Completed Event: Beach Volleyball versus Georgia State on March 21, 2026 , Win , 5, to, 0
Beach VB
vs Georgia State
W 5-0
Grand Canyon University Athletics
ASU staves off dual point, nips GCU
2/23/2019 5:46:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
Grand Canyon and Arizona State are not far apart in geography or beach volleyball.
The Sun Devils crossed Phoenix on Saturday to take part in the first GCU-ASU head-to-head team meeting of the Lopes athletic program's Division I area. The rarity, proximity and festivity made for an entertaining dual with inches separating GCU from victory.
The Lopes fell 3-2 to the Sun Devils when the fifth match extended to a third set, where ASU broke a GCU match point with a hit on the back line before scoring the clinching two points at GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium.
The fan turnout showed the match was special, long before the Havocs and ASU students exchanged university alphabets, with Lope fans chanting "G," "C" and "U" with each Lopes touch and the Sun Devil fans following suit with "A," "S" and "U" on each Sun Devils touch.
GCU's No. 2 team of junior Jessica Stansfield and sophomore Bella Bauman dominated 21-10, 21-14, and the Lopes' No. 5 team of sophomore Teagan DeFalco and senior Jamie Walsh also won in a 21-13, 20-22, 15-12 battle to split the first four matches with ASU.
That turned the crowd's full attention to the No. 3 match, where GCU sophomore Madi Relaz and senior teammate Mikaela Raudsepp bounced back from a 23-21 loss in the first set to win 21-18 on the second set, which Relaz closed by scattering the Sun Devils on consecutive hits.
Relaz and Raudsepp played from behind for much of the third set but went on an 8-3 rally to lead 14-13 off a difficult Relaz attack at the net and Raudsepp's strong serves. Another strong Raudsepp serve had ASU off-balance but its second bump went over the Lopes and hit the back line. ASU moved to match point on a kill and won on a dink, sending the Sun Devils into a celebration pile on the sand.
The 16th-ranked Lopes fell to 1-2 after also losing 3-2 to No. 15 Loyola Marymount on Friday in a similar third-set scenario.
"It's not how we're playing right now," GCU head coach Kristen Rohr said. "It's what is going to make us grow the most and this is obviously going to make us grow a lot. It's really exciting to start the rivalry with ASU. Having the two largest universities in Phoenix come together for competition, the crowd awesome. It's such a fun environment to play."
Stansfield and Bauman, moving from No. 3 to No. 2 for Saturday, gave the dual's most dominant performance with a 21-10, 21-14 win in their match.
"One of the things that makes them so good is their consistency," Rohr said. "You see a lot of volleyball matches that are about who makes the error first. With them, not only are they consistent, they both side out well. They have Bella's two-ball and I'm not sure Stans lets much drop on defense. Together, they're a dynamic duo."
Stansfield and Bauman went 3-0 on the weekend, which included a GCU win against New Mexico and loss against LMU. Stansfield made several diving digs that thrilled Saturday's crowd, which included Lopes men's basketball head coach Dan Majerle.
The dirty work was just Stansfield carrying over her goal of leaving each practice caked in sand.
"It was really exciting," Stansfield said of playing ASU. "I think this will be a rivalry hopefully for a really long time. It's just the beginning. They got us today but we'll see them next year.
"It's really cool to see the students come together and support us. It was awesome watching from the sideline. There was a pit in my stomach, cheering my team on."
GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium's bleachers carried a big crowd, including an ASU student contingent, and the fans spilled over onto the courtside grass hills, which were sun-splashed Saturday after Friday's matches endured cold, rain and even hail.
GCU public address announcer Paul Danuser and music kept the action exciting while other fans were able to watch a GCU live-stream telecast of the dual.
They saw the Lopes get out to an early split of the Nos. 4 and 5 matches because DeFalco and Walsh moved to 3-0. They jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the third set but wound up in a 12-12 tie. The Lopes duo closed its match with three consecutive points off DeFalco's ball control and Walsh's finishes on a kill and her two-ball skill twice.
GCU's No. 1 unit of junior Hannah Towne and freshman Anaya Evans fell 21-18, 21-15 while the No. 4 team of sophomore Katie Sarber and freshman Esmee Priem rallied from a 21-17 loss in the first for a dominant 21-12 second set. They were tied 8-8 in the third set before it slipped away in a 15-10 loss.
The schedule stays tough with GCU heading next weekend to the Horned Frogs Challenge, where the Lopes will face No. 13 Georgia State, No. 18 Tulane, No. 19 TCU and Missouri State.
"We have goals for the end of our season," Stansfield said. "Every weekend, we want to get better. It's a very young team to the beach game. It's a learning process for sure. It's definitely an adjustment from practice but I know we'll get better and better."
The Sun Devils crossed Phoenix on Saturday to take part in the first GCU-ASU head-to-head team meeting of the Lopes athletic program's Division I area. The rarity, proximity and festivity made for an entertaining dual with inches separating GCU from victory.
