Completed Event: Beach Volleyball versus Washington on April 10, 2026 , Win , 4, to, 1
Beach VB
vs Washington
W 4-1
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, May 1
Gulf Shores, Ala.
2 p.m.
Grand Canyon
0
vs
3
(6) Cal Poly
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
NCAA Tournament loss builds for future
5/1/2026 5:23:00 PM | Beach Volleyball, Paul Coro
With 2 seniors, Lopes test No. 6 Cal Poly in 1st tourney trip since 2023
GULF SHORES, Ala. – Before it played in the eighth and final dual match of the NCAA Tournament's first round, Grand Canyon had to wait for its moment in the sun all day.
The dark clouds never broke Friday, and the Lopes wound up weathering two storms with the raindrops and Cal Poly shots pelting the sand. Just like the rain, GCU would not go away.
The Lopes pushed the Mustangs to three sets in three of the matches, with each of those staying within a point or two points deep into the battles before No. 6 Cal Poly closed out its clinching third court win to advance to the quarterfinals.
For a GCU team with only two seniors in its 10-player lineup, the storm showed more about the Lopes than any calm could have. In front of an ESPN2 broadcast and a beach volleyball carnival that draws thousands of fans, Arizona's only representative puts its brand back on the national scene.
Cal Poly shut out GCU in the teams' first meeting this season, but that Lopes loss came with three lopsided sweeps. Against a Mustangs team with All-America pairs on the top two courts, the rematch had a comeback path for the 11th-ranked Lopes
"We stepped it up a little more this time," said GCU senior Jessica Drake, who played four Lopes seasons after redshirting 2022. "Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to close it out, but it was so fun. The team we played came out super strong and played perfect volleyball. We gave it all we've got. I was smiling the whole time.
"GCU has come a long way since we were last here when I was a freshman (in 2023)."
Drake, now playing with her younger sister Becca, is the only returning lineup player from the Lopes' 2023 Gulf Shores visit, but head coach Abra Rummel sees this season as "a springboard" for a program that could return eight players with NCAA Tournament experience.
"Cal Poly has one of the deepest rosters in the country, so we went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the country," Rummel said. "To think where we started opening weekend, now we're in three three-setters with the best of the best. That's something to be really proud of."
In her final GCU match, senior Katie Keefe teamed with junior Sarah Edler, who was a redshirt on the Lopes' 2023 NCAA Tournament team, for an optimistic Court 2 start against one of Cal Poly's All-America pairs.
Keefe and Edler took a lead midway through the first set and never trailed again, earning a set point when Edler turned an overhead bump save into an assist for Keefe's kill. A Keefe ace closed the 21-19 win, but Cal Poly had won three of the five courts' first sets.
On Court 3, GCU sophomore Mae Manthe and junior Rhea Kohl played through the raindrops and a 21-15 loss in the first set to dominate a 21-12 second set that helped keep the Loves alive. Their match went unfinished.
"They really let some mental side of the game get to them in the first set," Rummel said. "Then in the second set, we made adjustments and got tougher. We found some easy answers and never looked back."
Court 5 also went to three sets with GCU pairing sophomore Youna Coens with a freshman, Jordyn Decker of Mesa, who had little lineup time this season.
Coens popped a shot over Cal Poly's duo and inside the back line to take the first set, 21-17. Playing on one of Gulf Shores' two beachside courts, Coens and Decker rallied to a 14-14 tie on Coens' drop shot in the third set before the Mustangs clinched the dual on Court 2.
"It's sad to see your seniors go, but they're as equally proud of what this team accomplished and the role they've had in building and leading this team to this point," Rummel said. "This is just a springboard for us. I don't know that there is any other team in the tournament that is only graduating two seniors."
The tournament's first heavy downpour of the day tilted playing circumstances toward Cal Poly with its more physical players handling the heavier balls better than the ball-control Lopes.
On Court 1, GCU juniors Becca Drake and Karynn Garrow tried to adjust against All-America first-teamers Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep, pulling within a point seven times in their second set. But a 7-4 run ended the 21-17 set for the Mustangs, who have won their seventh consecutive sweep as the NCAAs' first round closed without an upset .
"It's definitely a confidence booster," Becca Drake said. "We're super excited. We built our program so much this season. We'll take that into next season and build even more and come back stronger.
"Abra, Keone (assistant coach Keone Coronado) and Matt (assistant coach Matthew McDevitt) are the best development coaches in the NCAA. I was a nobody out of high school, and now I'm playing one of the biggest stages because of the way they intentionally develop us. Abra has an insane high volleyball IQ. My game from juniors to college has exponentially grown. A lot of girls level out, but GCU players go through the roof."
Becca said her first NCAA Tournament playing experience was a dream come true after last being in Gulf Shores for a birthday trip to watch her sister, Jessica, play in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
When the match ended and GCU encircled to the side, Jessica and fellow senior Katie Keefe moved to the middle and Jessica thank her teammates for making her dream come true to return there.
