GCU gets dramatic win over No. 12 Arizona State

Friday, April 3

Tempe, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

FIU

Phoenix, AZ - April 3, 2026, GCU Beach Volleyball Wins 3-2 in a Thriller against Arizona State at Arizona State Beach Volleyball Courts. (Photo by: Brayden Stenner/GCU).

Photo by: Brayden Stenner/GCU

4/3/2026 7:20:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

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Lopes' Kohl, Manthe come up clutch to seal 2-0 day in Tempe

By: Nathan Peters

TEMPE, Ariz. — No. 13 Grand Canyon earned a dramatic 3-2 win over No. 12 Arizona State on Friday at Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility, with the Lopes sealing the rivalry dual on the dual's final court.

After the teams split the opening four flights, the dual came down to Court 3, where Lopes junior Rhea Kohl and sophomore Mae Manthe delivered the clinching point in comeback fashion.

The pair trailed 12-10 in the third set before responding with a match-ending 5-1 run to secure their flight and the GCU victory.

Lopes head coach Abra Rummel said the turning point came when the pair adjusted to Arizona State's defensive positioning.

"They were covering the middle of the court against us," Rummel said. "We just told them, 'You need to control the ball better. That's your strength as a team. And you need to hit the ball in the outsides of the courts.' '"

The adjustment paid off immediately.

"They did it, and then we made a huge comeback," Rummel said. "They're a fabulous defensive team, and I knew as soon as they started controlling the ball better, we were going to turn those transition digs into points on our end."

The clutch finish capped another resilient performance for the Lopes, who also got an early tone-setting win from senior Katie Keefe and junior Sarah Edler on Court 2 (21-16, 21-18). GCU senior Jessica Drake and sophomore Isabelle Tucker added a straight-set win on Court 5, defeating Kendall Whitmarsh and Layla Williams 21-17, 21-19. Rummel pointed to the team's growth through adversity as a defining theme of the season.

"We've faced a lot of adversity for a lot of pretty wild reasons," Rummel said. "The girls have been fabulous in practice and have found ways in spite of the adversity we've faced to continue to move forward and improve."

The recent return of Tucker to the lineup has added another boost, and Friday's result reflected a team beginning to hit its stride at the right time.

Earlier Friday in Tempe, Grand Canyon opened the day with a 4-1 win over FIU, building momentum ahead of the rivalry showdown with Arizona State. Against FIU, the Lopes got victories from juniors Karynn Garrow and Becca Drake, Kohl and Manthe, freshman Jordyn Decker and sophomore Youna Coens, and Drake and Tucker to set up the 2-0 day.

Looking ahead to Saturday's matches against No. 15 Stetson and Ottawa (Arizona), Rummel said the Lopes' focus remains on staying present in each repetition and each match.

"Every moment is a moment in itself," Rummel said. "We need to be focused on what's right in front of us, and we're going to adopt that same mindset with every match that we have moving forward."