SEATTLE – The Washington Huskies beach volleyball team will officially kick off its 2026 season at the Pepperdine Challenge in Malibu on Feb. 20–21.

Washington opens competition on Friday, Feb. 20, facing Vanguard at 12 p.m. PT before taking on host Pepperdine at 2 p.m. PT. On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Huskies will meet Pepperdine again at 10 a.m. PT, then wrap up the weekend against No. 10 Long Beach State Beach at 12 p.m. PT.

The 2026 roster features a mix of new and returning talent as Washington looks to build on last season’s 17-18 overall record (2-7 conference, 3-1 home, 2-4 away, 12-13 neutral). The Huskies return 11 players from last year’s squad, add five freshmen, including one transitioning from indoor volleyball, and welcome two transfers.

Head coach Steve McFadden enters his first season leading the program and has added first-year assistant coach Abbie Hughes to the staff.

“We’re really excited about the upcoming season, we’re returning a lot of talent from last year, and have also been energized by some new additions, both in our freshman class and our two transfers. The team has embraced an identity of playing scrappy defense, so I’m excited to see us play with a reckless abandon in that aspect,” said head coach McFadden.

“One thing that’s unique about us is our versatility, it’s a whole team of Swiss army knives, and they’ve embraced doing whatever the team needs. I think a team that doesn’t care who gets the credit is a really dangerous thing. Our conference is far and away the toughest in the country, so we’re looking at each week as a chance to build a resume that proves that we deserve to be competing with the best teams in the country at Gulf Shores at the end of the year… I think we have a whole roster that’s really hungry, and ready to compete fiercely whenever their opportunity comes.”

 

The Huskies will face 10 opponents ranked in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Preseason Poll, including:


UCLA
Stanford
Cal Poly
USC
TCU
Texas
LMU
Florida State
California
Long Beach State
Arizona State
LSU
Grand Canyon University
Stetson
Florida Atlantic
Hawaii
North Florida
Georgia State
Washington
Tulane

The full 2026 schedule can be found HERE. 

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