Arizona State
No. 6 Mustangs Set to Host Seven Ranked Teams for Center of Effort Challenge
4/8/2026 2:22:00 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 10 and 11, the tournament will be held at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex and will feature eight teams all currently ranked in the top 13 nationally.
The No. 6 Mustangs will welcome some of the strongest teams in the country, including No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA, No. 4 USC, No. 7 LMU, No. 8 TCU, No. 9 Cal, and No. 13 Arizona State. There will be eight matches each day. 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 twice each day. The final round on Saturday will include placement matches based on the tournament results through the first three matches, concluding with a championship match at 5:45 p.m.
Cal Poly will open the tournament on Friday with a matchup against No. 13 Arizona State at 1:45 p.m., followed by a match against No. 2 UCLA at 7:00 p.m. After that match, the Mustangs will honor eight members of the team with a special Senior Night ceremony.
On Saturday, the Mustangs will jump back into action with an 12:45 p.m. matchup against No. 9 Cal. 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. They could face either No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 USC, No. 7 LMU, or No. 8 TCU in that match.
In each of the five previous installments of the Center of Effort Challenge, the eventual national champion each season has played in the event. Admission is free for all fans.
Following the Center of Effort Challenge, Cal Poly will travel up to north for a tournament at Stanford next weekend, April 17 & 18 for the final matches of the regular season. There, they will face No. 1 Stanford, No. 9 Cal, Pepperdine, and San Jose State.
Friday, April 10
10:00 a.m.: No. 3 USC vs. No. 2 Stanford
11:15 a.m.: No. 9 Cal vs. No. 11 Arizona State
12:30 p.m.: No. 7 TCU vs. No. 3 USC
1:45 p.m.: No. 4 Cal Poly vs. No. 11 Arizona State
3:00 p.m.: No. 8 LMU vs. No. 2 Stanford
4:15 p.m.: No. 9 Cal vs. No. 1 UCLA
5:30 p.m.: No. 7 TCU vs. No. 8 LMU
7:00 p.m.: No. 4 Cal Poly vs. No. 1 UCLA
Saturday, April 11
9:00 a.m.: No. 3 USC vs. No. 8 LMU
10:15 a.m.: No. 11 Arizona State vs. No. 1 UCLA
11:30 a.m.: No. 7 TCU vs. No. 2 Stanford
12:45 p.m.: No. 4 Cal Poly vs. No. 9 Cal
2:00 p.m.: Seventh Place Match
3:15 p.m.: Fifth Place Match
4:30 p.m.: Third Place Match
5:45 p.m.: 1st place match
