CatBox Classic Beach Invitational
The first NFHS sanctioned high school Beach Invitational in the Nation, the CatBox Classic Beach Volleyball Invitational is a highly organized two-day invitational that features two formats of play for the top high school beach teams in Arizona. Friday's format is Team Competition with each team playing team duals with full matches. Saturday's format is Individual Competition with 64 pairs playing in separate divisions. The event is sanctioned by the Arizona Interscholastic Association and hosted by Ironwood Ridge every Match.
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Why is it called the CatBox?!? The namesake comes from the partnership with the UA Beach Program (where BearDown Beach was used in 2016 and 2017) and a tribute to one of Southern Arizona’s original top beach volleyball tournaments – the prestigious CatBox Classic (and popular Calcutta) at the Tucson Racquet Club. You had to be there to understand!
2026 CATBOX CLASSIC INVITATIONAL (TUCSON, AZ)
The 2026 event is March 27-28, 2026 at Ironwood Ridge High School. We are working on securing an additional beach facility to open the waiting list.
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2026 PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
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Benjamin Franklin
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Canyon del Oro
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Catalina Foothills
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Cienega
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Desert Ridge
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Eastmark
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Flagstaff
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Ironwood Ridge
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Mountain Ridge
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Salpointe Catholic
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Sandra Day O'Connor
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Xavier College Preparatory
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2026 WAIT LIST (AS OF 03/12/2026)
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​COACH INFORMATION
A school-board approved coach must accompany all athletes during the entire tournament - including the pairs competition. Failure to have a coach present will result in the pairs team(s) being disqualified from the invitational and the school will be reported to the AIA for non-compliance of AIA By-Law 17.2. Complete information will be available to coaches prior to the event.
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TOURNAMENT FORMAT: The CatBox Classic features two formats of competition, with Team Duals on Friday followed by an Individual Pairs Tournament on Saturday. All teams will be been sorted into groups and divisions of similar competitive skills. Teams are expected to play at least 2 matches on Friday and Pairs are expected to play at least 4 sets on Saturday.
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TEAM ENTRY FEE: $675 per school
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Entry fee includes two team duals on Friday; and up to five (5) pairs entered in Saturday's Pair Competition
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There is no prorated entry fees if a school's pairs do not compete on Saturday
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A waiting list will be established for school's that wish to enter additional pairs on Saturday ($50/pair)
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2026 TEAM REGISTRATION:
Registration will be open February 9, 2026 to March 6, 2026.
All schools must have a Head Coach or Athletic Director complete the Pre-registration Form to be included in the tournament. Once accepted, each school must submit a signed Contract by March 1, 2026 and payment will be due by March 13, 2026.-
CatBox Classic Team Invoice
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Amphitheater Public Schools W-9 Form
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Please note that submitting the pre-registration form does not guarantee entry into the tournament. Entries will be accepted first from returning schools, followed by the first new teams to complete the pre-registration. A waiting list will be established after 12 registered teams.
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WAITING LIST: At this time, the tournament capacity is 12 schools. Once an additional beach facility is confirmed, we will be able to expand the tournament field to 18 schools.
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