BATON ROUGE, La. – The Boise State Broncos beach volleyball team faces a challenging weekend at the Death Volley Invitational hosted by Louisiana State University, beginning Friday, March 20. The Broncos (7-5) will confront three ranked opponents, including No. 9 California and No. 6 Florida State, as they navigate their inaugural season in the Large 12 Conference.
Boise State opens the invitational against the Golden Bears at 8:15 a.m. Mountain Time, followed by a match against Georgia State at 1:15 p.m. Saturday’s schedule features an early 7:00 a.m. MT contest against the sixth-ranked Seminoles and concludes with a 10:45 a.m. MT matchup against the host LSU Tigers, currently ranked No. 12.
The Broncos are seeking their first victory against a ranked opponent this season. All five of Boise State’s losses to date have come against teams in the AVCA Top 25. Despite the challenging schedule, head coach Alex Venardos expressed optimism about the team’s progress.
Key players Ava Anderson and Addison Wolden are on the cusp of making program history. The duo enters the invitational tied with Sharli O’Neil and Elli Wolthuis for the most career victories in Boise State beach volleyball history, with 29 wins.
This weekend’s competition also marks a significant transition for the Broncos, as they compete in their first season as members of the Big 12 Conference. Boise State officially joined the league in September 2025, alongside Florida State and South Carolina, joining existing members Arizona, Arizona State, and defending national champion TCU. The Broncos will participate in two additional conference events this season: the Big 12 Preview in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 27-28, and the Big 12 Conference Championship in Tucson, Arizona, on April 22-24.
The 2026 season represents a new chapter for the program with the debut of head coach Alex Venardos, who was named to the 2023 class of the AVCA Thirty Under 30 Beach honorees. Venardos had served as a full-time assistant coach since 2019 and has been involved with the program since 2016.
Boise State is coming off a successful 2025 season, where they won both the Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships, earning their first berth in the NCAA Beach Volleyball National Tournament. The Broncos finished with a 23-12 record, continuing a streak of four consecutive 20-win seasons.
Senior Allyson Alden is also contributing off the court with a “Block Party” fundraiser. Alden is asking donors to pledge a certain dollar amount for every ace or block she records this season, with all proceeds benefiting BroncoBOLD. As of this week, Alden has recorded 30 aces and 29 blocks.
Leave a Reply