Coro: Volleyball party moves to GCU Arena

Friday, September 8

Phoenix, Ariz.

7:00 P.M.

Grand Canyon

4-3

Fordham

7-1

Fordham

Grand Canyon

Teagan DeFalco goes for a hit during the women's volleyball team's GCU Arena debut.

9/8/2017 10:58:00 PM | Volleyball, Paul Coro

Box Score

By: <a href="http://gculopes.com/index.aspx?path=coro">Paul Coro</a>

The purple, passion and partying inside GCU Arena no longer wait until basketball season.

The Grand Canyon women's volleyball program founded a new fall festivity Friday night by pumping nightlife into the arena, where the team will play its home matches this season.

The Havocs students crowded their customary basketball location to help set a GCU women's volleyball attendance record with 2,504 fans watching a four-set loss to Fordham.

Before the match began, Fordham coach Gini Ullery-Shrift asked GCU coach Tim Nollan how his team drew such a large crowd.

"Welcome to Grand Canyon," Nollan told her. "This is what we do. The students are the best student body in America."

The program's historic night started with a lights-out introduction video, a YurView television broadcast, the pep band, cheerleaders, the sounds of "Split" again filling the arena and the Lopes winning the first point after freshman Teagan DeFalco blocked consecutive hits.

The environment was a jolt to GCU but also new and it showed for the first two sets of unforced errors. The youthful Lopes (4-3) rallied for a third-set win that looked more like the team that has shown promise in the early season but Fordham (7-1) prevailed 25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-18.

"It had us amped up and we were almost tight because we wanted to play so good in front of them, instead of just relaxing and playing our game," Lopes senior outside hitter Randahl Powers said. "Now we know what it's like so we can refocus and do better next time."

The match is part of the GCU Invitational, which gives the Lopes a chance to return to form Saturday with a 10 a.m. match against Gonzaga and a 7 p.m. match against Idaho.

Freshman outside hitter Claire Kovensky led GCU with 14 kills and 15 digs while DeFalco added nine kills and sophomore Emma Ahern recorded 18 digs. But Fordham controlled most of the match because of GCU's unforced errors, defensive alignment, offensive location and Phoenix Desert Vista graduate Olivia Fairchild's play for Fordham.

"We've got to get the nerves out," said Nollan, whose team practiced inside GCU Arena for the first time Thursday. "Even though it wasn't working right, we didn't quit. Our kids kept fighting. We kept competing and trying to make it better the next play. We just had a tough time on the execution end."

The Lopes lost a 10-7 lead in the first set and did not have another large scoring run until the third set, when their hitting turned more efficient for an 11-5 lead and a 25-23 win that closed with sophomore middle blocker Maria Adams' kill. The Lopes dug a 23-14 hole in the fourth set that made a late rally too difficult.

"The more matches we can play with how young we are, the better it is before," Nollan said. "Our freshmen and sophomores are learning every day. We want to learn now and grow, get into the WAC and compete and then see what we can do in the tournament."

The match environment stayed lively with personalized walk-up music for some GCU servers, Havocs costumes and students dancing next to GCU President Brian Mueller on his birthday.

"I will take this to my grave: there is no place like GCU," Powers said. "This is the best atmosphere to play in. The best fans. The best support system. I couldn't ask for a better college experience."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.