(WSB photo, April 2016)

The first time the University of Washington beach-volleyball team came to Alki for a home match, in April 2016, the sun shone as if it were summer. Subsequent years have brought some sun, some rain. Whatever the weather brings, this year the UW will play at Alki on four days in April, according to the schedule announcement this week:

… The Huskies will host two consecutive home tournaments on Alki Beach. The first tournament is the “Pac-12 North Tournament” which takes place on [Friday-Saturday] April 5th and 6th and pits the Huskies against Stanford, Cal Oregon, and Arizona State. UW then welcomes Oregon again, Boise State, and Georgia State the following [Friday-Saturday] for the “Alki Beach Invitational.” …

The announcement notes that the Huskies are at the top of their game, so to speak, as they prepare to start the 2024 schedule on the road in Texas on February 23, “coming off their best season in program history, with a record number of wins, and finished ranked 15th, the first year-end ranking in school history.”