FAU Beach Volleyball Faces Tough Competition at Texas Invitational

No. 16 Owls go 0-4 against top-ranked opponents in Austin

Apr. 2, 2026 at 4:10pm

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No. 16 Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team competed in the highly competitive Texas Invitational this past weekend, facing off against No. 3 USC, No. 10 Long Beach State, No. 2 Stanford, and No. 3 UCLA. Despite the challenging matches, FAU head coach Steve Grotowski saw positive takeaways that will help the team as they look ahead to the postseason and their goal of winning the conference and advancing in the NCAA tournament.

Why it matters

The Texas Invitational is considered one of the most competitive regular-season events in NCAA beach volleyball, providing FAU a chance to test themselves against some of the top teams in the country. While the Owls went 0-4 on the weekend, the experience will be invaluable as they aim to win their conference and return to the NCAA tournament.

The details

FAU opened the tournament against USC and Long Beach State on Friday, dropping both matches. On Saturday, they faced off against No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 UCLA, again coming up short in both contests. The highlight of the weekend came when Mia Scanlon and Klaire VanDeusen earned a win over UCLA on the third court.

  • The Texas Invitational took place on March 27-28, 2026.
  • FAU will return to action on April 10-11, 2026, hosting their Capri Classic for senior weekend.

The players

Steve Grotowski

Head Coach of the Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team.

Mia Scanlon

Member of the Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team.

Klaire VanDeusen

Member of the Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team, former USC Trojan.

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What they’re saying

“Yeah, it's huge for our experience. One of the big focuses this year is winning our conference, getting back to the NCAA tournament, and advancing as far as we can. So I think this weekend there were a lot of really good things, stuff that we've been working on at practice that I saw the girls starting to implement, and it got us really close in a few matches.”

— Steve Grotowski, Head Coach

What’s next

The Owls have a bye week and will return on April 10-11, 2026, hosting their Capri Classic for senior weekend at the Florida Atlantic Beach Volleyball Complex. FAU will face Jacksonville University, Stephen F. Austin, North Florida, and Florida Gulf Coast.

The takeaway

While the Owls went winless at the highly competitive Texas Invitational, head coach Steve Grotowski saw positive signs that will help the team as they work towards their goals of winning their conference and advancing in the NCAA tournament. The experience gained from facing top-ranked opponents will be invaluable as FAU looks to peak at the right time.