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
After NCAA tourney return, Rummel signs extension
5/29/2026 1:00:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
Lopes head coach led program back to NCAA Tournament, No. 11 final national ranking
Grand Canyon and beach volleyball head coach Abra Rummel have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, continuing a tenure that has helped return the Lopes to the NCAA Tournament and keep the program in the national conversation.
Rummel, who will enter her fourth season as GCU head coach in 2026-27, guided the Lopes back to the NCAA Tournament in 2026 for the program's third appearance and first under her leadership. GCU earned the No. 11 seed in the 16-team national championship field, represented Arizona as the state's only NCAA Tournament team and finished No. 11 in the final AVCA national poll.
"Coach Rummel played a key role in our first two NCAA Tournament appearances as an assistant coach, and it has been rewarding to see her grow the program as our head coach," GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs said. "We are excited to continue investing in the future of GCU beach volleyball under her leadership."
The Lopes' 2026 season featured several résumé-building victories down the stretch, including wins against No. 12 LSU, No. 12 Arizona State and over LSU again at the MPSF Championship. Competing in the MPSF, the nation's toughest beach volleyball conference, GCU went 19-16 and earned an at-large NCAA Tournament berth after five top-20 victories from March 20 through Selection Sunday.
"First and foremost, I'd like to thank Jamie Boggs and President Mueller for the opportunity to continue to lead the beach volleyball program," Rummel said. "This program and GCU Athletics would not be able to achieve the level of success we have without their support."
"I am humbled to continue to lead an amazing group of young women who consistently show up for each other and for this university and to have a staff that helps elevate them every day. It has been a joy to work at GCU every day due to the university's ongoing commitment to program success, without losing sight of the student and person along the way. I am blessed to work with people who value community and faith above all else. My staff and I look forward to building upon the success we've created for the foreseeable future."
Rummel's 2026 team showed its growth late in the season, bouncing back from a challenging opening weekend to climb back into the national top 15. When the Lopes' NCAA hopes required a strong finish, GCU delivered key wins and a reverse-sweep victory at No. 19 Boise State before securing its NCAA Tournament spot.
At the NCAA Tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama, GCU challenged No. 6 seed Cal Poly in a first-round rematch. The Lopes pushed three courts to three sets against one of the deepest teams in the country, giving Rummel's program momentum for the future with eight lineup players eligible to return with NCAA Tournament experience.
"Abra, Keone (Coronado) and Matt (McDevitt) are the best development coaches in the NCAA," junior Becca Drake said after the NCAA Tournament match. "I was a nobody out of high school, and now I'm playing on 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."
GCU also earned two AVCA Top Flight awards in 2026 with Mae Manthe and Rhea Kohl recognized for their success as a pair.
The NCAA Tournament return continued the program's climb under Rummel. In 2025, her second season as head coach, GCU went 23-11, recorded eight wins over ranked opponents, finished No. 13 in the AVCA national poll and went 7-0 at home. The Lopes earned two all-conference honors and six AVCA Top Flight awards across multiple pairs.
In her first season leading the program in 2024, Rummel helped GCU open the year with four consecutive wins and defeat No. 6 LSU at a neutral site. The Lopes also earned two CCSA All-Academic honorees, two CCSA All-Tournament Team selections, two All-CCSA honorees and two CCSA All-Freshman Team selections.
A Phoenix native, Rummel was named GCU's head coach in June 2023 after three seasons as an assistant coach for the nationally ranked Lopes. She helped lead GCU to national prominence in that role, with the Lopes qualifying for back-to-back NCAA tournaments and finishing in the nation's top 10 in all three of her seasons on staff. GCU went 70-26 (.729) during her three seasons as an assistant coach and climbed as high as No. 6 nationally in 2023, a program best.
Rummel's background includes playing and coaching experience at the club, high school, college, professional and national team levels. Before arriving at GCU, she spent five seasons as the indoor women's volleyball head coach at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where she led the Terriers to program-best conference finishes in 2015 and 2018.
She also has served as a high-performance assistant coach and head coach for USA Volleyball and as the head Olympic qualification coach for Team England. Her coaching background includes club stops in Arizona, New Jersey and California, along with time as head volleyball coach at McClintock High School in Tempe and as an assistant coach at Scottsdale Community College.
A decorated professional volleyball player, Rummel competed on indoor volleyball and beach volleyball professional tours from 2011 to 2015. Rummel resides in Phoenix with her husband, Henrik, and children, Oliver, Oskar and Sawyer.
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