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The University of Washington has locked in the architect of its beach volleyball rise, officially naming Steve McFadden the permanent head coach of women’s beach volleyball after a successful stint as interim leader. The move, announced April 13, 2026, by Director of Athletics Pat Chun, gives the Huskies long-term stability on the sand as they continue to grow into a nationally relevant program.
McFadden’s promotion comes at a pivotal moment for Washington beach volleyball. Under his guidance, the Huskies have become a regular in the national rankings, earned their first NCAA Tournament berth, and collected multiple wins over top-20 opponents. With the interim label removed, Washington signals it is serious about turning a once-young sport into a sustained NCAA contender.
Chun’s decision to elevate McFadden from interim to permanent head coach was rooted in a full season of performance, not promise. Across the school year, McFadden provided the leadership and direction Washington needed during what could have been a transitional period for the program.
Serving as interim head coach, he led the Huskies to:
Those results were not outliers. They reflected a program that has steadily climbed into NCAA beach volleyball’s national picture. Washington spent much of the season ranked as high as No. 18, reinforcing that its rise in the polls is now an expectation rather than a surprise.
For an athletic department that has emphasized competitive excellence across sports, making McFadden’s role permanent was both a reward for immediate success and a strategic choice. With beach volleyball still a growing NCAA sport, securing the right coach early can shape a program’s trajectory for years.
Washington’s beach volleyball program is relatively young compared with powerhouse programs in California or the Southeast, yet it has already punched above its weight. The Huskies’ 2024 season set a new bar: they earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, secured a No. 13 seed, and became the northernmost program ever to qualify for the national championship event.
That breakthrough was significant in several ways:
The Huskies also produced the first All-Americans in program history in 2024, with the pair of Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson earning first-team recognition. That kind of individual accolade, officially recognized by organizations such as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), is a major signal to recruits that Washington can develop pairs to an elite level. (For context on national honors in the sport, see the AVCA’s beach awards coverage at https://www.avca.org.)
McFadden was on staff for all of that. He joined Washington in 2023 and served as an assistant during the 2024 postseason breakthrough, giving him an inside view of what sparked the Huskies’ rise and where the program can still grow.
Coaching changes are often evaluated through the lens of signature wins, and McFadden’s interim tenure delivered several that resonated nationally. Each one told a slightly different story about Washington beach volleyball’s identity.
McFadden’s first match as interim head coach was a 5–0 sweep of Vanguard at the Pepperdine Challenge, a neutral-site event that tested early-season readiness. A sweep in beach volleyball is more than a lopsided scoreline; it indicates depth across all five pairs and a lineup that can handle a variety of styles.
For Washington, that first result under McFadden set the tone: organized, aggressive, and fully prepared to compete away from home, which has been a hallmark for this program.
The 4–1 win over then-No. 13 LSU at the Stanford Invitational was a national statement. SEC and Gulf Coast programs have long defined the upper tier of NCAA beach volleyball, and beating a ranked LSU squad signaled that Washington could compete with teams from the sport’s traditional regions.
That result also reinforced what national polls and NCAA selections increasingly show: geography is no longer destiny in beach volleyball. Programs outside the sport’s historic hubs, including Big Ten and West Coast schools in cooler climates, are now able to build contenders through smart recruiting, indoor-to-beach crossover athletes, and strong coaching.
The 3–2 win over then-No. 17 North Florida showcased Washington’s ability to perform in high-pressure situations. Close duals in beach volleyball demand toughness at the back end of the lineup and composure in deciding flights. For athletes and families watching from afar, results like this highlight an important trait: the Huskies can win matches that come down to a few crucial points.
Washington’s sweeps of Saint Mary’s and Pacific at the SMC Spring Fling completed a perfect weekend and underscored another key strength: managing multi-match days and tournament-style travel. For postseason aspirations, it is essential to show that the team can thrive in formats that mirror conference championships and NCAA brackets.
One of the immediate storylines surrounding McFadden’s promotion is timing. Washington announced the move just days before its first home matches of the spring at Seattle’s Alki Beach, where the Huskies are set to host nationally ranked Florida Atlantic, Boise State, Oregon, and Portland on April 17–18.
For a program that has built much of its early reputation through road trips and neutral-site tournaments, this home stand is significant in several ways:
Beach volleyball lends itself to fan engagement in ways that differ from traditional indoor sports. Tournaments at public beaches often draw casual observers who become fans, and the atmosphere can be especially appealing to recruits and their families. For Washington, hosting top competition at Alki is a tangible demonstration that the program is investing in big-stage opportunities.
McFadden’s impact in Seattle is rooted in a strong résumé built well before his arrival at the University of Washington. Prior to joining the Huskies, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Florida International University (FIU), a consistent top-20 program in NCAA beach volleyball.
