For most of the program’s history, the best chance of hearing of a win for Oregon beach volleyball was to pay attention to the 2023 lawsuit brought by a group of female athletes against the university that is still working it’s way through the litigation process. The program had spent years as an official D1 scholarship athletic program despite it’s athletes practicing at a public park without ready access to lockers or a changing area. The results on the sand reflected the lack of investment, and wins
against schools with peer level athletic programs were few and far between.
This sad state of affairs took a turn for the better this past academic year. The first part of a long overdue on-campus facility opened in September 2025 with a locker room for the team’s use. Sand has been poured on the new home courts, with completion of scheduled for late September in time for fall competition. Public funding is being gathered to finish the project and give the program the kind of permanent home expected of a D1 program.
There was also a change in leadership this past season with head coach Kristian Kuld taking over in this new era assisted by coaches Danny Woodley and Brooke Blutreich. The results in competition were immediate. The team finished 17-18 overall in the 2026 season, only slipping below .500 at the MPSF championships with losses to ranked Washington and LSU squads. The 17 wins were a program record, and included victories over #17 Georgia State on February 27 and #15 Florida Atlantic on April 17. The team’s progress is even greater than the record might indicate, as five of the Ducks losses were to the top 5 teams in the nation.
With the coaching staff having proven they can win in Eugene, and new facilities on the way, the biggest priority for the program is to upgrade the overall talent level. Unfortunately the team hasn’t made any public announcements regarding new players and information on beach volleyball recruiting commitments is difficult to come by. We’ll have a chance to update AtQ readers on new players in the Fall when the team participates in invitationals and tournaments for individual pairs.
Of the 23 players who were listed on the 2026 roster, 6 have exhausted their eligibility. The biggest contributers from this group were Daley McClellan, Natasha George, and Landree Coats each of whom were part of at least 14 wins. Coates and George teamed up for a 10-5 record as a pair, production that will be missed. McClellan paired with rising junior Elsa Snipes to form the winningest pair on the team with an 18-16 overall record, so finding a younger player to partner with Snipes will be a priority in the fall.
The other three Duck pairings that produced 10 or more match victories in 2026 return intact: Hanna Bjornson/Sofia Taylor, Gwen Fife/AJ Slojkowski, and Bella Gamache/Liz Rossi. Fife, Slojkowski, and Gamache will each be seniors in 2026-2027 and will be counted on to provide veteran leadership. The departing seniors were part of very tough years, but can be proud that they left the program in a much better place than when they arrived in Eugene. It will be up to young rising stars like Bjornson and Taylor to build on the foundation that is currently being laid.
It is a long road from where this program was in 2023 to competing as a top-25 program, and probably not one that will be completed in 2027. The goals for the team next Spring are to find more wins over ranked teams, finish the season over .500, and try to pick up a win in the post-season. This program may be built on sand, but it is being constructed to last.
