Revenge Is a Beach: LMU Eliminates TCU in Gulf Shores Shocker
The defending champions have LEFT the building, and the Day 1 results keep on coming.
No. 7 seed LMU defeated No. 10 TCU on Friday in Gulf Shores, sending the reigning national champions home in the first round and flipping the entire tournament narrative on its head. And No. 6 Cal Poly took care of No. 11 Grand Canyon to punch their ticket to Saturday’s quarterfinals. The Horned Frogs came into Alabama as the hunted, and the Lions came ready to hunt.
It’s giving full circle revenge energy.
The Big Story: TCU Is Out
If you need the backstory, and there IS a backstory, TCU defeated LMU 3-2 in last year’s national championship match to claim its first-ever national title. A five-pair thriller on the biggest stage in college beach volleyball, with the Horned Frogs edging the Lions in what came down to the very last court. LMU had made it all the way to the final, and TCU ripped it from their hands.
Fast forward 365 days. Same venue. Same two programs. And this time? The Lions did not let it slip away.
LMU entered the tournament coming off a National Runner-Up finish in 2025, riding a seven-match winning streak, and having won at least a game in each of their last five NCAA Tournament appearances. This team came to Gulf Shores with something to prove and a receipt to collect.
Meanwhile, TCU entered as a 10 seed, having never been seeded that low before with a 20-10 record after falling to Florida State in the Big 12 Championship. The Horned Frogs were always going to face an uphill climb.
LMU finished the regular season 29-10 and owns nine top-12 wins on the season. They are a battle-tested program that knows Gulf Shores, that knows pressure, and that absolutely knew TCU. And the poetic twist? LMU actually lost to TCU during the regular season, 4-1, back in San Luis Obispo. Didn’t matter. Gulf Shores has its own rules.
TCU made history in 2025 as the first team outside of Los Angeles to ever win this championship, and that legacy is permanent. But the reign? One glorious year.
Also: Cal Poly Takes Care of Business vs. GCU
While the LMU–TCU drama was stealing the headlines, No. 6 Cal Poly quietly handled No. 11 Grand Canyon to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals, and quietly is maybe the wrong word for a program that has been on a tear all season.
The Mustangs came in at 30-8 on the season, and this marks their sixth trip to the NCAA Championship and third consecutive year making the field. In each of the last two seasons, they’ve reached the semifinals, and this group is loaded with the experience and the pairs to make another deep run.
The top five pairs on this roster carry a combined record of 126-17. That’s not a team that sneaks up on you; that’s a team that steamrolls you. The No. 1 pair of Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep is 31-5, with Connor holding the program’s all-time career wins record at 111. The No. 2 pair of Logan Walter and Izzy Martinez has been outstanding at 34-3.
GCU was a great story coming in a program that battled back from a rough opening weekend to reach the tournament, even reversing a 2-0 deficit to close out their season and earn the bid. But they ran into a Mustang team that had already beaten them 5-0 earlier this season and had no intention of letting things get close in Gulf Shores.
Cal Poly is dangerous. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
What To Expect Saturday: Day Two Preview
The quarterfinals and semifinals both go down on May 2, with the championship final on Sunday, May 3. Single elimination. Every match from here is life or death on the sand.
LMU vs. No. 2 Texas — The quarterfinal of the day. LMU just knocked off the defending champs, running on revenge energy. Texas rolls in as the MPSF champion, making only their second NCAA Tournament appearance and carrying their highest seeding in program history. This one has must-watch energy all over it.
No. 6 Cal Poly vs. No. 3 UCLA — Now this is a quarterfinal. The winner of Cal Poly vs. GCU was slotted to face the winner of No. 3 UCLA and No. 14 Tulane on Saturday morning, meaning the Mustangs are on a collision course with the Bruins. Two programs that know each other well, both with Final Four experience, both absolutely capable of making a Sunday run.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 8 California — Oh, this is the sleeper quarterfinal nobody was fully talking about, and now everybody needs to be. Stanford swept Chattanooga on Friday and looks every bit the No. 1 seed. The Cardinal set a new school record with 36 single-season wins and spent the entire year ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation. But Cal just took down Long Beach State to earn this shot, and the Golden Bears are not here to be a backdrop.
No. 4 USC and No. 5 Florida State — Both swept their way through Day 1 clean. USC holds six all-time national titles, and the Trojans always show up in Gulf Shores. Florida State is playing some of its best volleyball of the season. Either could be a finalist come Sunday.
☕ The Tea Going Into Tomorrow
The defending champs are gone. LMU is back in the quarterfinals, fueled by revenge. Cal Poly is rolling. Texas hasn’t even been tested yet. And UCLA, Stanford, USC, and Florida State are all locked in and ready for the chaos of a single-elimination Saturday.
Championship coverage continues Saturday on ESPN2 starting at 10 a.m. ET, with the title match Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Set your alarms, beach babes. Day Two is going to deliver.
We’ll be back tomorrow morning with full quarterfinal and semifinal coverage right here at volleytea.com. 🏐🌊
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