At FIU, McFadden helped guide the Panthers to:
Those years gave him deep experience scouting, preparing lineups, and matching pairs against some of the best programs in the country. Competing in that environment meant facing the sport’s elite week after week, from the NCAA’s annual championship site in Gulf Shores (now moved to Huntsville, Alabama, as of 2025) to stacked regular-season tournaments. For more context on the structure and growth of NCAA beach volleyball, the NCAA’s official beach volleyball hub at https://www.ncaa.com/sports/beach-volleyball offers schedules, rankings, and championship history.
McFadden is also known for his work with top individual talent. During his time at FIU, he helped coach multiple All-Americans, including:
That background has translated directly to Washington, where his emphasis on technical development and leadership helped pave the way for Huskies standouts like Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson to reach first-team All-America status. For recruits and families evaluating programs, the ability to develop All-Americans is a powerful signal that a coaching staff understands how to build pairs that can compete with anyone in the country.
McFadden’s résumé extends beyond the college game. Since 2021, he has been involved with USA Volleyball’s Beach National Team Development Program, working with boys and girls who aspire to represent the United States internationally. In June 2023, he served as one of the coaches for the USA Volleyball Beach Collegiate National Team at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center.
This kind of national-team exposure matters for prospective college athletes. Coaches who are plugged into USA Volleyball environments gain insights into:
In addition, McFadden’s success as a high school head coach at Laguna Beach High School in California, where he led teams to two state runner-up finishes and two IBVL pairs championships, shows he understands the full development pipeline: from youth and high school to college and beyond.
Beyond wins and résumés, Washington’s decision to promote from within was about culture. McFadden has emphasized collaboration with his staff, specifically crediting assistant coach Abbie Hughes and support staff member Chris Littleman for helping sustain the daily standards that underpin the Huskies’ progress.
For current athletes, that continuity means the philosophy, training habits, and off-court expectations remain consistent, even as the program’s profile grows. For recruits, it signals stability: the person shaping the vision of Washington beach volleyball has already been guiding the program through some of its biggest milestones.
McFadden has also spoken about how the university’s values align with his own and how proud his athletes are to represent Seattle, the campus, and the broader Husky community. That alignment is increasingly important in the modern college landscape, where factors like academic fit, campus culture, and support resources sit alongside athletic goals in recruiting decisions.
Washington competes in NCAA Division I and has recently transitioned into the Big Ten Conference, joining a league that has expanded its national athletic footprint from coast to coast. While beach volleyball is still not sponsored as a championship sport by every major conference, its rapid expansion has created new strategic opportunities for athletic departments.
For Washington, investing in beach volleyball by removing the interim tag from McFadden is about more than one program. It is a statement that the Huskies intend to compete for postseason berths and national recognition in a sport that is still adding programs and scholarship opportunities across the country.
The timing is favorable for athletes considering the sport. Beach volleyball has grown rapidly since becoming an NCAA championship sport in 2016, with more schools adding teams each year and increasing visibility through streaming and national broadcasts. For recruits who want to explore a full range of college options, tools like the Pathley College Directory and the dedicated Volleyball Pathley Hub can help identify programs, compare locations, and narrow down a realistic target list.
For high school and club athletes tracking Washington beach volleyball, this coaching decision provides clarity. The interim label is gone, and the person who helped lead the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament and national rankings is now firmly in charge.
From a recruiting standpoint, that brings several benefits:
Families weighing academic, athletic, and campus fit can also tap into AI tools like Pathley’s College Fit Snapshot to see how they match up with a school like Washington across academics, athletics, and campus environment, all summarized in a single PDF.
While Washington beach volleyball is emerging as a national player, the Seattle area is home to several colleges that may interest student-athletes exploring different levels, settings, or sports.
These options illustrate the range of pathways available in one metro area alone. Athletes can use tools like the Pathley College Directory to explore hundreds of campuses, then refine their list with AI guidance.
As Washington prepares for its home weekend at Alki Beach and then looks ahead to the MPSF Championship, the stakes are clear. The Huskies are no longer simply trying to break through; they are working to transform recent success into a standard.
With McFadden’s new title comes a larger mandate:
The expectations are high, but so is the foundation. A proven track record at FIU, national-team experience with USA Volleyball, and a growing list of milestones already in Seattle give McFadden the platform to guide Washington beach volleyball into its next phase.
For athletes inspired by Washington beach volleyball’s rise, the next step is building a concrete recruiting plan. That process typically includes assessing academic fit, athletic level, roster needs, and campus culture at schools across different divisions and regions.
Pathley is built to simplify that work. Athletes and families can:
With programs like Washington proving that emerging beach volleyball teams can reach the national stage quickly, this is a compelling time for athletes to explore where they might fit in the evolving NCAA beach volleyball ecosystem.
Whether your goal is to play for a rising program like the Huskies, a smaller private school, or a different division entirely, using data, technology, and clear information can help you make a smarter decision and find a college home that fits who you are on and off the sand.
