TAMPA, Fla., March 25, 2026 – The South Florida beach volleyball team returns to the sand this weekend to host the Stampede Beach Opener, set for March 27-28 in Clearwater, Fla., for its first home match of the season.
Setting the Stage
South Florida kicks off the Stampede Beach Opener on Friday, March 27 with a 9:45 a.m. matchup against Sam Houston, followed by UTEP at 2:45 p.m. The Bulls return Saturday, March 28 to face Sacramento State at 10:30 a.m. before closing out the weekend against UAB at 1:00 p.m.
Opponents
South Florida will face a mix of competition this weekend, beginning with Sam Houston (1-14), which recently competed against FIU, Jacksonville, FGCU, and Palm Beach State. The Bulls will also take on UTEP (5-11), coming off matchups against San Francisco, Arizona, Missouri State, and Tarleton State. Sacramento State (9-10) comes into the weekend after competing against Hawaii, Long beach state, CSU Bakersfield, UC Davis, CSUN, Cal Poly. UAB (12-9) rounds out the competition, most recently taking on South Carolina, North Alabama, and Austin Peay.
Match Format
Each dual features five pairs competing simultaneously. USF's Pair 1 faces the opponent's Pair 1, Pair 2 vs. Pair 2, and so on through Pair 5. Each pair plays a match, and the team that wins at least three of the five pair matchups earns the program win.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Mar. 27
vs. Sam Houston– 9:45 a.m.
vs. UTEP– 2:45 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 28
vs. Sacramento State 10:30 a.m.
vs. University Alabama at Birmingham -1:00 p.m.
Note-A-Bulls:
- First Home Match: The Stampede Beach Opener marks South Florida's first home match of the season, as the Bulls host in Clearwater this weekend.
- Hot Streak: South Florida enters the weekend on a 8 match win streak, carrying momentum into its first home competition of the season.
Follow USF Beach Volleyball
Follow USF Beach Volleyball on X, Instagram, and Facebook for all the latest information concerning the USF Beach Volleyball program.
About USF Beach Volleyball
The University of South Florida Beach Volleyball program is the newest program in the now 21-team USF Athletics program. South Florida Beach Volleyball joined Conference USA on July 1, 2025. Pri Piantadosi-Lima was named South Florida's first-ever beach volleyball head coach on June 6, 2023. She also serves as the head coach of USAV Beach and the national team development program and was honored as the 2022 USA Volleyball Female Junior Coach of the Year. Before joining South Florida, Piantadosi-Lima helped launch the Eckerd College program in 2015 as an assistant coach and helped lead the program to its first AVCA national championship and two consecutive NCAA championship podium finishes.
– #GoBulls –
