FORT MYERS, Fla. - FGCU beach volleyball's Alexis Keeter and Sydney Majick will represent the Eagles at the 2026 AVCA Collegiate Beach Pairs National Championship, Nov. 6-8 at the John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville, Ala.

The duo punched their ticket at the AVCA East Qualifier, held Oct. 24-25 in Tavares, Fla. Keeter and Majick took down USF in straight sets (21-17, 21-19) to reach the qualification match, then knocked off FIU (21-12, 21-19) to clinch the bid.
 
The pair joins a field of 64 of the nation's top pairs from NCAA Division I and II programs.
 
"It really puts into perspective the amount of hard work the girls put in this fall," said assistant coach Shelby Beisner. "We had three pairs try to qualify, and ultimately one earned the bid. They work hard for us every single day, and I'm excited for them to compete against some of the best programs in the country."


 
Beisner pointed to the pair's tempo as a key to their fall success.
 
"Alexis and Syd play a really quick game, and it catches a lot of teams off guard," Beisner said. "They play with a lot of tempo and move the ball around. Their game is a little quicker than the standard game, and that's been a big help for them."
 
The trip marks a return to nationals for Keeter, who competed in Huntsville last year alongside Ava Lilliquist.
 
"It means a lot," Keeter said. "It was a super fun experience last year. A lot of the really good teams are on the West Coast, so it's hard for us to play them regularly during the season. It's really fun to get out there and play against some high-level competition."


 
Keeter said the transition to playing alongside Majick has been a smooth one.
 
"Our chemistry has been good," Keeter said. "We definitely grew a lot at our last tournament, and we've been playing really well in practice. [Ava and Sydney] have very similar games, so it hasn't been a big adjustment."
 
While Keeter and Majick compete in Huntsville, head coach Chris Sweat and the rest of the Eagles will be in action at the USF Invite on Nov. 7 in Tampa, Fla.
 
The weekend wraps up FGCU's fall slate. Beisner said she and Sweat will use the notes and stats gathered this fall to fine-tune each player's game heading into the spring.
 
"We take a lot of notes and a lot of stats, so we're able to pick apart each player's game and see what we need to work on as a team and individually," Beisner said. "This fall has allowed us to fine-tune what the girls are doing, so hopefully everything is set in stone and it's smooth sailing for our season."
 
Keeter has her sights set on an ASUN title in the spring.
 
"Hopefully we get that ASUN Championship," Keeter said. "We have a really young squad, but everyone's doing really well, so we just want to keep grinding."
 
Admission to all matches in Huntsville is free and open to the public.
 
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