Lopes welcome CBU in WAC home opener

Thursday, September 30

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

California Baptist

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9/29/2021 10:05:00 AM | Volleyball

GCU returns home after multiple weeks of road action

By: Kellie Reynolds


Grand Canyon Lopes (9-2, 1-1 WAC)	vs.	California Baptist Lancers (6-5, 1-0 WAC)
		Thursday, Sept. 30 6 p.m.
GCU Game notes CBU Game notes		Live stats Live Video

GCU hosts California Baptist in its WAC home opener on Thursday night in a GCBC Energy Spike match. The Lancers are 1-0 in conference play while the Lopes are 1-1 after last week.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

FINALLY, HOME: The Lopes return home for the first time since Sept. 5, when they swept Villanova.
SECOND IN THE WAC: Junior middle blocker Annabelle Kubinski is second in the WAC for hitting percentage with .386 and Teagan DeFalco is second in the WAC in digs per set at 4.85
VS. CBU: GCU is 6-1 at home against the Lancers with the only loss coming in 1992.

SCOUTING

The Lancers come to GCU Arena with a 6-5 record, including 1-0 mark in WAC play. CBU is 0-3 on the road and 4-0 at home. CBU and GCU have not played a common opponent this season. In its WAC opener, CBU swept Chicago State at home Saturday. CBU has only gone past three sets twice this season, losing to Cal State Fullerton in four sets and getting a five-set win against Southern Utah.

Junior Christine Graft is fifth in the WAC for hitting percentage at .330. On the season. Graft has a team-best 103 kills with 2.94 kills per set. Graduate student Tesa Oaks is right behind Graft in kills with 102 and 2.83 kills per set. She also has totaled 110 points in 36 sets this season. Chandler Gorman is fourth in the WAC for blocks per set with 1.11. Gorman has a team-best 31 blocks with seven block solos.

The Lancers run a 6-2 formation with two setters, who are always in the back row. Those two setters are Leah Pease and Hana Okuhara. Pease a junior, has a team-best 189 assists with 5.25 assists per set and senior Okuhara has 171 assists and 4.75 assists per set. Junior libero Paige Johnstone has a team-best 138 digs in 36 sets played and is averaging 3.83 per set. She totaled a .907 reception rate with 17 errors in 174 attempts. On the service line, redshirt senior Cassidy Dennison has team high of 17 aces and is averaging 0.47 per set to rank second in the WAC.

On Saturday, the Lancers hosted WAC opponent Chicago State and wo 25-,19, 25-13, 25-19. The Lancers were dominant at the net with a combined .310 hitting percentage (.385 in the third set). CBU only made 10 errors compared to Chicago State's 21. Dennison had a match high of three aces while Laura Walewska had a match high of four blocks for the Lancers.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lopes host Seattle U on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the GCU Arena.