The Flames traveled to Smyrna, Ga., with all 16 of its men's beach players and Head Coach Mark Bowling (second from right) to Saturday's ECVA Beach Championships near Atlanta.
Men’s beach volleyball places three teams in the top five at ECVA Championships
11/10/2026 6:05:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
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Senior John Kinzler and junior Joel Bruff went 8-0, winning an all-Liberty final to prep for the Nov. 20 NCVF Beach National Championships in California.
For its final tournament of the season, Liberty University's men's beach volleyball team sent eight pairings to Saturday's Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Association (ECVA) Beach Championships played on the outdoor sand courts at the Rio Volleyball Club in Smyrna, Ga.
Six of those Flames tandems were among the 12 out of the field of 35 entries to advance to the Gold Bracket playoffs, and three finished in the top five.
Joel Bruff (10) and John Kinzler (7) swept teammates Jacob Gammons and Zach Glewen in Saturday's championship final.
"It was an all-Liberty final in the Gold Bracket," Liberty first-year Head Coach Mark Bohling said. "We are ECVA Men's Beach Volleyball Champions ... and runners-up. It was a culmination of all the hard work they've put in over the last few weeks."
Senior John Kinzler, who also plays libero on the Flames' DI men's indoor team, and junior Joel Bruff — Liberty's No. 1-seeded duo all season— finished 4-0 in their pool and advanced through the Gold Bracket undefeated to claim first place.
"Their skillset was there, and they were making great plays, crushing and blocking," Bohling said. "When we get to this level of a championship (tournament), it truly comes down to who makes the least amount of errors, and they spent all day being consistent, demonstrating clean play with very few errors. That was their mode of operation for the weekend and held it all the way through the championship final."
Kinzler and Bruff defeated fellow Liberty senior Andrew Milo and graduate Arron Moon in the first round of playoffs before defeating Coastal Carolina's Luke Drinkwater and Tyler Kennedy to advance to a semifinal match against UNC Wilmington's Chase Wiedwald and Jaden Grobbelaar. The Flames' pair won that in three sets to advance to the all-Liberty final, in which they defeated sophomore Jacob Gammons and senior Zach Glewen, the Flames' No. 4 pair, 21-17, 21-14, to finish at 8-0.
"As they got into the gold bracket, the competition started getting more intense," Bohling said. "Jacob and Zach had to put out a little more energy throughout the day, so they had to dig a little deeper than John and Joel, who were beating teams by 15 points and being so efficient with their play."
Liberty 6-foot, 7-inch sophomore Ben Bremer and junior Vann-Mikael De Leon-Bohling teamed up to finish fifth in the Gold Bracket while three other Flames pairings tied for ninth.
After going 3-1 in pool play, Bremer and De Leon-Bohling defeated the Flames duo of senior Rylan Austin and junior Triston Stefanick in the first round of bracket play before falling to the top UNCW team to end the day 4-2.
Liberty's No. 7 tandem advanced to the 12-team Silver Bracket and its No. 8 duo of sophomore Tristan Chambliss and junior William Smoak won the 11-team Bronze Bracket.
"Everybody came and represented Liberty well," Bohling said. "We were able to build our team up (to 16 players) before we hosted our tournament (Oct. 19 at the East Campus Beach Volleyball Courts). We started adding little pieces and the last two and a half to three weeks we've been working with our partners, and it all came to fruition. The timing was perfect for our guys to perform at their best."
ECVA League Commissioner Neiad Ammary said this year's tournament was by far the largest and most competitive beach tournament the conference has ever hosted, and he plans to keep growing it.
Bohling said the weather was perfect on Saturday, with clear skies and little to no wind.
"You couldn't ask for better conditions at the Rio Volley Club's Beach Complex, one of the largest indoor and beach volleyball club facilities in the Atlanta area," he said. "It is a beautiful place. The tournament was run really well, and with 12 sand courts, there was plenty of space for everyone to set up."
Liberty players pray with their Coastal Carolina opponents after a match Saturday.
He said beyond the podium finishes, the most rewarding aspect of the tournament was the opportunity for players to be a witness to the other collegiate teams, which came from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
"We offered to pray with other teams to show who we are, and 95 percent of the players from other schools jumped in and prayed with us," Bohling said. "That was cool to see. While one of our missions was to win a championship, we were also able to carry out our primary mission, to shine the light of Christ. It was a great thing to be around."
Kinzler and Bruff will have one more opportunity to shine against 72 of the best collegiate beach tandems in the country at the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation Beach Championships, set for Nov. 20 in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
"They're in go mode, ready to play," said Bohling, who has competed in tournaments at Manhattan Beach. "Playing at the Pier is iconic, and everybody (in volleyball circles) knows about it. It's perfect timing for them to go out and see what they can do."
