On May 4, the 2025 NC beach volleyball championship concluded with TCU winning the title for the first time after defeating Loyola Marymount by 3-2 in the five-set match.
It was the first time that UCLA or Southern Cal was deprived of a championship trophy in NC beach volleyball history.
The battle between the two teams for their first national championship was claimed by the team from the state of Texas.
A Historic Win For TCU
The final match between TCU and LMU in the 2025 NC beach volleyball championship was played at Gulf Shores, Alabama, as the deciding point came from TCU’s pair, Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno.
Among the nine championships that have been hosted till now, USC has won six titles, and UCLA won two in 2018 and 2019 before TCU snatched this year’s title in a fascinating way.
The game was played in a dual meet format, which was formatted in five best-of-three sets.
In the championship match, the star duo of TCU, Alvarez and Moreno, came back strong to win the next two sets by 21-15 and 15-6 following their first set loss by 18-21 against LMU’s Michelle Shaffer and Anna Pelloia.
The other key win for TCU was recorded by Sofia Izuzquiza & Allanis Navas and, Anhelina Khmil, & Ana Vergara, who went on to be undefeated throughout the season by defeating their opponent via a clean sweep.
However, it was not a bad run for LMU, as they finished the season 38-7, where they knocked out the 5 seed USC in the quarter-finals Southern California and UCLA in the semi-finals.
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In the final match against TCU, the pairs Chloe Hooker & Vilhelmiina Prihti and Tanon Rosenthal & Giuliana Poletti Corrales contributed winning points to the team.
Following the historic win, the head coach of TCU, Hector Gutierrez, expressed his emotions, reflecting on the team’s run in the tournament: “We’ve dreamed of this moment. This is a culmination of years of hard work from our players, coaches, and support staff. I’m so proud of this team and the legacy they’ve created.”
Similarly, the star player Moreno also said that this moment is everything to her since the team worked so hard for this, and winning it with Daniela is beyond special for her.
Key Players and Performances
Several players from TCU stood out as the key players whose performance defined the game and helped the team clinch their first-ever victory in the 2025 NC beach volleyball championship.
| Pair | Position | Score | Remark |
| Daniela Alvarez & Tania Moreno | No. 1 | 18-21, 21-15, 15-6 | Returned from Olympic break; unbeaten in 4 years |
| Sofia Izuzquiza & Allanis Navas | No. 3 | 21-16, 21-13 | Secured a key point |
| Anhelina Khmil & Ana Vergara | No. 4 | 21-14, 21-19 | Finished season undefeated (21-0) |
The dominant duo, Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno, just returned from the Olympic break and have been unbeaten for 4 years. Hence, their return was the cherry on the cake since they scored an incredible score of 18-21, 21-15, and 15-6 in the total three sets in the game.
Similarly, Sodia Izuzquiza and Allanis Navas also scored 21-16 and 21-13, securing a key point in the crucial moment of the match as they handed a beautiful victory to TCU.
Anhelina Khmil and Ana Vergara concluded the 2025 NC beach volleyball championship season unbeaten by 21-0 as they scored 21-14 and 21-19, proving that they are one of the top pairs in the beach volleyball competition.
The official X handle of NCCA Women’s Volleyball also took this opportunity to post a victory image captioning,
“TCU TAKES HOME THEIR FIRST EVER TITLE ON THE BEACH! 🐸🏆
(2) @TCUBeachVBdefeats (4) LMU, 3-2, to win their first National Championship in program history! #NCAABeachVB”
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