Broncos Begin Big 12 Play

WHAT'S NEXT: Boise State Beach Volleyball will have its first crack at Big 12 competition with the Big 12 Preview, March 27-28 in Fort Worth, Texas. The weekend will mark the first time the Broncos (7-9) will compete against Big 12 foes as members of the conference since joining the league in the fall.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE: The Blue and Orange will play in four duals over the two-day event. Competing in a pool play format, Boise State will open against No. 5 Florida State at 9 a.m. MT on Friday before ending the day against No. 20 Arizona at 1 p.m. MT. The Broncos will play Saturday morning against No. 7 TCU at 7 a.m. MT. Boise State will have a fourth opponent on Saturday that will be determined by how pool play shakes out, with the Broncos either taking on No. 11 Arizona State, No. 19 South Carolina or TCU.

SEASON RECAP: The Broncos enter the season with a 7-9 record, with eight of their nine losses occurring to ranked opponents. With all five Big 12 opponents locked in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Top 20 Poll, Boise State will be looking for its first ranked victory of the season and the fifth in program history. With the 13 votes in the rankings, the Broncos are the first team just outside the top 20 rankings.

MAKING A STATEMENT: Sophomore Avery Allen and freshman Keira Demirjian became the first pair to receive a Big 12 recognition as the duo was named the Big 12 Pair of the Week following a 4-0 performance at the Death Volley Invitational. The tandem took down three ranked opponents from the No. 3 court, including foes from No. 9 California, No. 6 Florida State, and No. 12 LSU. The pair is 7-1 on the season since being paired together two weeks ago.

MAKING HISTORY: Ava Anderson and Addison Wolden made program history by reaching 30 career wins as a pair. The duo, who have been paired together since last season, passed Sharli O'Neil and Elli Wolthuis for the record.

NEW YEAR, NEW CONFERENCE: Boise State will be competing in its inaugural season as members of the Big 12. The Broncos, who officially joined the league alongside Florida State and South Carolina in September 2025, joined incumbent members Arizona, Arizona State and defending national champion TCU. As part of its membership, Boise State will compete in two conference events: the Big 12 Preview this weekend and the Big 12 Conference Championship on April 22-24 in Tucson, Ariz. The Broncos spent their previous three seasons as members of the Southland Conference after playing their first nine seasons without a conference affiliation.

NEW YEAR, NEW COACH: The 2026 season marks the debut of head coach Alex Venardos, who took over the helm of the program after Allison Voigt stepped down over the summer. Venardos, who was named to the 2023 class of the AVCA Thirty Under 30 Beach honorees, served as a full-time assistant in the program since 2019 and has been involved with the program since 2016.

YEAR IN REVIEW: The Broncos are coming off their most accomplished season to date. Boise State won both the SLC regular season and conference championship, the latter of which claimed the program's first berth in the 16-team NCAA Beach Volleyball National Tournament. The Broncos finished 23-12, marking their fourth consecutive 20+ win season.

BLOCK PARTY: Alden launched a 'Block Party' fundraiser on Feb. 11 for every ace and/or block the sixth-year senior records on the season. The campaign asks donors to pledge a certain dollar amount for every ace or block that Alden records during the 2026 campaign, with all donations going towards BroncoBOLD. So far this season, Alden has recorded 38 aces and 40 blocks. Those interested in joining can sign up here.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Avery Allen

Ava Anderson

Keira Demirjian

Sharli O'Neil

Addison Wolden

Elli Wolthuis

Boise State Athletics