As the Arizona beach volleyball team kicked off the 2026 season with a Red vs. Blue scrimmage on Feb. 13, rain poured across Bear Down Beach, giving the team an indication of what is to come in a season that will test the mettle of the Sand Cats.
The Arizona Wildcats will face TCU, Grand Canyon, UC Davis and Colorado Mesa at the Lopes Invitational in Phoenix on Feb, 20-21, which will kick off the official start of the season.
They will have nine regular season tournaments in Arizona, California, Texas and Louisiana and will host three at home – Cactus Classic Feb. 27-28; Arizona Invitational March 20-21; and the Wildcat Spring Challenge April 3-4 – before hosting the Big 12 Beach Volleyball Championship April 23-24 at at Bear Down Beach, located near the football practice fields.
The NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship will be held in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on May 1-3.
The Arizona Wildcats team ended the 2025 season with an 18-12 overall record under head coach Steve Walker.
With eight new players on the roster, Walker is welcoming one of the biggest incoming teams since the program’s debut in 2014. Six of them are freshmen — Kylie Helm, Reece Winkcompleck, Taylor Dobbs, Ella Neubauer, Holly Matchinsky and Tylee Shires — and two – Kylie Bartel and Regan Holmer – are transfers.
Arizona faces South Carolina, Arizona State and Florida State in the regular season, and will meet Big 12 conference rival TCU twice – in Phoenix this weekend and again at the Big 12 Preview in Fort Worth on March 27-28.
Last Friday’s scrimmage showed depth and chemistry with the new makeup. Despite the rain, partners quickly reset between points in the second half of the scrimmage, calling out defensive zones and high fiving before each serve.
Arizona’s Kylie Helm (2), left, celebrates a point with teammate Kylie Bartel (10) during a Red vs. Blue scrimmage at Bear Down Beach in Tucson on Feb. 13.
Other Arizona student-athletes were among the estimated 50 fans who remained along the sidelines.
As the rain intensified, fans with jackets over their heads, cheered at the conclusion of each set and applauded the length of rallies.
Arizona’s indoor team’s middle blocker, Sydnie Vanek, said that she thinks the culture of the program has expanded.
“I think it’s just a lot of new people, a lot of freshmen, a younger class,” Vanek said. “I believe it’s fostering a sense of community and bringing the freshmen together with the younger girls.”
The team also has been led into the new year with the support of the community.
Arizona’s Carlie Cisneros (23) reaches to tip the ball over the net during a Red vs. Blue intrasquad scrimmage at Bear Down Beach in Tucson on Feb. 13.
Josh Hawkins, who works at a local Sprouts grocery store that the players often frequent, said he will do his best to get to every game possible. He brought a team poster and signing cards to the scrimmage on Friday and took pictures with his cellphone.
The father of Jamie Streit, a graduate defender wearing No. 21 who transferred from Idaho State, said he expects nothing less than “undefeated” for the team this season.
Friday’s Lopes Invitational at Grand Canyon University, 3300 W. Camelback Road, begins at 11:30 a.m. when the Wildcats take on UC Davis. They face Colorado Mesa at 2 p.m.
On Saturday, they play TCU and host Grand Canyon.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
