Image Credit: TRU WolfPack

By Victor Kaisar

National Champions

WolfPack athletes Ibbeston and Sodaro win national beach volleyball title

Aug 31, 2025 | 4:17 PM

TORONTO — A pair of Thompson Rivers University (TRU) men’s volleyball players will be bringing back a national beach volleyball title to Kamloops.

Rylan Ibbetson and Walker Sodaro, who were seeded 11th out of 24 teams, went undefeated and did not drop a set at the University and College Beach Nationals at Ashbridges Bay in Toronto this weekend.

Ibbetson, a fourth year outside hitter, and Sodaro, a second year setter, were a perfect 3-0 in pool play with wins over Team Bernal/Kilpatrick from Seneca College, Team Nadeau/Patenaude from Collège La Cité, and Team Thys/Burnside from SAIT.

Those results earned the WolfPack duo a bye to Sunday’s (Aug. 31) playoff round, which they began with a quarterfinal win over Team Sarich/Elsayed from University of the Fraser Valley 2-0 (21-10, 21-11). They also made light work of Team Lash/Kinahan from University of Guelph 2-0 (21-16, 21-8) in the semi-finals.

Standing in the way of a national title was Team Hilkowitz/Nowak from the University of Waterloo, but the WolfPack came away with another 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) win.

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This is the first such national beach volleyball title won by the WolfPack in their third attempt.