The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Beach Volleyball’s White, Piersma named to AVCA Player of the Year preseason watch list
02.16.2026 | Beach Volleyball
Madison White and Brecht Piersma are among 16 players named to the first-ever watch list for the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Player of the Year Award.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Beach Volleyball's Madison White and Brecht Piersma were named to the AVCA Women's Beach Volleyball National Player of the Year Award watch list, the organization announced on Monday.
The pair are recognized among 16 representing nine schools on the inaugural watch list, which was compiled by the AVCA National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Awards Committee.
White arrives in Austin after playing three seasons at USC from 2023-25, winning a national championship with the Trojans in 2024. A native of Scottsdale, Ariz., White is two-time AVCA All-America First Team selection and three-time all-conference honoree, compiling an 80-29 overall record during her collegiate career.
Piersma, a native of the Netherlands, has six years of international experience, including appearances in each of the last six European Championships. A two-time winner in the Dutch Championships (2022, 2023), she won the 2023 FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championship title with her partner Desy Poiesz after the duo won bronze at the 2022 U20 European Championships.
Texas will open the 2026 campaign this week in Hawai'i at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic from Feb. 19-21 at Queen's Beach in Honolulu. The field includes national runner-up Loyola Marymount as well as California, Hawai'i, Stanford, UCLA and USC.
