Grand Canyon University Athletics
Coro: Program poised for arrival
1/9/2020 8:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball, Paul Coro
Lopes rank 13th nationally for wins over past 5 years
Maybe it is because the Grand Canyon men's volleyball team has a roster of mostly underclassmen.
Maybe it is because the Lopes fell out of last season's national top 15 after a postseason loss to USC.
Maybe GCU opens this season one voting point outside the top 15 because the Lopes just are not engrained in the national men's volleyball lexicon yet. This season's team plans to put the Lopes on the lips and minds of NCAA powers, starting with its season-opening matches Thursday through Saturday at top-ranked Hawaii's Rainbow Warrior Classic.
"I think we will surprise some people," GCU fifth-year head coach Matt Werle said. "I still think we have some things to prove and that's understandable with such a young team and such a young program.
"I'm super-excited for where we are. We're in a really good place. This is the most skilled our program ever has been."
The Lopes rank 13th nationally for wins (82) over the past four years but are still earning a reputation. Even in a rebuilding year, GCU beat four top-15 teams in an eight-day span last season and added a victory against then-No. 11 BYU three weeks later.
Those freshmen are experienced sophomores who get less tolerance for errors from the coaching staff now.
"We have a confidence level from playing last season the entire time," said sophomore outside hitter Christian Janke, last season's team leader in points (384), kills (331) and service aces (27). "We know what it's like to play in big games and what it's like to lose big games. Being a part of that helps us calm down, be in the moment and take care of business this year.
"We trust each other more. There's a lot more chemistry. The flow is a lot crisper. We're starting the season without having to figure things out."
GCU's talent is so strong that Janke, with ball control and court IQ, can move to second outside hitter with the offensive weaponry of redshirt freshman Camden Gianni becoming the first outside hitter after missing a year following a cardiac arrest scare.
A trio of setters, including 2019 assist leader Onur Cukur, return to battle for the role while sophomore libero Cole Udall comes back as the digs leader. Werle said sophomore middle blocker Kyle Thompson has advanced more than any player with a high-hopping offensive game and a much-improved blocking game.
"We've tried to push our tempo," Werle said. "With the more skilled and talented players that we have, we're able to do some things that we haven't been able to do in the past and push our in-game tempo and off-the-net tempo a little bit faster."
The Lopes are more capable of scoring at every position and have more height across the board than past years.
With six freshmen and seven sophomores, GCU is young but has the approach that every players carries the same workload, accountability and team goals.
"The talent is incredible," Lopes senior outside hitter Jack Burton said. "The young guys have been vital to the program and it's grown every year. When we switched conferences (to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) and picked up bigger games, the program only elevated to that level. I think what's coming up this year will only be our best year yet.
GCU opens its season Thursday night against Harvard. Its home opener will be Jan. 17 against Park in Antelope Gymnasium before moving to GCU Arena a day later to face UC San Diego.
After ranking fifth nationally for attendance last season, the Lopes will play six games in GCU Arena. GCU's home following has contributed to a 40-17 record at GCU over the past four seasons.
"The Arena will feel more like home this year," Werle said. "Hopefully, our success will lead to big crowds and we can get the arena just as packed and loud as Antelope Gym is. When you get 1,000 people in Antelope Gym with the cheerleaders, the band and the DJ, it is one of the best environments to play at in the country."
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Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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