BRADENTON, Fla. (April 1, 2023) - Palm Beach State College won the inaugural FCSAA Beach Volleyball Championship, defeating Lake-Sumter State College, 3-0, on Saturday.

Four teams - Palm Beach State, Lake-Sumter State, St. Johns River State College and the event's host school, State College of Florida - hit the sand for two days of action at the beautiful UMR Sports Facility, located east of I-75 in Bradenton. Palm Beach State swept its way to the championship with a trio of 3-0 wins. The Panthers beat State College of Florida and St. Johns River State on Friday, then took out the Lakehawks in a battle of the top two seeds in Saturday's finale. 

After dropping its first match to St. Johns River State, Lake-Sumter State was forced to play its way through the loser's bracket. The Lakehawks eliminated State College of Florida on Friday then won the rematch with St. Johns River State on Saturday morning. 

The 2023 season also marks the NJCAA's first to host a Beach Volleyball Championship, which will take place April 20-22 in Tavares, Fla. Both Palm Beach State and Lake-Sumter State qualified for the 12-team tournament by virtue of advancing to the FCSAA Championship Match while St. Johns River State and State College of Florida will hope for an at-large bid, in which three are available. 

Palm Beach State's Drew Colvin received the FCSAA Coach of the Year Award.