HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Four members of the LMU beach volleyball team will compete in the 2026 AVCA Collegiate Beach Pairs National Championship, held Nov. 6-8 at the John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville, Alabama.
The seven-time defending West Coast Conference champions will be represented by two pairs in the 64-team field.
Natalia Okla and
Tanon Rosenthal enter as the No. 15 seed, while
Ellie Davis and
Ines Piret are seeded No. 17.
The championship features 64 pairs from 41 NCAA Division I and II programs, with bids awarded based on performances during the 2026 spring season, results at fall qualifying events and at-large selections. Competition begins Friday, Nov. 6, with pairs advancing through the championship bracket and additional placement matches determining the final standings.
The No. 17-seeded pair of Davis and Piret will open championship play Friday at 8 a.m. CT (6 a.m. PT) against No. 48 Coastal Carolina's Cepicky and Lyo on Court 4. No. 15 Okla and Rosenthal will follow at 10:30 a.m. CT (8:30 a.m. PT), facing No. 50 Georgia State's Ebarb and Thompson on Court 5.
Rosenthal and Okla
Rosenthal enters the tournament following an accomplished sophomore campaign in which she earned 2026 AVCA First Team All-America honors and was named the WCC Pair of the Year alongside
Anna Pelloia. The Austin, Texas, native is a two-time All-WCC First Team selection and was named the 2025 WCC Co-Freshman of the Year. Rosenthal was also selected to the 2026 USA Beach Collegiate National Team. During LMU's historic 2025 season, she posted a 37-5 individual record and earned NCAA All-Tournament Team recognition alongside
Giuliana Poletti Corrales, helping the Lions reach their first national championship match. Okla brings significant international experience to the pairing. The Warsaw, Poland, native represented her country at the 2025 FIVB Senior Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, Australia, alongside Urszula Lunio. Okla has recorded five career fifth-place finishes on the FIVB Beach Pro Tour, including a fifth-place showing at the 2026 Nayarit Challenge in Mexico. She also finished ninth at the 2025 FIVB U21 World Championships and has twice placed fifth at European age-group championships.
Davis and Piret
Davis and Piret enter as the No. 17 seed, bringing a combination of collegiate experience and international competition to Huntsville. Davis earned 2026 All-WCC Second Team honors after leading LMU with 29 individual victories. The Red Oak, Texas, native won 19 consecutive matches during the spring season and was twice named WCC Pair of the Week. Davis also earned WCC All-Academic recognition, maintaining a 3.99 GPA as an Animation major. She was a member of LMU's 2025 NCAA national runner-up team and helped the Lions capture conference championships in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Piret earned All-WCC First Team recognition in her debut season with the Lions in 2026. The Belgian international finished with a 27-8 individual record while competing primarily in LMU's top two flights. Before arriving at LMU, Piret represented the Belgian National Team for five years.
Lions Look to Build on 2025 Success
LMU returns to Huntsville after placing both of its pairs among the top nine at the 2025 AVCA Pairs National Championship.
Jaeya Brach and
Chloe Hooker led the Lions with a fifth-place finish, while
Magdalena Rabitsch and
Anna Pelloia finished ninth.
The Lions are coming off another successful spring season in which they claimed their seventh consecutive WCC Championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 NCAA National Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Under head coach
John Mayer, the program has made six consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, reached three NCAA Final Fours and advanced to its first national championship match in 2025. Mayer was named the 2025 AVCA National Coach of the Year after leading LMU to a program-record 38 dual victories.
Remaining Lions Continue Fall Competition
While Rosenthal, Okla, Davis and Piret compete in Huntsville, the remainder of the LMU beach volleyball team will continue its fall schedule in Southern California.
The Lions will compete alongside UCLA and San Diego at UCLA's Mapes Beach on Friday, Nov. 6, before hosting both programs at the LMU Beach Volleyball Courts on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Championship Information
The 2026 AVCA Collegiate Beach Pairs National Championship begins Friday, Nov. 6, and concludes Sunday, Nov. 8.
Quarterfinal and semifinal matches Saturday, along with the third-place and championship matches Sunday, will be broadcast on ESPN+. Additional matches will be streamed on the AVCA YouTube channel.
For championship information, brackets and results, visit AVCA.org.
