Completed Event: Women's Tennis versus W15 Lincoln on November 3, 2025 ,
W Tennis
vs W15 Lincoln
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, May 2
Las Cruces, NM
8 a.m.
Grand Canyon
4
at
0
New Mexico State
Photo by: Mike Martinez
Lopes crowned WAC Tournament champions
5/2/2021 10:19:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Sweep of NMSU send GCU to NCAA tournament for 1st time
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Grand Canyon women's tennis team won its first WAC Tournament championship on Sunday with a 4-0 victory against host New Mexico State.
The Lopes (12-8) advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history and will await their opponent Monday on the NCAA Selection Show, which airs at 3 p.m. (Phoenix time).
It was dominance throughout the entire WAC season for the Lopes, who lost one point in eight conference matches in the regular season and postseason combined. GCU head coach Greg Prudhomme will take the women's team dancing just two years after he led the men's team to the NCAA tournament for the first time.
"It's super special winning a WAC championship and getting to the NCAA tournament," head coach Greg Prudhomme said. "In and of itself that is amazing, but the resiliency our girls showed just made me also speechless. About midseason, all of those tests that could have either backfired and been too much, started paying off and the team really came together."
The Lopes started Sunday's match by taking the doubles point with wins at the bottom two courts. Senior Joely Lomas and freshman Taylor Andersen won 6-1 at Court 3 over NMSU's Chloe Gavino and Bella Nguyen. The point was clinched by GCU senior duo Autum Prudhomme and Emilia Occhipinti at No. 2 with a 6-2 win that extended the pair's winning streak to 13 matches.
Leading 1-0, the Lopes took four of the six first sets in singles. Andersen quickly extended the GCU lead with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win over NMSU's Kayla Fielder. That 2-0 lead turned to a 3-0 cushion for the Lopes with a 6-3, 6-3 win by Lomas, her second straight set win of the tournament.
Needing one win to clinch the title, GCU had four courts still playing but were facing tough battles with Occhipiniti and Prudhomme, at No. 2 and No. 5 respectively, down in their second sets. Puehse, at No. 1, had to go all the way to a 7-6 tiebreaker in her first set.
There was one court where the Lopes had an advantage, and it was Weiss at No. 3. The junior from Austria took her first set 6-2 and held a 5-3 lead. With the Aggies' Miranda Bishard serving, Weiss broke serve and clinched the championship for the Lopes when Bishard's return went past the back line.
Weiss was mobbed by her teammates. Moments later, the Lopes lifted their first WAC Tournament trophy in program history.
"In today's final, it shows 4-0 but it was much tougher than that playing the home team on their own courts," Prudhomme said. "They battled the nerves a little bit, but their mental game really brought them through."
The Lopes will find out who they will face in their first NCAA tournament appearance on Monday afternoon.
The Lopes (12-8) advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history and will await their opponent Monday on the NCAA Selection Show, which airs at 3 p.m. (Phoenix time).
It was dominance throughout the entire WAC season for the Lopes, who lost one point in eight conference matches in the regular season and postseason combined. GCU head coach Greg Prudhomme will take the women's team dancing just two years after he led the men's team to the NCAA tournament for the first time.
"It's super special winning a WAC championship and getting to the NCAA tournament," head coach Greg Prudhomme said. "In and of itself that is amazing, but the resiliency our girls showed just made me also speechless. About midseason, all of those tests that could have either backfired and been too much, started paying off and the team really came together."
The Lopes started Sunday's match by taking the doubles point with wins at the bottom two courts. Senior Joely Lomas and freshman Taylor Andersen won 6-1 at Court 3 over NMSU's Chloe Gavino and Bella Nguyen. The point was clinched by GCU senior duo Autum Prudhomme and Emilia Occhipinti at No. 2 with a 6-2 win that extended the pair's winning streak to 13 matches.
Leading 1-0, the Lopes took four of the six first sets in singles. Andersen quickly extended the GCU lead with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win over NMSU's Kayla Fielder. That 2-0 lead turned to a 3-0 cushion for the Lopes with a 6-3, 6-3 win by Lomas, her second straight set win of the tournament.
Needing one win to clinch the title, GCU had four courts still playing but were facing tough battles with Occhipiniti and Prudhomme, at No. 2 and No. 5 respectively, down in their second sets. Puehse, at No. 1, had to go all the way to a 7-6 tiebreaker in her first set.
There was one court where the Lopes had an advantage, and it was Weiss at No. 3. The junior from Austria took her first set 6-2 and held a 5-3 lead. With the Aggies' Miranda Bishard serving, Weiss broke serve and clinched the championship for the Lopes when Bishard's return went past the back line.
Weiss was mobbed by her teammates. Moments later, the Lopes lifted their first WAC Tournament trophy in program history.
"In today's final, it shows 4-0 but it was much tougher than that playing the home team on their own courts," Prudhomme said. "They battled the nerves a little bit, but their mental game really brought them through."
The Lopes will find out who they will face in their first NCAA tournament appearance on Monday afternoon.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
123
Challa, Harsha / 0 [NMSU]
61UF
73UF
#2 Singles Match
123
Gavino, Chloe / 0 [NMSU]
65UF
23UF
#3 Singles Match
12
Bishard, Miranda / 0 [NMSU]
23
66
#4 Singles Match
12
Kalaga, Gavi / 0 [NMSU]
33
66
#5 Singles Match
123
Nguyen, Bella / 0 [NMSU]
65UF
34UF
#6 Singles Match
12
Fielder, Kayla / 0 [NMSU]
10
66
Order of Finish:
6,4,3
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Women's Wins the WAC Title
Monday, April 21