GULF SHORES, Ala. – Battling through challenging, windy conditions on the Alabama coast, No. 6 seed Cal Poly delivered a composed and commanding 3-0 sweep over No. 11 seed Grand Canyon to open play at the 2026 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship.
With the strongest gusts impacting Courts 4 and 5, the Mustangs (31-8 showed poise from the opening serve, collecting straight-set wins on two courts and grinding out a three-set victory to clinch their spot in the quarterfinals.
Cal Poly struck first on Court 4, where Julia Westby and Elise Lenahan controlled play from start to finish in a 21-16, 21-14 victory to give the Mustangs the early edge.
Moments later, the top pair of Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep extended the lead on Court 1, handling the conditions with a steady 21-12, 21-17 win to put Cal Poly within one point of advancing.
The clincher came on Court 2 behind Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter. After dropping a tightly contested first set 21-19, the duo responded emphatically with a dominant 21-5 second set before closing out the match with a 15-10 third-set win to secure the sweep.
Courts 3 and 5 both went unfinished with Cal Poly in strong positions. Quinn Perry and Ashleigh Adams were mid-battle in a three-set contest (21-15, 12-21, 12-10) on Court 3, while Peyton Dueck and Katie Clevenger were also deep into a decisive third set (17-21, 21-15, 15-14) on Court 5, play was halted.
With the win, Cal Poly advances to the second round for the third straight season, squaring off against No. 3 seed UCLA live on ESPN2 at 10 a.m. PT.
National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship – First Round
No. 6 seed Cal Poly 3, No. 11 seed Grand Canyon 0
No. 1 – Connor/Inskeep (CP) def. Garrow/Drake (GCU), 21-12, 21-17
No. 2 – Martinez/Walter (CP) def. Keefe/Edler (GCU), 19-21, 21-5, 15-10
No. 3 – Perry/Adams (CP) vs. Kohl/Manthe (GCU), 21-15, 12-21, 12-10 (unfinished)
No. 4 – Westby/Lenahan (CP) def. J. Drake/Tucker (GCU), 21-16, 21-14
No. 5 – Dueck/Clevenger (CP) vs. Decker/Coens (GCU), 17-21, 21-15, 15-14 (unfinished)
Order of finish: 4, 1, 2*
Gallery: (5-1-2026) 26 BEACH NC First Round: No. 6 seed CP
GULF SHORES, Ala. – In one of the most tightly contested duels of the first round, No. 9 seed Long Beach State pushed No. 8 seed California to the absolute limit before bowing out of the 2026 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship, 3-2.
Both teams traded match points as momentum swung back and forth across the sand before the Golden Bears ultimately prevailed. Four of five courts went the distance to three sets in the rainy conditions.
The third all-time championship meeting between the two programs, again delivered drama, as four of the five courts went to a decisive third set. Long Beach State (25-12) showed poise in pressure moments, but California capitalized late to secure the clinching point on Court 4.
On the top court, All-Americans Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah came out strong with a 23-21 first-set win over Donley and Sherman. California answered with a 21-15 second set before edging the Beach pair in the third, 15-11, to claim the opening point.
The Beach responded on Court 2 behind All-Big West First Team Tineke Hinton and Demi Wagdy, who bounced back after dropping the first set 21-19 to take the second 21-17 and pull away in the third, 15-10, evening the dual at 1-1.
California regained the lead on Court 3 with a straight-set 21-18, 21-10 victory, but Long Beach State answered once again. On Court 5, Kealoha Phillips and Brooke Birch secured a crucial point with a 21-13 first set before dropping the second 21-19, then dominating the third 15-9 to tie the match at 2-2.
From there, Court 4 was left to decide it all. LBSU duo Victoria Henkel and Savannah Standage took the opening set 21-15, but California's Fisher and Haughy answered with a 21-19 second set to force a third. In a dramatic finish that saw both sides earn match point opportunities twice, California narrowly escaped with an 18-16 third-set win to clinch the dual.
In a matchup that once again refused a sweep and required four third sets, Long Beach State proved its grit, battling point-for-point until the final swing in one of the day's most thrilling contests.
National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship – First Round
No. 8 seed California 3, No. 9 seed Long Beach State 2
No. 1 – Donley/Sherman (CAL) def. Gementera/Hagenah (LBSU), 21-23, 21-15, 15-11
No. 2 – Hinton/Wagdy (LBSU) def. Hong/Pally (CAL), 19-21, 21-17, 15-10
No. 3 – Vugrincic/Colligan (CAL) def. Edwards/Esser (LBSU), 21-18, 21-10
No. 4 – Fisher/Haughy (CAL) def. Henkel/Standage (LBSU), 15-21, 21-19, 18-16
No. 5 – Phillips/Birch (LBSU) def. Adishian/Yarich (CAL), 21-13, 19-21, 15-9
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1, 5, 4*
Gallery: (5-1-2026) 26 BEACH NC First Round: No. 9 seed LBSU