Lopes defeat No. 12 LSU in Death Valley

Friday, March 20

Baton Rouge, La.

9:45 a.m.

Grand Canyon

Florida State

Photo by: Nathan Peters

3/20/2026 8:30:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

GCU grab 1st top-15 win of the season in pivotal match

By: Nathan Peters

BATON ROUGE, La. — No. 16 GCU split a pair of matches Friday, closing the day with a signature 3-2 win over No. 12 LSU after opening with a 4-1 loss to Florida State.

The Lopes earned their highest-ranked win of the season by taking three of five courts against the Tigers, rallying behind wins at the. 2, 3 and 4. pairs.

After LSU secured the first point of the duel at No. 5, GCU responded as Youna Coens and Isabelle Tucker evened the dual with a three-set victory at No. 4 (15-21, 21-18, 15-10).

The win marks Tucker's first since becoming a Lope after battling back from injuries. The redshirt-junior made a wild play when jumping over a court barrier to then pass the ball over the net, she got back in the court and her and Coens went on to win the point.

Rhea Kohl and Mae Manthe then gave GCU the lead with a straight-sets win at No. 3 (21-17, 21-16) before Sarah Edler and Katie Keefe clinched the match in dramatic fashion at No. 2, winning 21-23, 22-20, 15-13.

LSU won in the third set at the No. 1, but GCU had already secured the dual in a tightly contested battle featuring four three-set matches.

Earlier in the day, GCU fell 4-1 to Florida State despite pushing multiple courts to three sets.

Mae Manthe and Rhea Kohl provided the Lopes' lone point with a straight-sets win at No. 3 (23-21, 21-16).

Florida State claimed the remaining courts, including three-set victories at Nos. 1, 4 and 5 to seal the dual. The Lopes responded from the opening loss with a resilient performance against LSU, highlighted by three comeback wins and a clinching effort in the final match to finish.

The Lopes will conclude the Death Volley Invitational with two matches Saturday when they face off against No. 4 Texas before playing Georgia State for the final match of the weekend.