Rummel unveils elite 2026 schedule

Grand Canyon beach volleyball head coach Abra Rummel announced the team's 2026 schedule, highlighted by a nationally competitive slate that includes 12 opponents that qualified for the NCAA Championship.

The Lopes will open the season with its sole home weekend at GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium, hosting Colorado Mesa and TCU on Feb. 20 before facing Arizona State and Arizona on Feb. 21.

The match against reigning national champion TCU will be a night match under the lights.

The Lopes went 7-0 in home matches last season and have built one of the strongest home-court advantages, winning 81% of home matches since the GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium opened in 2017.

The morning match against Colorado Mesa will serve as GCU's Senior Match, honoring Jessica Drake and Katie Keefe.

"We are really excited about another nationally competitive schedule this year," said Rummel, who enters her third year at the helm and fifth at GCU. "It presents numerous opportunities to show how much we have grown as a program and that we belong among the best. Our home weekend exemplifies exactly this, in that we host defending national champion TCU. This should be the highest=ranked opponent to step onto GCU sand."

GCU returns a veteran core that will be tested early and often.

Lopes sisters Becca and Jessica Drake, who were named All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation second team last season, combined for a 24-5 record as a pair while finishing 25-8 and 25-7 individually and earning American Volleyball Coaches Association Top Flight honors in Flight 3.

Keefe returns after competing in 22 matches at the No. 1 spot while establishing herself as a dominant blocker. Karynn Garrow posted a 24-8 record and earned AVCA Top Flight recognition in Flight 4, while Rhea Kohl compiled 34 matches record across the 1s, 2s and 3s positions, providing depth and flexibility throughout the lineup.

After opening weekend, the Lopes will face a demanding road schedule with trips to Arizona, UCLA, USC, Cal Poly and LSU in March, followed by April stops at Arizona State, Boise State, Long Beach State and LMU.

Along the way, GCU will integrate impact newcomers into the lineup, including sophomore transfers Youna Coens and Grace Goudy from Stetson and Isabelle Tucker from LMU.

Coens is a native of Belgium, while Goudy comes from the same hometown as the Drake sisters in Clovis, California. Tucker returns from a knee injury with prior accolades that include WCC Freshman Team honors and a 2023 AVCA Top Flight Award.

Jess Drake enters the season tied for fourth in program history with 65 career wins, matching Teagan DeFalco after passing Molly Turner at the end of last season. Garrow ranks 19th all-time with 41 career wins.

GCU will pursue its postseason hope at the MPSF Championship on April 22-24 in Huntington Beach, California, before turning its attention to the NCAA Championship on May 1-3 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. With elite competition and experienced leadership, the Lopes enter this season positioned to compete at a national level and continue the program's upward trajectory.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Youna Coens

Jessica Drake

Karynn Garrow

Grace Goudy

Katie Keefe

Rhea Kohl

Isabelle Tucker

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