Lopes land 2 big wins, 1st top-10 win of season

Saturday, March 23

Tallahassee, Fla.

6:30 a.m.

Grand Canyon

LSU

3/23/2024 12:23:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

GCU sticks to mission with grit, determination to knock off No. 8 LSU

By: Nathan Peters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No.18 Grand Canyon beach volleyball team finished the first two matches of the CCSA midseason tournament Saturday with the first top-10 win under first year head coach Abra Rummel.

GCU played No.8 LSU in their ninth straight ranked match of the season. Heading into the competition, GCU had a 1-4 neutral sight record against the Tigers dating back to 2018.

The Lopes duo of junior Jessica Drake and graduate Mackenzie Harris, continued their hot-streak winning as the fifth pair with scores of 21-15, 22-20.

Harris and Drake now each have five ranked wins on the season, tied for the most on the team.

GCU landed a second victory from junior Madi Bogle and freshman Becca Drake in their two-set win 21-17, 21-17. This marked the first top-10 victory for each of them as Bogle is in her first season after transferring from Grossmont College.

Suffering some tough third-set losses earlier in the season, the Lopes have looked to get over the hump and when they needed it most, the fearless leader senior Krista Rowan and junior transfer Sophia Hladyniuk came through. The number one flight for GCU lost the first set 21-14 before battling back to claim the second and third 22-20, 15-11.

The Lopes handed the Tigers their fourth loss on the year alongside losses to TCU, LMU, UCLA, and Hawai'i.

Less than an hour later GCU geared up to face South Carolina.

Alongside Harris and Drake's win, Rowan and Hladyniuk repeated the LSU match, winning in three after losing the first. The overall match, tied at two, came down to the third set of the number three pair.

Senior Noelle Weintraub and junior Katie Keefe won the first set 21-19, lost the second 22-20, and trailed the third by two match-points 14-12. The duo went on a run to clinch the match in a 20-18 set score.

"I am incredibly proud of the grit and determination of our players," Lopes head coach Abra Rummel said. "It was truly a team effort to grind out two wins against very talented competition.

"We continue to have a 'get better every day focus', and these young women proved how good we can be when we stick to our mission."

GCU will return to action Sunday against No.5 Florida State and Jacksonville.

GCU 3, LSU 2

Krista Rowan/Sophia Hladyniuk (GCU) def. Gabi Bailey/Amber Haynes (LSU) 14-21, 22-20, 15-11
Reilly Allred/Parker Bracken (LSU) def. Katie Keefe/Noelle Weintraub (GCU) 21-17, 21-13
Ella Larkin/Ellie Shank (LSU) def. Sarah Dickson/Karynn Garrow (GCU) 21-17, 21-11
Madi Bogle/Becca Drake (GCU) def. Emily Meyer/Yali Ashush (LSU) 21-17, 21-17
Mackenzie Harris/Jessica Drake (GCU) def. Brooke Blutreich/Skyler Martin (LSU) 21-15, 22-20

GCU 3, USC 2

Krista Rowan/Sophia Hladyniuk (GCU) def. Riley Whitesides/Hannah Mackenhausen (USC) 14-21, 21-13, 15-11
Skylar Allen/Allison Coens (USC) def. Karynn Garrow/Sarah Dickson (GCU) 21-12, 14-21, 15-9
Katie Keefe/Noelle Weintraub (GCU) def. Julia Waugh/Peyton Yamagata (USC) 21-19, 20-22, 20-18
Jolie Cranford/Brynlee Smith (USC) def. Madi Bogle/Becca Drake (GCU) 23-21, 21-19
Mackenzie Harris/Jessica Drake (GCU) def. VB Trost/Chase Teal (USC) 21-18, 21-16