Stanford
No. 3 Mustangs Set to Host Seven Ranked Teams for Center of Effort Challenge
4/10/2025 1:24:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — One of the top beach volleyball events in the country will return to San Luis Obispo this weekend, as Cal Poly hosts the sixth annual Center of Effort Beach Volleyball Challenge. This Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, the tournament will be held at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex and will feature eight teams, seven currently ranked in the top 12 nationally.
The No. 3 Mustangs will welcome some of the strongest teams in the country, including No. 1 TCU, No. 2 UCLA, No. 4 LMU, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 USC, No. 7 Florida State, and No. 12 Arizona State. With a 21-3 ranking going into the tournament, the Mustangs are ready to dominate. All matches will have live stats available for fans to follow throughout the weekend.
The two-day event will feature a packed schedule of matches, with each team playing multiple times. The final round on Saturday evening will include placement matches based on the tournament results, concluding with a championship match at 5:45 p.m.
Cal Poly will open the tournament on Friday with a matchup against No. 5 Stanford at 12:30 p.m., followed by a match against No. 6 USC at 7:00 p.m. Before the start of the evening match, the Mustangs will honor their seven graduating seniors with a special Senior Night ceremony.
Senior Piper Ferch is Cal Poly’s all-time wins leader with over 90 career victories. She earned First Team All-Big West honors three times and was named an AVCA All-American last season. Seniors Madison Nichols and Abbey Reinard have each collected over 35 career wins and both posted strong records this year. Lindsey Sparks, a senior transfer student from UCLA, earned All-Big West honors in 2024.
On Saturday, the Mustangs will jump back into action with an 11:30 a.m. matchup against No. 7 Florida State. Their final match of the weekend will depend on the results of the earlier rounds, with a chance to compete in the championship match later that afternoon.
This year’s tournament is packed with strong competition. No. 1 TCU has a 26-2 record and is coming off a huge 37-3 season that ended in the NCAA semifinals. No. 2 UCLA is 25-3 and has two national titles. LMU is 22-4 and had a great NCAA run last year. Stanford is 20-6 with big wins over top teams. USC, the three-time defending champion, is 23-5. Florida State, a regular in the top 10, is 21-7. Arizona State, with a 19-9 record, is also climbing in the rankings.
Following the Center of Effort Challenge, Cal Poly will travel to Austin, Texas, for the Lone Star Invitational, beginning with an early matchup against Texas A&M on Friday, April 18 at 8 a.m. This is the final tournament before the Mustangs gear up for the Big West Championship.
Friday, April 11
10:00 a.m.: No. 6 USC vs. No. 7 Florida State Live Stats
11:15 a.m.: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 1 TCU Live Stats
12:30 p.m.: No. 3 Cal Poly vs. No. 5 Stanford Live Stats
1:45 p.m.: No. 4 LMU vs. No. 2 UCLA Live Stats
3:00 p.m.: No. 5 Stanford vs. No. 7 Florida State Live Stats
4:15 p.m.: No. 1 TCU vs. No. 4 LMU Live Stats
5:30 p.m.: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 2 UCLA Live Stats
7:00 p.m.: No. 3 Cal Poly vs. No. 6 USC Live Stats
Saturday, April 12
9:00 a.m.: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 4 LMU Live Stats
10:15 a.m.: No. 5 Stanford vs. No. 6 USC Live Stats
11:30 a.m.: No. 3 Cal Poly vs. No. 7 Florida State Live Stats
12:45 p.m.: No. 1 TCU vs. No. 2 UCLA Live Stats
2:00 p.m.: Seventh Place Match TBD vs. TBD Live Stats
3:15 p.m.: Fifth Place Match TBD vs. TBD Live Stats
4:30 p.m.: Third Place Match TBD vs. TBD Live Stats
5:45 p.m.: 1st place match TBD vs. TBD Live Stats
