranked third in the country after going 31-8 last year and making it to the NCAA Tournament Semifinals. 11th year head coach Todd Rogers had four AVCA All-Americans last season, three of which (Izzy Martinez, Logan Walter and Erin Inskeep) return to build the backbone of this program. The Gaels are 3-3 all-time against Cal Poly, and haven't matched up with them since 2022.
Tournament host Houston Christian went 13-20 last year on the sand, and went 3-1 in this very tournament a year ago. Head Coach Cameron Sitler enters year nine leading the Huskies, and will look to guide them to their first winning season since 2019. HCU lost their top two players from a year ago, but return junior Lauren Vickery, who won 15 matches last season. While this will be the Gaels' first ever meeting with Houston Christian, they are not completely unfamiliar, as incoming transfer Alisia Silverthorn spent her first three collegiate years there.
Rounding out the Gaels' opponents will be Tarleton State. Just a third-year program, Tarleton will look to build off of six wins from last season, a four win improvement from their inaugural campaign. Second year head coach Dayna Masters and returning star Allison Bryant should certainly help with the team's goal to have another year-over-year win improvement. This will be the first ever meeting between Saint Mary's and Tarleton State.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
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