The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
#7 Long Beach State
Beach Volleyball preview: LBSU Tournament
03.14.2024 | Beach Volleyball
The Longhorns will open a new era under head coach Stein Metzger at the LBSU Tournament.
LBSU TOURNAMENT
March 15-16, 2024
Where: Long Beach City College
Live stats: www.beachlivestats.com
Texas Beach Volleyball will open a new era under head coach Stein Metzger on Friday and Saturday at the LBSU Tournament at Long Beach City College.
The Longhorns will begin their second season of Beach Volleyball against the hosts Long Beach State on Friday at Noon CT before taking on Cal State Northridge at 3 p.m. CT. The event concludes on Saturday with the Longhorns facing Nebraska at 11 a.m. CT and Arizona State at 3:15 p.m. CT.
Metzger came to Texas after building the UCLA program that won two NCAA National Championships and played for the title two other times. The 2017, 2018, and 2023 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and 2017 and 2018 USMC/AVCA National Coach of the Year led UCLA to a Top 10 finish in all 11 seasons at the helm of the program. Metzger joined Texas fresh off a Pac-12 Championship, NCAA runner-up finish and an NCAA record-tying 40 wins in 2023.
Metzger's coaching staff was completed with the hires of assistant coaches Angie Akers and Will Buchanan. Akers joined Longhorns after two seasons as Assistant Head Coach at Loyola Marymount in 2022-23 and winning Olympic Gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as the coach of United States A-Team duo of April Ross and Alix Klineman. Buchanan previously served as Director and Coach of Madsand Beach Volleyball program after founding the organization in 2017 and quickly developing it into a national power.
This weekend the Texas roster will consist of seven transfer Beach Volleyball student-athletes and five indoor players. Ava Patton (TCU), Presley Wright (South Carolina), Emma Grace Robertson (FAU), Macey Butler (UCLA), Kelly McCloskey (LSU), Hannah Ogden (Stephen F. Austin) and Katie Hashman (UCLA) transferred to Texas in 2023. Indoor players Kenna Miller, Auburn Tomkinson, Averi Carlson, Reilly Heinrich and Devin Kahahawi will also compete this weekend.
Texas played its inaugural season in 2023 with a roster of Longhorn indoor players. The Longhorns picked up the first win in program history, defeating Missouri State 3-2 on March 24, 2023.
Following the trip to Long Beach, Texas Beach Volleyball will host its first ever home matches on March 20, starting at 11 a.m. at the Berry M. Whitaker Sports Complex.
Players Mentioned
