Preview: Canyon Classic

Friday, February 20

Phoenix, Ariz.

12:30 p.m.

TCU

Arizona State

2/19/2026 11:07:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball

Tournament Notes

No. 5 TCU heads to the desert to open its title pursuit

PHOENIX – With four matches on the docket, the fifth-ranked TCU beach volleyball team is set to open its season on Friday at the Canyon Classic at GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium.

THE MATCHUPS

Friday
12:30 p.m. – No. 5 TCU vs. No. 11 Arizona State (Live Stats)
6 p.m. – No. 5 TCU at No. 13 Grand Canyon (Live Stats)

Saturday
10 a.m. – No. 5 TCU vs. Arizona (Live Stats)
12:30 p.m. – No. 5 TCU vs. UC Davis (Live Stats)

MATCH DAY INFO

All matches will be streamed live, with the non-GCU matchups being available on Sporfie and the GCU matches airing on Big 10 Network +.

NOTING THE FROGS

TCU is coming off the program's first ever National Championship in 2025. With the win, the Horned Frogs also became the first team other than UCLA or USC to hoist the trophy.
Entering the 2026 season, TCU is the second-winningest program in collegiate volleyball dating back to the 2021 season.
In 2025, the Horned Frogs won the inaugural Big 12 Championship, marking the program's third consecutive conference crown. TCU is one of just three programs nationally to have accomplished this feat (LMU and Georgia State).
Of the 12 Horned Frog starters in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, just four are returning to Fort Worth this season. 2025 Big 12 Freshman of the Year Sofia Izuzquiza joins Anhelina Khmil, a member of the 2025 Big 12 Pair of the Year (alongside Ana Vergara), as the headlining returners to Fort Worth this season. Other starters returning are Stacy Reeves and Deniela Konstantinova, who started at No. 5 in the postseason last year.
TCU utilized the transfer portal to fill out its roster for 2026, picking up Anna Long (Florida State), Adriana Serrano Ferro (Grand Canyon) and Natalie Glenn (Long Beach State). These transfers enter with a great deal of experience from their previous institution.
Head coach Hector Gutierrez is entering his 10th season as TCU's leader and has orchestrated the meteoric rise of the program. He currently has a career record of 220-81.
The Horned Frogs enter the season riding a 12-match winning streak dating back to last year. In that stretch, eight of the opponents have been ranked foes, with four holding a spot in the top-10. TCU currently holds a home-winning streak of 60 matches, which is the longest active home winning streak in the country.
Big 12 Beach Volleyball has a new look going into its second season, as the conference added Florida State, South Carolina and Boise State. This also allows the conference to reach the minimum requirement of six teams to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
TCU was one of the earliest beach volleyball programs in Texas starting varsity competition in 2016. This was the same year that NCAA beach volleyball officially became sanctioned.

NOTING THE TOURNAMENT

No. 5 TCU opens its season in The Grand Canyon State on the campus of Grand Canyon University.
This marks the Horned Frogs first trip to Phoenix since 2017, when they posted a 3-1 record at the Grand Canyon Beach Tournament.
The tournament begins for TCU on Friday afternoon when it faces off with Big 12 foe No. 11 Arizona State to open the season at 12:30 p.m. CT.
TCU will play its second match of the Friday slate at 6 p.m., against host No. 13 Grand Canyon.
The second day of the tournament will feature the Frogs against Arizona at 10 a.m., before they close out opening weekend at 12:30 p.m. against UC Davis.