Stephen F. Austin
MetRX/Pure Protein UNCW Fall Beach Volleyball National Qualifier
PREVIEW: SFA Beach Sends Three Pairs to North Carolina for 2026 AVCA East Qualifier
10/15/2026 6:15:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
Damborowiski/Dioso-Lopez eye AVCA National Bid, two other pairs open fall competition
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin beach volleyball team will send three pairs to the MetRX/Pure Protein UNCW Fall Beach Volleyball National Qualifier on October 16–17, 2026, at Capt'n Bill's in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Sandyjacks will compete in the Bid Division and Open Gold Division, bringing together returning players, a transfer and an incoming freshman for two days of collegiate pairs competition.
Event Details
The MetRX/Pure Protein UNCW Fall Beach Volleyball National Qualifier
Friday and Saturday, October 16–17, 2026
Pool play begins Friday at 9 a.m. Eastern Time (SFA pairs are in action at 9 a.m. Central Time)
Location: Capt'n Bill's, Wilmington, North Carolina
Teams and National Championship Qualification
The AVCA-sanctioned tournament's 16-pair Bid Division will award three bids to the 2026 AVCA Pairs National Championship, scheduled for November 6–8 in Huntsville, Alabama.
This weekend's field includes pairs from Morehead State, Chattanooga, South Carolina, College of Charleston, Georgia State, Catawba, UNCW, North Alabama, Coastal Carolina and Stephen F. Austin. Open Division teams compete for tournament placement without national championship bids.Â
SFA Participants, Matchups and Player Profiles
Bid Division: Gabrielle Damborowiski / Mikaela Dioso-Lopez
Damborowiski and Dioso-Lopez open against Georgia State's Noalani Nuez and Kate Phelan on Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Court 4.
Their pool also includes Coastal Carolina's Rylie Cepicky and Frida Lyo, along with Morehead State's Bella Marita and Landyn Snowden. Under the modified pool format, SFA's second opponent will depend on first-match results.
Damborowiski finished her first collegiate beach season at SFA with seven wins. She competed primarily at flight No. 4, including five wins with Luna França, and also appeared at Nos. 3 and 5. She closed the season with Dioso-Lopez by defeating Nicholls 21–19, 21–11 at the Southland Conference Tournament. She also earned Southland All-Academic Team and Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition.
Dioso-Lopez finished her freshman season at SFA with ten victories. She played primarily at flights Nos. 4 and 5, posting nine wins with Gianna Reamer. That partnership went 2–0 at No. 4 with seven wins at No. 5. Her tenth victory came alongside Damborowiski against Nicholls at the SLC Tournament. Before college, Dioso-Lopez competed for Team Ontario and won the Canadian 20U national championship.Â
Open Gold Division: Gianna Reamer / Elyse Taschner
Reamer and Taschner open against UNCW's Keenan Engebretson and Hannah Parkinson. Their pool also includes entries from Morehead State and South Carolina, with pool competition assigned to Court 5.
Reamer finished her collegiate rookie season at SFA with nine victories. She competed at flights Nos. 3–5. All nine victories came with Dioso-Lopez, with whom she finished 9–12, including a 2–0 mark at No. 4 and seven wins at No. 5. Reamer earned Southland All-Academic Team and Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition while maintaining a 4.00 GPA. Her earlier volleyball background includes multiple USA Volleyball development program selections, Pennsylvania Class 4A All-State honors and AAU All-American recognition.Â
Taschner enters her first collegiate season on the sand. At Scripps Ranch High School, she helped win the 2024 San Diego CIF Division I beach volleyball championship. She earned First-Team All-CIF and First-Team All-Western League beach honors in 2024 and 2026, plus Second-Team All-CIF and First-Team All-Western League recognition in 2025. Taschner competed for 692 West Beach Volleyball Club and was named to the 2025 JVA Beach Watch List for the Class of 2026. She also helped her high school indoor team win the 2025 San Diego CIF Division I championship.Â
Open Gold Division: Kylan McCoy / Zaira Romero
McCoy and Romero open against Coastal Carolina's Kristyna Koblizkova and Ella Wadsworth. Their pool also includes Georgia State's Kate Cunningham and Adeline Thompson, along with College of Charleston's Fiona North and Grace Toscano. Pool competition is assigned to Court 10.
McCoy finished the 2026 season at SFA with two victories. She previously attended Coastal Carolina in 2025 but did not appear in a match. Before college, McCoy played three seasons of indoor volleyball at New Braunfels Christian Academy, earning the team's Offensive Player of the Year award as a senior.
Romero joins SFA after playing indoor volleyball at New Mexico Junior College. This weekend's action will be Romero's first collegiate appearance on the sand.Â
COMPETITION FORMAT
The Bid Division features 16 pairs competing over two days. Friday includes modified pool play, with two matches per pair, followed by the opening tournament round. Saturday's competition determines final placements. Three national championship bids will go to the highest-finishing eligible pairs, with bids passing to the next eligible finishers when necessary.
The Open Division also uses modified pool play followed by bracket competition. No national championship bids are awarded from the Open Division.
Matches are best-of-three sets, with the first two sets played to 21 points and a deciding third set to 15. Bid Division partners must remain together throughout the tournament; Open Division substitutions are permitted between matches.
THE VENUE
Capt'n Bill's has been family-owned and operated since 1992. The Wilmington facility features 12 sand volleyball courts, three bars, a full-service restaurant and an on-site brewery.
FOLLOWING THE ACTION
Fans can follow schedules, match results and bracket updates through the official VolleyballLife tournament page. Match results will also be entered into TruVolley rankings. Additional championship information is available through the AVCA.
