With 2 Lopes sweeps, Drake moves to 3rd in all-time wins

Saturday, February 28

Tucson, Ariz.

10:15 a.m.

Grand Canyon

Georgia State

Photo by: Alex Haack

With 2 Lopes sweeps, Drake moves to 3rd in all-time wins

2/28/2026 3:15:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

GCU gets 1st ranked victory of season over No. 19 Georgia State

By: Nathan Peters

TUCSON, Ariz. — Grand Canyon delivered a dominant Saturday at Bear Down Beach, sweeping No. 19 Georgia State and UTEP to finish the weekend 4-0 with 19 court wins.

GCU senior Jessica Drake's victories were historically significant, as she moved into sole possession of third place in program history with 69 career wins, passing Allison Hansen.

The Lopes opened the day with a statement victory over No. 19 Georgia State, winning all five flights with three straight-set wins. The win marked GCU's first ranked win of the 2026 campaign.

Flight 4's Jessica Drake and Youna Coens set the tone with a 21-11, 21-15 victory to put GCU on the board in the first match of the day against Georgia State.

The flight order of finish against the Panthers was 4, 1, 2, 3, 5, as the Lopes quickly built momentum across the lineup.

At Flight 1, Karynn Garrow and Becca Drake secured a 21-11, 21-18 win, while Rhea Kohl and Mae Manthe added a 21-10, 21-18 decision at Flight 2.

Katie Keefe and Sarah Edler rallied after dropping the opening set to win 17-21, 21-14, 15-8 at Flight 3, and the Flight 5 pair of Michael Wittren and Grace Goudy closed out the sweep with a 21-12, 20-22, 15-11 win.

The Lopes carried that momentum into their afternoon match against UTEP, again posting a 5-0 sweep.

The clinching point came from Flight 5, where Garrow and Becca Drake edged a tight second set to win 21-11, 22-20.

The flight order of finish versus UTEP was 1, 3, 4, 5, 2.

Kohl and Manthe rolled to a 21-12, 21-14 win at Flight 3, and Jessica Drake and Coens added a 21-14, 21-11 victory at Flight 4.

Keefe and Edler battled to a 21-23, 21-16, 22-20 comeback victory at Flight 2, while the Flight 5 pair of Charlize Checani and Wittren capped the day with a 21-10, 13-21, 15-7 win.

With the two sweeps, the Lopes showcased depth across all five courts and collected a ranked win to move to 5-3.

Next week, the Lopes head to Los Angeles for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Mid-Season, where they will play Texas, UCLA, California and USC.