Beth Van Fleet, a former beach volleyball professional and GSU standout, has served as head coach of the Georgia State beach volleyball program since the 2013-14 season.
Van Fleet began her tenure at GSU as assistant coach for the inaugural beach team in 2012-13. As head coach for the Sandy Panthers, Van Fleet has been named CCSA / Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year three times (2016 CCSA, 2023 SBC, 2024 SBC) and has guided GSU to nine consecutive 20+ win seasons with a total of six national tournament appearances. In Van Fleet’s 12 seasons as head coach, the Sandy Panthers have finished with a winning record in every season.
During the 2025 campaign, Van Fleet’s squad finished the season No. 17 in the AVCA polls after earning a third-consecutive Sun Belt Conference title and fourth-consecutive NCAA Championship berth. She coached three All-Conference pairs. Additionally, she coached AVCA Top-Flight Award winners, Danica Singleton and Michaela Jefferson. After defeating Eastern Kentucky at home, Van Fleet surpassed the 250 win milestone as head coach. Currently, she has registered 257 victories at the helm of the Georgia State program.Â
In 2024, Van Fleet led the Panthers to a third-consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance after the Sandy Panthers secured the 2024 Sun Belt Title. With Van Fleet at the helm, the GSU beach volleyball team finished No. 14 in the AVCA polls and received numerous post-season honors. In addition to back-to-back Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors, Van Fleet's team saw Newcomer of the Year honors from junior transfer Aree Keller, and six All-Sun Belt first-Team honors.Â
The 2024 season marked a 26-13 season, including an undefeated 12-0 conference record. In the Sun Belt Championships, the Sandy Panthers went 4-0, capping the tournament off with a 3-1 victory over Coastal Carolina.
Van Fleet guided No. 1 flight pair Angel and Bella Ferary to a historic career, finishing the season as the winningest pair in GSU history with 100 career wins. She also led freshman Savannah Ebarb to the winningest freshman in program with 27 total wins.Â
2023 saw Van Fleet lead the Sandy Panthers to a second consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance after the team secured the Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship in the league’s inaugural season of play. The tournament bid marked a third trip to the NCAA Championship and the program’s fourth overall national tournament appearance.
Under Van Fleet’s guidance, three pairs earned All-Sun Belt recognition. Second-flight pair Yasmin Kuck and Lila Bordis and fourth-flight pair Maddy Delmonte and Ayla Johnson all earned All-Sun Belt Second-Team honors. The top-flight pair of Angel Ferary and Bella Ferary were named the Sun Belt Conference Pair of the Year, All-Sun Belt First-Team and earned a place on the AVCA All-America Second Team roster. Additionally, Bordis was also named the 2023 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, while Van Fleet received the conference’s Coach of the Year. In addition to the conference accolades, Van Fleet helped three different Sandy Panthers pairs to earn a total of four Sun Belt Pair of the Week nods throughout the spring. The Sandy Panthers’ head coach reached 200 career wins following the team’s 5-0 shutout facing Arizona State on March 25. The milestone win and the team’s 20-win finish places Van Fleet fourth in NCAA wins currently among active NCAA Beach coaches.
In 2022, Van Fleet led the Sandy Panthers to a program-best 28 wins as the team finished the year advancing to the Round of 6 at the NCAA National Championship in Gulf Shores, AL. The season saw Van Fleet coach three pairs to AVCA Top Flight honors— Yasmin Kuck paired with Kayla Whetstone at the third flight, Angel Ferary paired with sister Bella Ferary at the fourth flight and Chloee Kleespies paired with Becky Tresham at the fifth flight. All three pairs were also named to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team after the Sandy Panthers claimed the inaugural Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship. The C-USA title marked the program's first-ever conference championship, and earned the team an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Leading GSU to 14 consecutive wins, Van Fleet and the 2022 Sandy Panthers' 14-match winning streak ranks as the longest in program history. Additionally, the 2022 roster combined for a 3.74 overall team GPA which was the highest for any team at GSU that spring. The historic season highlighted by the NCAA Tournament run charts as one of the most successful for any team in the athletic department's history.
During the 2021 season, Van Fleet's squad accumulated 23 wins after coming off a shortened 2020 campaign. A career benchmark, Van Fleet reached 150 wins on March 19, 2021 when GSU defeated Spring Hill. 2019 saw the Sandy Panthers post 24 total victories. In 2018, GSU tied a program record for regular season wins in a season with 22 dual match victories. The 2017 season was highlighted by Delaney Rohan and Chelsea Ross earning CCSA Pair of the Year Award honors, and a 21-win season for the Sandy Panthers.
In 2016, the Sandy Panthers earned 26 total wins as Van Fleet led the team to a No. 7 national ranking and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The team featured four First Team All-CCSA members, top flight Jansen Button and Sara Olivova and second flight, Katelyn Rawls and Nina Interwies. Additionally, Brooke Weiner earned a spot on the CCSA All-Freshman Team. Button and Olivova were named AVCA All-American Honorable Mention.
In her second season, Van Fleet led the Sandy Panthers to their first appearance in the AVCA National Championship in May 2015 and coached two All-Americans in Jansen Button and Sara Olivova. The team reached as high as No. 7 in the AVCA poll before earning a No. 5 seed at the postseason tournament.
The Sandy Panthers finished with a 14-5 dual match record in Van Fleet's first season. Each of the five teams that defeated GSU were represented in the 2014 AVCA National Championship.
As an assistant in the Sandy Panther’s inaugural season (2013), Van Fleet helped the top flight Katie (Madewell) Brakeville and Lane Carico earn a third-place finish at the 2013 AVCA National Pairs Championship.
Van Fleet currently serves as the chair of the AVCA All-American Committee and as the beach representative on the AVCA Board of Directors. She also coaches with USA Volleyball.
She spent eight seasons (2003-10) with the Association for Volleyball Professionals, competing in over 80 career beach tournaments and representing the United States abroad. She is well-known throughout the sport and has worked with some of the top athletes and coaches in the game. She earned five top-10 AVP finishes during her pro career and medaled during NORCECA competitions in Mexico and Guatemala City.
During her collegiate court career in the Panther uniform, Van Fleet piled up 1,177 kills from 1995-98, the fifth-most in school history. She became the second player in GSU history to amass both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, earning second-team all-conference honors her junior and senior seasons. Van Fleet helped lead the Sandy Panthers (then in the Trans America Athletic Conference) to two regular season conference championships, three winning seasons and 69 victories in four years. Van Fleet was also an all-conference academic selection all four seasons, graduating in 1999 with a 3.79 GPA in marketing.
A native of Tampa, Fla., Van Fleet currently resides in Atlanta. She has one daughter, Olivia. Van Fleet earned a master's degree in Sport Administration in 2019.
Contact
Phone - (404) 413-4167
Email - bvanfleet@gsu.edu
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Records
2014: 14-5
2015: 18-3 (AVCA National Championships Appearance)
2016: 26-10 (NCAA Tournament Appearance)
2017: 21-14
2018: 24-12
2019: 24-12
2020: 11-3 *COVID Shut Down
2021: 23-13
2022: 28-13Â (C-USA Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance)
2023: 20-17Â (Sun Belt Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance)
2024: 26-13 (Sun Belt Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance)
2025: 22-17 (Sun Belt Champions, NCAA Tournament Appearance)
CAREER: 257-120
