Lopes win 19th straight at home, tie for 1st

Thursday, November 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

16-5,8-4WAC

Utah Valley

11-11,6-5WAC

Utah Valley

Grand Canyon

11/4/2021 9:53:00 PM | Women's Volleyball, Paul Coro

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Hanak-Harper records 12 kills in 1st start; GCU defeats UVU in 4 sets

By: Paul Coro

The WAC Tournament might not start for another two weeks at New Mexico, but the Grand Canyon women's volleyball team is simulating it now at a more preferable locale.

GCU Arena keeps giving the Lopes nothing but wins for two consecutive seasons, as the Lopes stretched their home winning streak to 19 matches and moved back into a West Division first-place tie Thursday night by downing Utah Valley in four sets.

GCU won 25-23, 26-24, 21-25, 25-17 for its first-ever victory over Utah Valley at home, just another recent breakthrough for the program's renaissance. The Lopes have elevated for a 51-15 record over the past three seasons, but they have different designs on how this one should end.

To that end, GCU head coach Tim Nollan is using a season-ending, three-game homestand to prep the Lopes (16-5, 8-4 WAC) for another level.

"We talked about this all being WAC Tournament prep for us and we were going to treat every match like a WAC Tournament match and do something how we're going to do it in the tournament," said Nollan, whose team return to GCU Arena to face Dixie State at 3 p.m. Saturday. "We're going to have to continue to get better because we need the repetitions at it."

GCU volleyball

Repetitions have proved valuable for sophomore opposite Hope Hanak-Harper, who responded to her first career start Thursday night with a career-high 12 kills.

The Broomfield, Colorado, native had eight kills last season but has progressed to providing team-best .304 hitting against Utah Valley.

"It's just getting more comfortable and taking more reps," said Hanak-Harper, who grandmother and father came from Colorado and Texas, respectively, to see her first college start. "I'm comfortable in the practice gym so it's being able to have the opportunity to translate that to the game and just play. This team has so much love and chemistry that it makes it so easy to work hard. It was super fun to be able to play."

Hanak-Harper played through early nerves and nailed the first set's point on a cross-court kill. The left-hander progressed through the rest of the match, changing up her attack angles until she was dominant at the end of the fourth set.

GCU led 19-15 until Hanak-Harper scored five of its final six points with four kills, including one on a tap, and combining with junior middle blocker Hannah Eskes on a block.

"She'd been working really hard in practice and showing us some things," Nollan said. "She's consistently gotten better, better and better. I felt like she'd earned a chance to start and she came through.

Klaire Mitchell

"She had a little slow start, but what a flurry in sets 2 and 3 from her. She did a great job with the block lineups. Give a lot of credit to our middles, being up to hold their block in to open that up for her. And, of course, you've got give all the credit in the world to Klaire Mitchell for running the offense for us and helping these kids find ways to score."

Mitchell, the junior setter, tied her second-highest assist total of the season with 46 on Thursday night, when she also added 10 digs. On match point, it was Hanak-Harper fittingly blasting another kill off a Mitchell assist.

"The rest of the team is working so hard," Hanak-Harper said. "The rest of the hitters were pulling the blockers. Klaire was making really great moves on the set and opening things up. It makes it really easy."

GCU freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Wise (17 kills, 11 digs) and sophomore outside hitter Ashley Lifgren (10 kills, 11 digs) also posted double-doubles while Eskes added seven kills and five blocks.

Graduate libero Teagan DeFalco extended rallies and gave Mitchell chances to set with 26 digs, her third-best total of the season. DeFalco also delivered two of GCU's 10 aces, its highest ace tally since Sept. 11. In a match that the Lopes outscored the Wolverines by eight overall, they held a 10-2 advantage on aces.

"We're like a team that likes to shoot the 3-ball in basketball," Nollan said. "You live and die by it. We serve hard and we serve aggressive. We tell our kids to serve for points and we give them strategies for it."

That work, along with the block lineups, tied GCU with New Mexico State and California Baptist at 8-4 in conference play with two WAC matches remaining.
Chicago State is nearby at 7-4. The Lopes attempt to extend their home winning streak to 21 with Saturday's 3 p.m. match against Dixie State and next Thursday's Senior Night match against Chicago State.

"We love playing here in what we think is one of the greatest venues in college volleyball," Nollan said after 1,081 fans attended Thursday's win. "We have some of the best fans in all of college volleyball."