GCU announces 2020 schedule

Grand Canyon men's volleyball released its 2020 schedule, featuring nine of last season's top 15 American Volleyball Coaches Association teams.

After ranking fifth in the nation last season for attendance, the Lopes will play six of their home matches at GCU Arena during the 2020 season.

"The program is really excited for the start of the 2020 campaign," Lopes head coach Matt Werle said. "Last year's schedule was the toughest we had ever faced, with the youngest group we have put out there. A few matches didn't go the way we would have liked, but we competed the entire way. This season, we return the majority of our starters and will be stronger in each position with a year of experience under their belts. I truly believe this year will be the break for our consistency in the top 15 and growth into the top 10 nationally."

The Lopes open the season on the road at the Rainbow Warrior Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. GCU will face Harvard and Emmanuel on Jan. 9 and 10, respectively, before taking on host Hawaii, which finished second in last season's final American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

GCU returns home to host its first match in Antelope Gymnasium against Park on Jan. 17. The Lopes then host their first match in GCU Arena on Jan. 18 versus UC San Diego.

The Lopes head out again Jan. 24-26 for the Lindenwood Invitational in St. Charles, Mo, where they will face McKendree, Lindenwood and Quincy.

GCU hosts Benedictine on Jan. 29 in Antelope Gymnasium before a Feb. 1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener at home against Stanford, which finished No. 10 in 2019.

Another road conference match follows on Feb. 8 at USC, the No. 5 team in the country last season.

A four-match homestand opens at GCU Arena on Feb. 14, when the Lopes take on BYU. Last season's match against the Cougars on April 4 ranked as the third-most attended match in Antelope Gymnasium history at 1,442.

GCU takes on Ottawa in Antelope Gymnasium on Feb. 15 before returning to GCU Arena to face UCLA on Feb. 21. The Bears finished 2019 ranked seventh in the AVCA poll. The Lopes close out the weekend with another match in GCU Arena on Feb. 3 against Pepperdine, which ranked third nationally at the end of last season.

A trip to Irvine, Calif., puts the Lopes up against two more top-15 teams. GCU takes on No. 14 Concordia Irvine on Feb. 27 before facing No. 8 UC Irvine on Feb. 28.

The Lopes will play four matches in two days at Antelope Gymnasium on March 6 and 7, when Vanguard, North Greenville, Menlo and UC Irvine visit.

GCU travels for six matches from March 13 to April 4. The Lopes head to New Jersey to take on nonconference opponents NJIT and Princeton. A return to the West Coast and MPSF play pits the Lopes against Pepperdine, UCLA, BYU and Stanford in their last road matches of the season.

The Lopes close out the regular season in GCU Arena on April 9 and 11. GCU hosts USC before closing with Concordia Irvine .

Click here to view the full schedule and follow the Lopes on Twitter and Instagram at @GCU_MVolleyball for updates.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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