Lopes to join West Coast's elite in MPSF

The Grand Canyon beach volleyball program will transition to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, joining a newly formed and regionalized beach volleyball conference with nationally competitive programs.

GCU will join six schools who are departing members of the Pac-12 Conference including California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington.

"I am incredibly excited for GCU to be joining the newly created MPSF for beach volleyball," first-year Lopes head coach Abra Rummel said. "Any time GCU has the opportunity to align with and compete against some of the best programs in the country, it is a great opportunity for the university and our program. We are really excited for the future ahead as members of this league."

The Lopes have experienced success on the national stage with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament and consecutive 26-win seasons. GCU has finished in the top-10 of the final national poll in each of the last four seasons.

GCU built its beach volleyball program independent of a conference for its first 10 seasons before accepting a bid to the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. In its first season as members of the conference in 2023, the Lopes upset No. 3 seed LSU and No. 1 seed TCU in the CCSA Tournament before falling in the championship game and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Lopes will remain members of the CCSA for the upcoming 2024 beach volleyball season.

"GCU beach volleyball has established a national profile that allows us to join a premier conference," GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs said. "Thanks to the support of our university and campus community, GCU has had the opportunity to compete in the last two NCAA tournaments and establish itself as a top-10 program. We are excited for Coach Rummel to lead the program into an exciting new era. We are also thankful to the CCSA for giving our beach volleyball program its first conference home, and we wish for the continued success of the conference and its members."

The MPSF adds its 12th sport to a list that also includes men's volleyball, where GCU has competed since 2018.

"The MPSF is extremely excited to provide beach volleyball student-athletes an incredible conference experience on the West Coast," said Tim Baron, GCU senior associate athletic director who also serves as the MPSF Chair. "We look forward to working alongside the athletic directors, administrators, coaches and student-athletes of these distinguished universities."

GCU's new conference will hold claim to all seven national championships in the history of the NCAA's sponsorship of a championship for the sport which began in 2016. USC has five national titles while UCLA holds two.

The Lopes have a previous history of competition with all six members including 11 meetings with USC. Four of the six members will be competing primarily in the Big Ten Conference, while Stanford and Cal will compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The inaugural MPSF Beach Volleyball Championship Tournament is scheduled for April 2025, with the specific dates and location to be determined. The 2025 NCAA tournament will be held May 2-4 in Huntington Beach, California, for the first time.

"The MPSF is honored and ecstatic to add beach volleyball," MPSF Executive Director Foti Mellis said. "As the newest sport to enhance our incredibly talented portfolio, beach volleyball joins other MPSF sports that are highly ranked and considered the best in the country. The caliber of teams represented in USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Washington, Oregon and Grand Canyon expands the intensely competitive nature of the MPSF. With five teams ranked in the top-10 in last season's final poll, the level of competition will be exciting to watch.

"The MPSF is proud to continue its history as a trusted organization providing enhanced competition and championship opportunities for sports without conference affiliation. We see the addition of beach volleyball as a beginning of what is possible as college athletics navigates the evolving nature of conference realignment – an evolution we are excited to be part of."

GCU's 2024 beach volleyball season will begin in February, where the Lopes will compete as members of the CCSA. GCU will formally join the MPSF in August of 2024 in time for the 2025 season.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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