Beach volleyball lineup levels up for new season

Saturday, February 22

Phoenix, Ariz.

4 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Arizona Christian

Becca and Jessica Drake and Keyra Plettener

Photo by: Wesley Kurz

2/20/2025 9:00:00 AM | Beach Volleyball, Paul Coro

GCU opens season at home with returning talent in each pairing

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon beach volleyball ended last season in the national top 20 for the seventh consecutive year, and it was not good enough for the Lopes.

After the season ended in the third set of a dual's fifth match against South Carolina, Abra Rummel wrapped her first season as GCU head coach by sending each returning player home with a detailed evaluation last April.

The fortunes of the 2025 season turned then for this late February weekend, when preseason No. 18 GCU opens at home Saturday with a 4 p.m. match against Arizona Christian and the Lopes' first-ever match under the GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium lights against Arizona at 6. The Lopes return Sunday to play Saint Mary's at 10 a.m. and Benedictine Mesa at noon.

Regan Holmer and Ines Piret

The faces will look familiar with eight GCU returnees and two newcomers in the 10-player lineup, but the Lopes' play will be enhanced by that offseason work, fall duals and the January preseason grind.

"It's so amazing to me how much progress you can make in a year," Rummel said. "Pretty much every returning player went home, took the nice lengthy evaluation sheet that we gave him, took it to heart and came back better. You could tell the first day back. You can't say how excited I am with where everyone came back in, what the recruiting class looked like and how, as a team, we're in such a better position to work."

With 14 new players last season, Rummel and her staff were spending time on position and ability assessment that were not needed in the fall. GCU focused on pairings and development areas more quickly and progressed.

"The team has done a really good job of embracing the culture that we want, not only in the beach program but here at GCU," said Rummel, who was a three-year GCU assistant coach before elevating to head coach in 2023. "It's that idea of hard work, always going for it, playing to win and doing it together. The community is so amazing at the school. The players have really embraced it – the idea of humility, being a professional, being humble.

"Having those characteristics as a competitor has really helped our results be significantly better already than where we were a year ago."

Sophomore Becca Drake and junior Jessica Drake, who are sisters from Fresno, California, are emblematic of that team improvement.

Jessica grew as a leader and blocker. At 5 feet 9, she uses her decision-making, control, digging and athleticism to play bigger after her pairings went 24-9 last season. She is paired for the first time with Becca, who takes on a larger role because of her defense and growing confidence as an attacker who terminates.

"They made a huge step forward," Rummel said. "They're so much fun to watch. They really move the ball around well. They're incredibly consistent. They're that type of team that you have to beat. You have to score three times to actually score on them, because they're just so controlled and defensive.

GCU 6-foot-2 junior Katie Keefe of London is the only returnee to play on every court last season and now partners with newcomer Rhea Kohl, a 5-10 sophomore from Toronto.

"Katie is a very high-level, defensive blocker, and Rhea is a prototypical, just gnarly defender," Rummel said. "Rhea is extremely fast and never gives up. She's one of those defenders who continues to find ways to get the ball up and put it on the other side. They can be very dangerous. Defensively, they are an excellent team. I think they'll be competitive with anyone."

The other newcomer in the starting lineup is freshman Ines Piret, a 6-foot-2 Belgian who pairs with 5-9 sophomore Adrianna Ferro of Spain. Ferro's pairings went 15-11 last season on Courts 2 and 3, but her ability to touch at 9-8 is side by side with Piret reaching 9-10 out of the sand.

"They are just extremely dynamic and high powered offensively," Rummel said. "They're the type of team that is very intimidating, seeing that level of physicality."

Sophomore Karynn Garrow, of Boerne, Texas, and Canadian senior Sophia Hlyadyniak each matched the team high for matches played last season (33) with Keefe and Jessica Drake but are a new GCU pairing this season.

"Karynnn is a super dynamic offensive threat, and Sophia a really experienced, cagey defender," Rummel said. "With the two of them together, it's really found a way to brin gout the best in both of them. They are going to be very aggressive and really fun to watch."

Sophomore Regan Holmer, a co-captain with Jessica Drake, was successful in limited appearances last season. The 5-11 sophomore from Aurora, Illinois, now pairs with 5-11 senior Madi Bogle, a native of Chula Vista, California, who went 11-11 last season.

Bogle was injured much of the fall but sizzled in her lone appearance.

"My gosh, Madi hit some balls that no woman should be able to hit that hard," Rummel said. "She's just so physical up there. She really just hits the snot out of the ball. Reagan is very consistent, and I I say that in the best way possible. She's another player that you have to beat three times to win the point because she's just she's always there. She reads the game really well, she sees where you are and puts the ball where you're not.

"It's not the flashiest thing you've ever seen, but it's kind of like novocaine. It's going to get you eventually."

The program is built with youthful experience to pursue its third NCAA tournament visit in four years, playing an opening lineup with two seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and a freshman.

"We are in a fabulous position as a team to not only be successful this year, but next year and the year after that," Rummel said.