Lopes return home for last MIVA matchups

PHOENIX – The GCU men's volleyball team has the opportunity to have a winning record in the highly competitive Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association for the first time in program history this weekend. The Lopes will return home from a four-game road trip to take on the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers on both Friday and Saturday evening. Grand Canyon's record is 14-10 overall and the team is 7-7 in the MIVA.

Loyola has had an impressive season thus far as the Ramblers have compiled a 16-6 overall record under first-year head coach Mark Hulse. The team is 9-3 in the MIVA and is very well-balanced offensively. The Ramblers have six hitters with over 100 kills this season and are hitting .310 as a team.

Last year, Loyola swept GCU twice during the regular season. Both matches were played in Chicago and the Ramblers were ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time. The Lopes were able to keep both games competitive but were unable to topple the mighty Ramblers during any set. GCU will look for a better result this year.

Senior Gerrard Lipscombe has proved to be an invaluable asset for the Lopes this season. Lipscombe leads the team with 272 kills and is second on the squad with 111 digs. Shalev Saada also has put together an impressive season as the sophomore has recorded 226 kills and 77 digs. Ashton King, Tanner Maxwell, and Christian Ward all have tallied greater than 100 kills this season as well.

The first match with Loyola will be played at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 1 and the second will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. Both games will take place in Antelope Gymnasium.

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Players Mentioned

Ashton King

Gerrard Lipscombe

Tanner Maxwell

Shalev Saada

Christian Ward

Grand Canyon University Athletics