Cal Poly Rally Falls Short in 2025 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship Semifinals

GULF SHORES, Ala. – Another banner season for Cal Poly came to a close in the semifinal round of the 2025 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship, battling to the end before falling to TCU, 3-1. 

 

Entering the bracket as the No. 6 seed, the Mustangs close the year with a 31-8 overall record matching the program’s highest total win tally. Cal Poly swept through No. 11 seed LSU and upended third-seeded Stanford, 3-1, on Saturday morning to advance to a second-straight semifinal appearance.  

Their luck ran out against No. 2 seed TCU, who earned a 3-1 win to advance to their first-ever National Collegiate Championship final. The Horned Frogs (31-5) are set to meet up with No. 4 seed LMU (38-6) on May 4 at 7:30 a.m. PT for the trophy. Whoever wins will be a first-time champion as only UCLA and USC have claimed the crown, historically.  

In Saturday’s semifinal round, TCU took first-set wins on four of five courts, despite the Mustangs finding themselves knotted late in the frame at both the No. 1 and 4 flights. The tight battle saw three courts go to a decisive third set 

At the 2s, Logan Walter and Izzy Martinez were able to cruise to the 21-15 win in the first set. In the second, the Cal Poly pair found themselves up 15-14 before TUC’s Hailey Hamlett and Maria Gonzalez rallied to take the lead and force a third with the 21-17 win. In the final frame, Cal Poly went up early in the set, but back-to-back points for TCU cut the margin to one at 7-6. However, Walter and Martinez were able to maintain the lead throughout and get on the board after a 15-13 final score.  

The point for the Mustangs still had the team looking for the rally, after TCU jumped out to the 2-0 lead in the match.  TCU’s Olympian pairing of Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno were able to win in straight sets at the 1s and also needed just two sets at Court 4 despite both first sets being extra point affairs.  

At Court 3, the TCU duo was able to secure a 21-13 win in the first, but Quinn Perry and Lindsey Sparks regrouped and responded to extend the match after a 21-18 win in the second. The frame was knotted at eight apiece before the Horned Frogs edged out to the lead. Sparks and Perry were able to stay within two points for the rest of the set, but TCU’s final point to the back line to win 15-12 sent the Horned Frogs into a frenzy to secure the semifinal win.  

TCU’s route to the championship match includes sweeps over No. 15 Georgia State and No. 7 Texas, with Cal Poly the only side to take a point from the Horned Frogs.  

   2025 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship – Semifinals   

No. 2 seed TCU 3, No. 6 seed Cal Poly 1 

No. 1 – Daniela Alvarez/Tania Moreno (TCU) def. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP), 27-25, 21-12 

No. 2 – Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter (CP) def. Hailey Hamlett/Maria Gonzalez (TCU), 21-15, 17-21, 15-12 

No. 3 – Allanis Navas/Sofia Izuzquiza (TCU) def. Quinn Perry Lindsey Sparks (CP), 21-13-18-21, 15-13 

No. 4 – Ana Vergaara/Anhelina Khmil (TUC) def. Ella Connor/Madi Nichols (CP), 25-23, 21-18 

No. 5 – Abbey Reinard/Elise Lenahan (CP) vs. Stacy Reeves/Denie Konstantinova (TCU), 14-21, 21-18, 11-13 (unfinished) 

Order of finish: 1, 4, 2, 3*