No. 8 seed Florida State beach volleyball (26-12) took care of business on Friday by eliminating No. 9 seed Long Beach State (27-12) during the NCAA tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

This is the moment the LMU beach volleyball team has been working for all season. From the start of the fall, to now, they have tapped into their mental and physical game to get them ready for the moment that it all comes down to. The NCAA tournament. 
 
Lion of all four years, Isabelle Reffel from Vallentuna, Sweden touched on what will make it possible for this team to have a significant run.
“This year we really talked about coming out strong with swagger, really showing that we deserve to be there and that we deserve to win this thing. The biggest difference about this year is that we really believe in ourselves.”
Reffel, now in her senior year, has experienced it all with the Lions throughout her collegiate beach volleyball career. All but winning a national title, and that would complete the journey that she has been in here. 
 
Reffel season long partener on the sand sophomore Magdalena Rabitsch Klagenfurt, Austria has a fresh perspective on the bluff, as she transferred in this season to join the winning culture that LMU beach volleyball cultivates every year. 
 
Rabitsch did actually make it to the NCAA tournament with her previous school, but she spoke to the difference that she experienced at LMU. 
 
“So last year our goal was to make it to the NCAA championship, and now the goal is to win the national championship. I’m super excited and grateful to have this opportunity to go in and battle out and I think we are prepared.” Rabitsch went on to say, “from the fall before every practice we say this is the moment we’re waiting for, so I can actually say I have done everything the last few months for this week so yeah, I feel ready.” 
 
The Lions won the West Coast Conference Championship for what is now the sixth time in a row to qualify for the NCAA tournament. During the conference tournament, this pair went 3-0 to help secure the title for their team. They have also been extremely resilient throughout the season to stay consistent, winning 35 games during the regular season and only falling four times.  
 
The pair each had something to say about what made that kind of successful record possible. 

“I think establishing this relationship on and off the court throughout the whole semester has helped us achieve that,” said Rabitsch. Then Reffel added saying, “We have our talks in the beginning of the year of what we want and what our values should be for the season. I think we really stuck to those and we’re really good at communicating.”

It also seems that it is off the court, and personal development that gets these players ready to hit, set, and dive their way to wins. The entire beach volleyball team works on their mental game, as much as they work their physical game. Rabitsch touched on how before each practice they sit in circles on the ground and meditate, they do a few exercises and a few routines that they do all the time. One of the practices is to start by being grateful for something, then visualizing, then focusing, followed by training their minds. Their mental exercises are paired with meeting with their sports psychologist once a week as a team.  

All this preparation led the Lions to a clean win in their first round of the NCAA tournament to Florida Atlantic University, 3-0. 

Now they face the University of Southern California. This won’t be easy. But as Reffel mentioned, every team they will play in the tournament, they have won against already. The Lions second game of the regular season was a victory over USC 4-1, and they feel ready to do it again. 

 

GULF SHORES, Ala. – No. 2 seeded TCU swept No. 15 seeded Georgia State in a straight set victory to open its run at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship on Friday. 

Improving their record to 29-5, it was the Horned Frogs’ 13th sweep this season, and sixth against a ranked opponent.  

TCU won all the first sets against the Panthers. Continuing the momentum the Frogs took the first two points on courts two and three. To clinch the match for TCU, Stacy Reeves and Deniela Konstantinova knocked the third point on court five, earning the pairings’ first win together this season.  

Quick Hits against No. 15 seeded Georgia State  

• Sofia Izuzquiza and Allanis Navas notched point one for the Frogs at the No. 3 spot: 21-13, 21-12.  

• The duo improved to 23-2 on the season with their point over GSU’s Vuorinen/Mozeleski.  

• The win followed the duo’s AVCA Top Flight, Flight Three recognition for their performance this season.  

• Hailey Hamlett and Maria Gonzalez notched point two at the No. 2 spot: 21-14, 21-11.  

• The two earned their 10th win on the season, improving their record to 10-2.  

• Konstantinova and Reeves clinched the match for the Frogs at the No. 5 spot: 22-20, 21-17. 

• The freshman duo moved to 1-1 on the season with their point over GSU’s Sullivan/Dirner. 

• With their win over Georgia State, TCU maintained the lead in the all-time series, stretching to 9-4.  

Up Next  

TCU advances to play No. 7 seeded Texas in the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship Quarterfinals on Saturday. Play will begin at 11 a.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN2.  

In the all-time series, TCU leads 3-0 over the Longhorns. The Horned Frogs will compete for a spot in the semifinals and look to maintain their undefeated record against in-state teams. TCU is 41-0 all-time against opponents from the Lone Star State.  

