Women’s beach volleyball finishes 3-0 at first home tournament of spring season

Liberty University's women's beach volleyball team recorded a perfect 3-0 finish this past weekend.(Photos by Matt Reynolds)

Women’s beach volleyball finishes 3-0 at first home tournament of spring season

3/10/2026 12:50:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball

The Lady Flames’ success comes two weeks after going 0-4 against tough competition at the Grand Sands Indoor Complex in Ohio.

Gallery: (3-10-2026) beach volleyball

In its first home tournament of the Spring 2026 campaign, Liberty University's women's beach volleyball team recorded a perfect 3-0 finish at the Campus East Volleyball Courts this past weekend.

The Lady Flames opened competition on Friday with a 4-1 victory over NCAA Division III cross-town rival University of Lynchburg. The bout was headlined by a nailbiter matchup of No. 1 seeds, with sophomores Jo Malone and Anna Moody winning, 26-24, 29-27.

Liberty followed up Friday's strong showing by besting Lancaster Bible College, 5-0, and Southern Virginia, 3-2, on Saturday.

In addition to support from fellow team members, the Lady Flames were also cheered on from the sidelines by members of the Flames' men's beach volleyball and NCAA Division I Lady Flames women's volleyball team.

"The fans were really loud and that was awesome," Head Coach Payton (Carter) Davis said. "The weather was really nice. The team was very supportive. It was really exciting and great to be at home, and we had a lot of families come out and support."

Two weeks ago, the Lady Flames traveled to Loveland, Ohio, near Cincinnati for matches against top-tier competition at the Grand Sands Indoor Complex. Liberty went 0-4 on the weekend, dropping contests to NCAA DI opponents Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, and Austin Peay State, as well as NCAA DII Tusculum.

Although the Lady Flames failed to earn a match victory, Davis said she was encouraged to see the team in action for the first time this season. She was especially impressed with the play of freshman Cambre Phillips and sophomore Jessa Mathews, who won their matches against Tusculum, Morehead State, and Austin Peay State.

"That is very high-level play for them, so that was very impressive, especially for a freshman and sophomore pair. I'm really excited to see where they go together this season."

Despite the large disparity in competition faced, the Lady Flames approach every tournament with the same intensity and focus.

"We know when we play against those very high-level NCAA DI teams, they're not going to take it easy on us," Davis said. "We practice hard no matter who we're going to play against. There's a lot of excitement in practice in the weeks leading up to playing against those big teams. Especially when we play ourselves in practice, we hold ourselves accountable to playing at a high level, so we're prepared for those tournaments."

The Lady Flames now set their sights on this weekend's Carson-Newman Invitational in Jefferson City, Tenn., with the desire to replicate last weekend's success.

"This team's culture is great so far. They really get along well and really care about each other," Davis said, noting the impact the seniors have made on setting a great example for their teammates. "They are very competitive, but then they also support each other so well. At practice, they are making each other better by playing hard, but they're also lined up in tournaments cheering each other on, giving tips here and there for how to get better. I'm excited for this team."

(Feb. 20-21 at Grand Sands Indoor Complex in Loveland, Ohio)
Eastern Kentucky 5, Liberty 0