On Mar. 19 – 23, there was a pro tour tournament taking place in Yucatan, Mexico involving some of the best woman beach volleyball teams in the world. Among the 32 teams that made it into the main draw, there were four players that competed in the tournament that also play a vital role on some of the best NCAA teams in the nation. In this instance those teams included TCU, LMU, and FAU. The paragraphs below will analyze how the absence of these players affected their teams performance for that week and what potential problems could arise due to college players skipping out on college tournaments to play better competition in the pro circuit.
TCU – Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno
So far this season, the TCU Horned Frogs have put together what looks like could be their best season in program history with the reunion of Olympians Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno coming back to Fort Worth playing at the 1 position. With the international success of Alvarez and Moreno, they have taken the opportunity to participate in a pro tour tournament in Mexico during the NCAA season. Although TCU did not have any games scheduled at this time, they would still be affected by it due to what looks like an injury to Tania Moreno.
During the pro tour tournament the Spaniards had to forfeit in their quarterfinals match to Huberli and Kernen in the middle of the first set. Later in the week, Moreno did not make an appearance in the lineup at the NCAA Death Volley tournament held by LSU. Instead, Alvarez played at the top position with Hailey Hamlett for all three matches. Although TCU went undefeated without Moreno, it makes you wonder what problems this could invite later in the season when focusing on roster changes.
LMU – Giulana Poletti
Much like TCU, LMU is having a very successful 2025 season and finds themselves ranked third in the AVCA Coaches Poll. A key part to that success has been Giulana Poletti. So far this season Poletti has notable wins against TCU, USC, Stanford, LSU, Texas and Hawaii all at the fifth position.
On Mar. 21-22, LMU competed in the East Meets West tournament with two top teams in Texas and LSU . The Lions had to play without Giulana Poletti as she was competing in the pro tour tournament in Yucatan, Mexico. Unlike their first meeting, LMU lost to Texas 3-2 and dropped 2 sets to LSU, one of them being at the fifth position where Poletti usually plays.
FAU – Marketa Svozilova
FAU is 12-8 on the season and currently ranked fifteenth in the AVCA Coaches Poll. As the season advanced, the Owls started to look like a team that could surprise a lot of people with close matches that included a 2-3 loss to Texas and a 2-3 loss to FSU. The Owls also have wins against ranked teams including Washington, FIU, and Georgia State. After their close losses to Texas and FSU, FAU was going to have a handful of opportunities to gain spots in the AVCA coaches poll and prove that they could compete in the National Championship tournament.
The Owls ran into a problem when one of their best players, Marketa Svozilova, started to sign up for multiple Pro Tour tournaments that could collide with their NCAA schedule. She was also in the Pro Tour Tournament in Yucatan Mexico when her team played in the Stetson Beach Blast tournament on Mar. 21-22. At this tournament the Owls played notable teams including FSU and Stetson, who were ranked 7 and 16 at the time, respectively. FAU ended up losing 5-0 to the Seminoles and 3-2 to the Stetson Hatters while having to move multiple players up a position due to Svozilova’s absence.