"God definitely brought me to GCU," Jessica said. "I started beach volleyball late, and He made a way for me to be at GCU. I've got to give it to Abra for taking a shot on me and developing me as a player. It was always my dream to play Division I volleyball. I never thought I'd be on a national level. To be at a Christian school and grow my faith at the same time that I got to compete in the sport I love has been such a blessing."
The dark clouds never broke Friday, and the Lopes wound up weathering two storms with the raindrops and Cal Poly shots pelting the sand. Just like the rain, GCU would not go away.
The Lopes pushed the Mustangs to three sets in three of the matches, with each of those staying within a point or two points deep into the battles before No. 6 Cal Poly closed out its clinching third court win to advance to the quarterfinals.
For a GCU team with only two seniors in its 10-player lineup, the storm showed more about the Lopes than any calm could have. In front of an ESPN2 broadcast and a beach volleyball carnival that draws thousands of fans, Arizona's only representative puts its brand back on the national scene.
Cal Poly shut out GCU in the teams' first meeting this season, but that Lopes loss came with three lopsided sweeps. Against a Mustangs team with All-America pairs on the top two courts, the rematch had a comeback path for the 11th-ranked Lopes
"We stepped it up a little more this time," said GCU senior Jessica Drake, who played four Lopes seasons after redshirting 2022. "Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to close it out, but it was so fun. The team we played came out super strong and played perfect volleyball. We gave it all we've got. I was smiling the whole time.
"GCU has come a long way since we were last here when I was a freshman (in 2023)."
Drake, now playing with her younger sister Becca, is the only returning lineup player from the Lopes' 2023 Gulf Shores visit, but head coach Abra Rummel sees this season as "a springboard" for a program that could return eight players with NCAA Tournament experience.
"Cal Poly has one of the deepest rosters in the country, so we went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the country," Rummel said. "To think where we started opening weekend, now we're in three three-setters with the best of the best. That's something to be really proud of."
In her final GCU match, senior Katie Keefe teamed with junior Sarah Edler, who was a redshirt on the Lopes' 2023 NCAA Tournament team, for an optimistic Court 2 start against one of Cal Poly's All-America pairs.
Keefe and Edler took a lead midway through the first set and never trailed again, earning a set point when Edler turned an overhead bump save into an assist for Keefe's kill. A Keefe ace closed the 21-19 win, but Cal Poly had won three of the five courts' first sets.
On Court 3, GCU sophomore Mae Manthe and junior Rhea Kohl played through the raindrops and a 21-15 loss in the first set to dominate a 21-12 second set that helped keep the Loves alive. Their match went unfinished.
"They really let some mental side of the game get to them in the first set," Rummel said. "Then in the second set, we made adjustments and got tougher. We found some easy answers and never looked back."
Court 5 also went to three sets with GCU pairing sophomore Youna Coens with a freshman, Jordyn Decker of Mesa, who had little lineup time this season.
Coens popped a shot over Cal Poly's duo and inside the back line to take the first set, 21-17. Playing on one of Gulf Shores' two beachside courts, Coens and Decker rallied to a 14-14 tie on Coens' drop shot in the third set before the Mustangs clinched the dual on Court 2.
"It's sad to see your seniors go, but they're as equally proud of what this team accomplished and the role they've had in building and leading this team to this point," Rummel said. "This is just a springboard for us. I don't know that there is any other team in the tournament that is only graduating two seniors."
The tournament's first heavy downpour of the day tilted playing circumstances toward Cal Poly with its more physical players handling the heavier balls better than the ball-control Lopes.
On Court 1, GCU juniors Becca Drake and Karynn Garrow tried to adjust against All-America first-teamers Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep, pulling within a point seven times in their second set. But a 7-4 run ended the 21-17 set for the Mustangs, who have won their seventh consecutive sweep as the NCAAs' first round closed without an upset .
"It's definitely a confidence booster," Becca Drake said. "We're super excited. We built our program so much this season. We'll take that into next season and build even more and come back stronger.
"Abra, Keone (assistant coach Keone Coronado) and Matt (assistant coach Matthew McDevitt) are the best development coaches in the NCAA. I was a nobody out of high school, and now I'm playing one of the biggest stages because of the way they intentionally develop us. Abra has an insane high volleyball IQ. My game from juniors to college has exponentially grown. A lot of girls level out, but GCU players go through the roof."
Becca said her first NCAA Tournament playing experience was a dream come true after last being in Gulf Shores for a birthday trip to watch her sister, Jessica, play in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
When the match ended and GCU encircled to the side, Jessica and fellow senior Katie Keefe moved to the middle and Jessica thank her teammates for making her dream come true to return there.
"God definitely brought me to GCU," Jessica said. "I started beach volleyball late, and He made a way for me to be at GCU. I've got to give it to Abra for taking a shot on me and developing me as a player. It was always my dream to play Division I volleyball. I never thought I'd be on a national level. To be at a Christian school and grow my faith at the same time that I got to compete in the sport I love has been such a blessing."
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