MPSF Championship comes to close for Lopes

Thursday, April 24

Huntington Beach, Calif.

9:30 a.m.

Grand Canyon

Washington

Photo by: Nathan Peters

4/24/2025 4:42:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

GCU defeats Washington before falling to Cal

By: Nathan Peters

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Fifth-seeded Grand Canyon opened Thursday play at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Beach Volleyball Championship with a morning win over sixth-seed Washington before being eliminated in a tightly contested afternoon loss to fourth-seeded California at Spiker Beach.

GCU's 3-1 victory over Washington showcased the Lopes' depth and determination.

The top GCU duo of sophomore Adriana Ferro and freshman Ines Piret overwhelmed their opponents 21-12, 21-7 to strike first. Lopes junior Jessica Drake and sophmore partner Rhea Kohl followed with a steady 21-18, 21-15 win on Court 3, and senior Madi Bogle and freshman Mae Manthe sealed the GCU dual win on Court 5 with a 21-19, 21-18 finish. Lopes sophomore Karynn Garrow's and senior Sophia Hladyniuk's match on Court 4 was left unfinished with GCU leading 7-4 in the third set.

"Our team has worked really hard all year, and we're just really proud of all the work we put in and the grit and the fight that we have," Bogle said.

GCU head coach Abra Rummel praised her team's mental toughness and connection on the sand.

"We talked before the match about how important it is to find that extra gear for the reason why you play, whether that's the person next to you or the team you compete for," Rummel said. "I thought they did an awesome job of doing that, They leaned on each other in tough moments and played their best when it mattered most."

Later in the day, the Lopes faced a strong Cal squad in a 3-0 loss. Ferro and Piret battled through a tight second set at the No. 1 flight but ultimately fell 21-16, 22-20. GCU's third and fourth pairs also dropped straight-set decisions, clinching the dual for Cal. The matches on Courts 2 and 5 were unfinished, with GCU showing resiliency before play was halted.

The Lopes have eight ranked wins and went from a 14-win season last year to 23 wins this season.

GCU 3, Washington 1

Court 1: Adriana Ferro / Ines Piret (GCU) def. Teila Allen / Jade Sadeiko (UW) – 21-12, 21-7
Court 2: Katarina Pantovic / Lauren Wilcock (UW) def. Becca Drake / Katie Keefe (GCU) – 21-19, 21-15
Court 3: Jessica Drake / Rhea Kohl (GCU) def. Niki Egan / Karolina Majernikova (UW) – 21-18, 21-15
Court 4: Karynn Garrow / Sophia Hladyniuk (GCU) vs. Emma Hohenauer / Sarah Wilcock (UW) – 19-21, 21-18, 7-4 (unfinished)
Court 5: Madi Bogle / Mae Manthe (GCU) def. Hannah Doyle / Alina Urzua (UW) – 21-19, 21-18

California 3, GCU 0

Court 1: Emma Donley / Portia Sherman (CAL) def. Adriana Ferro / Ines Piret (GCU) – 21-16, 22-20
Court 2: Gia Fisher / Sierra Caffo (CAL) vs. Becca Drake / Katie Keefe (GCU) – 21-15, 20-15 (unfinished)
Court 3: Ella Sears / Alexand Young-Gomez (CAL) def. Jessica Drake / Rhea Kohl (GCU) – 21-14, 21-10
Court 4: Marilu Pally / Maile Somera (CAL) def. Karynn Garrow / Sophia Hladyniuk (GCU) – 21-16, 21-17
Court 5: Jenna Colligan / Ella Dreibholz (CAL) vs. Madi Bogle / Mae Manthe (GCU) – 15-21, 21-18, 0-1 (unfinished)