The Lopes fell 3-2 to the Sun Devils when the fifth match extended to a third set, where ASU broke a GCU match point with a hit on the back line before scoring the clinching two points at GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium.
The fan turnout showed the match was special, long before the Havocs and ASU students exchanged university alphabets, with Lope fans chanting "G," "C" and "U" with each Lopes touch and the Sun Devil fans following suit with "A," "S" and "U" on each Sun Devils touch.
GCU's No. 2 team of junior Jessica Stansfield and sophomore Bella Bauman dominated 21-10, 21-14, and the Lopes' No. 5 team of sophomore Teagan DeFalco and senior Jamie Walsh also won in a 21-13, 20-22, 15-12 battle to split the first four matches with ASU.
That turned the crowd's full attention to the No. 3 match, where GCU sophomore Madi Relaz and senior teammate Mikaela Raudsepp bounced back from a 23-21 loss in the first set to win 21-18 on the second set, which Relaz closed by scattering the Sun Devils on consecutive hits.
Relaz and Raudsepp played from behind for much of the third set but went on an 8-3 rally to lead 14-13 off a difficult Relaz attack at the net and Raudsepp's strong serves. Another strong Raudsepp serve had ASU off-balance but its second bump went over the Lopes and hit the back line. ASU moved to match point on a kill and won on a dink, sending the Sun Devils into a celebration pile on the sand.
The 16th-ranked Lopes fell to 1-2 after also losing 3-2 to No. 15 Loyola Marymount on Friday in a similar third-set scenario.
"It's not how we're playing right now," GCU head coach Kristen Rohr said. "It's what is going to make us grow the most and this is obviously going to make us grow a lot. It's really exciting to start the rivalry with ASU. Having the two largest universities in Phoenix come together for competition, the crowd awesome. It's such a fun environment to play."
Stansfield and Bauman, moving from No. 3 to No. 2 for Saturday, gave the dual's most dominant performance with a 21-10, 21-14 win in their match.
"One of the things that makes them so good is their consistency," Rohr said. "You see a lot of volleyball matches that are about who makes the error first. With them, not only are they consistent, they both side out well. They have Bella's two-ball and I'm not sure Stans lets much drop on defense. Together, they're a dynamic duo."
Stansfield and Bauman went 3-0 on the weekend, which included a GCU win against New Mexico and loss against LMU. Stansfield made several diving digs that thrilled Saturday's crowd, which included Lopes men's basketball head coach Dan Majerle.
The dirty work was just Stansfield carrying over her goal of leaving each practice caked in sand.
"It was really exciting," Stansfield said of playing ASU. "I think this will be a rivalry hopefully for a really long time. It's just the beginning. They got us today but we'll see them next year.
"It's really cool to see the students come together and support us. It was awesome watching from the sideline. There was a pit in my stomach, cheering my team on."
GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium's bleachers carried a big crowd, including an ASU student contingent, and the fans spilled over onto the courtside grass hills, which were sun-splashed Saturday after Friday's matches endured cold, rain and even hail.
GCU public address announcer Paul Danuser and music kept the action exciting while other fans were able to watch a GCU live-stream telecast of the dual.
They saw the Lopes get out to an early split of the Nos. 4 and 5 matches because DeFalco and Walsh moved to 3-0. They jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the third set but wound up in a 12-12 tie. The Lopes duo closed its match with three consecutive points off DeFalco's ball control and Walsh's finishes on a kill and her two-ball skill twice.
GCU's No. 1 unit of junior Hannah Towne and freshman Anaya Evans fell 21-18, 21-15 while the No. 4 team of sophomore Katie Sarber and freshman Esmee Priem rallied from a 21-17 loss in the first for a dominant 21-12 second set. They were tied 8-8 in the third set before it slipped away in a 15-10 loss.
The schedule stays tough with GCU heading next weekend to the Horned Frogs Challenge, where the Lopes will face No. 13 Georgia State, No. 18 Tulane, No. 19 TCU and Missouri State.
"We have goals for the end of our season," Stansfield said. "Every weekend, we want to get better. It's a very young team to the beach game. It's a learning process for sure. It's definitely an adjustment from practice but I know we'll get better and better."
- Katelyn Carbello / Oli Okaro (ASU) def. Hannah Towne / Anaya Evans (GCU) 21-18, 21-15
- Jessica Stansfield / Bella Bauman (GCU) def. Cierra Flood / Ashley Wenz (ASU) 21-10, 21-14
- Ellyson Lundberg / Katie Cross (ASU) def. Madi Relaz / Mikaela Raudsepp (GCU) 23-21, 18-21, 16-14
- Sam Plaster / Kate Baldwin (ASU) def. Katie Sarber / Esmee Priem (GCU) 21-17, 12-21, 15-10
- Teagan DeFalco / Jamie Walsh (GCU) def. Emily Anderson / Lauren Weintraub (ASU) 21-13, 20-22, 15-12
Players Mentioned
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