NEW ORLEANS – Two Sun Belt Conference beach volleyball pairs have been honored as 2026 Top Flight award winners by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
 
The Sun Belt’s back-to-back Pair of the Year, UNCW’s duo comprising graduate student Gracie Sistrunk and senior Lyvia Trimp received the honor in flight one after earning the recognition last season in flight two.
 
Additionally, Coastal Carolina’s tandem of senior Karis Gordon and junior Ava Novello earned the distinction in flight four, as the Chanticleers have now had one pairing receiving the national honor in three of the last four seasons.
 
The 2026 Sun Belt Pair of the Year, Sistrunk and Trimp closed the season with a 26-9 record at the No. 1 spot in the lineup and closed the season with wins in 17 of the Seahawks’ final 19 matches of the season en route to the Sun Belt Championship semifinals. Sistrunk and Trimp compiled 16-2 mark against conference foes and were named Sun Belt Pair of the Week a league-best three times during the regular season.
 
An All-Sun Belt First Team pairing, Gordon and Novello posted a 22-4 overall record on the season, including a 15-3 mark at the No. 4 spot in Coastal Carolina’s lineup. The Chanticleers’ most successful pairing also registered an 18-match winning streak through the end of the regular season.
 
Now in its eighth year, the Top Flight program recognizes beach pairs who compete in at least 15 matches together at a specific flight and win at least 75 percent of their matches. This year, 80 pairs representing 35 schools—from all three NCAA divisions, NAIA and Two-Year Colleges—earned Top Flight status.
 
2026 AVCA Top Flights
Flight 1: Gracie Sistrunk/Lyvia Trimp, UNCW
Flight 4: Karis Gordon/Ava Novello, Coastal Carolina