After a three-week stint at home and a weekend off, Texas beach volleyball will begin their postseason by traveling to California to compete in its first-ever Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship April 22-24. 

This event marks Texas’ final competition before the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships May 1-3. 

The Longhorns already have a conference title under their belt, winning the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Tournament in 2025 during their first season in the league. 

Being in a new conference this year, Texas must rise to a whole new caliber of competition in comparison to what it faced last year. 

“It’s the most competitive conference tournament in the history of the sport, and all the teams have been beating each other,” head coach Stein Metzger said. “So there’s a lot of parity and a lot of great talent within the conference, and that’s exactly where we want to be.” 

The two teams in the tournament ranked above Texas are Stanford and UCLA. The Longhorns have yet to defeat Stanford and hold a 2–1 record against UCLA this season. 

Metzger said he believes that psychological preparation will be most important in preparing to play against these familiar teams. 

“Right now, preparation for postseason is purely mental,” Metzger said. “It’s creating a psychology that allows them to play free when their perceived pressure is higher. So we’re asking them in practice, less about ‘what are you getting better with physically,’ and more about ‘how are you going to respond to pressure.’” 

At the start of the Longhorns’ stretch at home, they achieved big victories over USC and UCLA, but after their bye week and senior day in the past two weeks, they are entering the postseason fresh off a much-needed break.

“Typically, we don’t have a weekend off right here, but this year that’s how it worked out, and it’s actually worked in our favor,” Metzger said. “We’ve dealt with some adversity this year, for sure. So it’s been a good reset for us, but now we’re ready to get back into the action.”

The pieces appear to be falling into place for Texas, as it uses its time at home to make final tweaks in the lineup and mentally prepare to battle the emotions of the postseason. 

“You know, you got to play well, you got to stick together, and then you got to get a little lucky too,” Metzger said. “So it kind of needs to all come together, but if you’re not in the conversation, then you won’t have a shot.” 

Currently ranked No. 3, Texas is in the conversation.

The Longhorns will kick off the tournament facing the No. 6 seed Grand Canyon University on  April 22.