GULF SHORES, Ala. — A season to remember for the Chattanooga beach volleyball squad came to a close on Friday at the 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships, as the No. 16 seed Sandy Mocs fell to top-seeded UCLA 3-0 in the opening round of the tournament in Gulf Shores.

After going back-to-back as Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament champions, the Mocs (26-6, 10-0 OVC) looked to put the Scenic City on the beach volleyball map as they took center stage on national TV against the No. 1 seeded Bruins (31-6). UTC leaves Gulf Shores having done just that, as the Sandy Mocs can hang their hats on competing with one of the top beach volleyball programs in the country.

“A team like this and a year like this, you just never really want it to end,” head coach Darin Van Horn said. “I’m just so proud of everybody and the way that they’ve battled throughout the year. I have all these memories from this year and I just don’t want them to stop, but every great thing has to come to a close.

“I think we can be proud of the way we showed up and competed against UCLA. Obviously they got the best of us, but as the No. 1 seed in the tournament you expect them to be tough and handle their business, and we still had some great back-and-forths with them. I think we shocked them and probably some other people watching with how well we competed today.”

The Sandy Mocs will now say goodbye to a group of four impactful seniors that have truly left their mark on Chattanooga beach volleyball. Neva Clark, Joy Courtright, Paige Gallentine and Kit Gresham leave having built up a foundation for the future of the program, while also leaving behind a legacy that no one can take away from them.

“For us to go out swinging today, I think we should all be proud of ourselves,” Coach Van Horn added. “A lot of tears and a lot of hugs were had, but this was definitely one that we’re all going to remember for a very long time.”

No. 16 Chattanooga vs. No. 1 UCLA – L, 0-3

With the ESPN2 cameras rolling and the bleachers packed at Gulf Beach Place, the Sandy Mocs came into their matchup against the No. 1 seeded UCLA Bruins with one thing in mind: putting Chattanooga beach volleyball on the map. While the overall 3-0 result may not have gone in UTC’s favor, the team still leaves Gulf Shores having accomplished its goal.

The Mocs put together admirable performances across all five courts of action, most noticeably in the opening sets on Courts 1, 2 and 5. Starting first on Court 1, the top-flight pair of Neva Clark and Corina Vale left every last ounce out on the sand against a pair of All-Americans for the Bruins. Clark and Vale were able to hang tight with the UCLA duo, only falling 21-17 in the opening frame before eventually losing the second 21-10.

The match marked the end of Clark’s collegiate career, one that consists of countless awards, honors, records and memories. The three-time OVC Player of the Year concludes her time at UTC as the program’s all-time winningest player.

UTC’s Court 2 pair of McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik had an unbelievable performance for the Mocs, pushing UCLA’s No. 2 pairing to a 21-18 result in the first set and going unfinished overall. The same can be said on Court 5, as Ansley Gulledge and Sydney Jackwin also dropped a very narrow 21-18 first set before their match went unfinished on the day.

On Court 3, the senior duo of Paige Gallentine and Kit Gresham saw their Sandy Moc careers come to a close as they would drop a pair of 21-12 sets to give UCLA yet another point on the board. The match would not conclude, however, without Gallentine showcasing some astounding digs on defense alongside Gresham tallying not one, but two of her patented windmill kills.

And finally, the No. 4 pairing of Joy Courtright and Julia Lawrence marked the clinching blow for the Bruins as UCLA would pick up a 21-11, 21-16 match win to seal a 3-0 victory over the Mocs. The match also marked the end of yet another illustrious career, as Joy Courtright made her final appearance in a UTC uniform.

Mocs fans have plenty to be excited about for next season, as starters Vale, Faychak, Lecik, Lawrence, Gulledge and Jackwin are all set to return to the team’s 2026 squad.

1. Sally Perez/Maggie Boyd (UCLA) def. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) 21-17, 21-10

2. McKenna Faychak/Maddie Lecik (UTC) vs. Peri Brennan/Natalie Myszkowski (UCLA) 18-21, 11-16 unfinished

3. Jessie Smith/Kenzie Brower (UCLA) def. Kit Gresham/Paige Gallentine (UTC) 21-12, 21-12

4. Alexa Fernandez/Kaley Mathews (UCLA) def. Joy Courtright/Julia Lawrence (UTC) 21-11, 21-16

5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) vs. Harper Cooper/Ensley Alden (UCLA) 18-21, 13-15 unfinished

Order of finish: 3, 1, 4

FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA BEACH VOLLEYBALL

For the most up-to-date information regarding Chattanooga Beach Volleyball, please follow us on Twitter (@GoMocsBeachVB), Instagram (@GoMocsBeachVB) & Facebook (Chattanooga Athletics Department) or visit GoMocs.com.