The first Elite of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour season is here, at one of my favorite stops in the sport, which also – to me – happens to be one of the most underrated: Joao Pessoa, Brazil.
Sadly, for the second straight year, I will not be there, nor will I be commentating remote.
I’ll be in the stunning Florida metropolis of DeLand on Wednesday, where our Noles of Florida State play No. 14 Stetson and Southland Conference Queens Texas A&M Corpus Christi. We’ll then bus down to Pompano Beach, home of my one and only gold medal triumph on the Beach Pro Tour, to meet No. 15 FAU, No. 6 TCU, No. 3 USC, and Division II juggernaut Tampa on Friday and Saturday.
As it stands, I’m writing this on a bus, so I will request one mulligan for a spelling mistake or fact error, please and thank you.
Joao Pessoa Elite: The Tournament of Debuts
You’ll see the word “debut” a lot in this story. Joao Pessoa is the debut Elite of the 2026 Beach Pro Tour season, and it will host the debut of nearly a dozen significant new partnerships, including the debut of the entirely renamed — but not rebranded — TKN. The band formerly known as Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth is now eternally Kristen Cruz and Taryn Brasher as both have celebrated their nuptials, started families of their own, and are the owners of, let’s be honest, kind of badass new last names for the sport of beach volleyball.
Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft will make their highly anticipated debut as USA Volleyball’s next powerhouse pairing. I, for one, cannot wait to see what they can do.
Down the line, USA Volleyball is also trotting out new pairs in Abby Van Winkle – making her defensive debut – and Molly Phillips, Hailey Harward and Xolani Hodel, and Savvy Cory – making her debut as Savvy Cory, no longer Savvy Simo – and Devon Newberry.
The men, of course, are headlined by the debut of Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh, the presumed No. 1 USA Volleyball team, unless oft-ignored Chase Budinger and Miles Evans continue playing excellent, as they did throughout all of 2025. Both are in the main draw in a relatively light Elite field – see: No Norway, no Netherlands – and Joao Pessoa presents quite the opportunity for both to make an early push to the podium.
While the Trevor Crabb and Wyatt Harrison pairing is likely just a bandaid for Crabb to keep his international points relevant until a bigger fish comes along, I’m still stoked to see Harrison get this type of promotion. He’s a high-level beach volleyball player, and I’m curious to see how he does with Crabb, USA’s perpetual winner.
Overseas, I’m most intrigued by the new Austrian pairing of Moritz Pristauz and Philipp Waller. I’m curious why this one took so long, to be honest, as they have been, to me, the top two players in Austria for the past five or so years. While undersized, this is a tremendous sideout team, and Pristauz is elite no matter where you put him on the court.
Ana Patricia, Duda return
My heart – and probably yours, too – broke in November when Ana Patricia and Duda pulled out of the playoffs of the World Championships because of mental health issues. When they are playing well, there is no team in the world who can beat them, and this makes the sport of beach volleyball infinitely better.
You always want a standard-bearer.
Ana Patricia and Duda are that.
They’re back this week as the No. 1 seed in the main draw, and I hope they have gotten the breather they both need and deserve to love the sport again.
Carol Salgado: Mother of Dragons/Volleyball World photo
Why is Carol suspended?
You’ll notice that the current world No. 1, Carol Salgado, has (suspension) written next to her name.
Why?
The FIVB suspended her for one tournament following her post-match interview after winning bronze at the World Championships, in which she gave a rousing speech about political upheaval in Brazil. It was wild.
“This decision was made in accordance with Article 8.3 of the FIVB Disciplinary Regulations,” the FIVB wrote in a statement. “The decision is currently subject to the possibility of appeal. The FIVB remains committed to ensuring a fair, respectful and sport-focused environment where athletes can compete at their best.”
Welcome back, Sophie Bukovec
The on-again, off-again career of Sophie Bukovec is back on again. At first she was out after splitting with Sarah Pavan early in 2023, then she was in… racing into the Paris Olympics with Heather Bansley… then she was out again, randomly popping in a few tournaments in 2025.
Now she’s back in, with former UCLA standout Lea Monkhouse, in a pairing that could be quite dangerous, and Canada’s clear No. 2. Monkhouse played alongside Marie-Alex Belanger during 2025, qualifying for the World Championships. Now she has a veteran presence in Bukovec, an Olympian and World Championship silver medalist, at the net in front of her.
Intrigue level is high.
Rick Atwood photo
Welcome to the big leagues, Piper Ferch
I loved Piper Ferch’s game when she was at Cal Poly, leading the Mustangs into a new era of being a legitimate powerhouse in NCAA Beach. Loved her game so much I absolutely despised when our teams had to play against her. She’s creative, boasts a swagger and confidence not seen by many rookies on the Beach Pro Tour, and should impress anyone who chooses to watch her this week. She’s partnered with Teegan Van Gunst, a perpetually underrated player, and they are No. 10 in the main draw.
