GCU Invitational title stays home

Sunday, September 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

5-1,0-0WAC

Santa Clara

3-3,0-0WCC

Santa Clara

Grand Canyon

9/4/2022 5:30:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Lopes complete 3-0 weekend with 3-0 win over Santa Clara

By: Josh Hauser

The Grand Canyon women's volleyball team defended its championship of the GCU Invitational for the third straight season, defeating Santa Clara 3-0 on Sunday to cap off a 3-0 weekend.

"It's fun to win any time but especially at home," Lopes graduate outside hitter Melanie Brecka said. "It's our house. We want to play real well against the teams that play in our house. Protect it. Play good for our fans."

Sunday's matchup included a pair of teams that had each handled previous matches against Idaho and Wyoming to enter with 2-0 tournament records. The Lopes cruised by the Broncos 25-21, 25-15 and 25-17 at GCU Arena.

The Lopes hit .289 for its best mark of the weekend and — like Saturday — ended the match with its best-hitting set at .400.

"We really showed what we can do as a team all together," GCU graduate outside hitter Megan Taflinger said. "This weekend, we really showed how well we can play when we're not giving out free points and how well we can score."

"It really felt like the team today just came together and felt the connection," Lopes sophomore outside hitter McKenzie Wise said. "We had a good talk as a team after the first night, and I think we all took that to heart and played for each other out there today."

GCU landed three individuals on the GCU Invitational All-Tournament Team in Brecka, Taflinger and Lopes senior setter Klaire Mitchell who was the tournament's MVP.

GCU set the tone for the afternoon with a quick 7-3 start in the opening set, scoring on two attacks from Taflinger, two attacks from Wise, a kill from Mitchell and a pair of service aces. The Broncos made a charge late in the set by going on a 5-1 run to tie the game at 21, but GCU scored the final four points to clinch the set.

The teams went back and forth to open the second set, but it was defined by a 5-0 run with Taflinger at the serve line and the Lopes cruised to a lopsided 25-15 win.

The Broncos took a 10-9 lead in the third set, but GCU had a similar mid-set run of 8-2 that put it in control. The Lopes closed out the sweep — their third of the season and second of the weekend — with a 25-17 victory.

GCU won its final four sets of the weekend with only one being decided by less than five points.

"The last two games, it felt easy and everything clicked really nicely," Brecka said.

The Lopes enjoyed support from another crowd of more than 1,000 fans for the third straight match and bested last year's home-opening weekend attendance by 13.

"It is amazing how much they support us," Wise said. "Even one of the (opposing) girls out there said, 'You guys get an amazing crowd here.' And I said, 'Well, the school here and the Havocs really support.' "

Friday night's crowd that was a GCU record also registers as the 10th-largest attendance figure nationally this season with the other nine coming at Nebraska and Wisconsin.

"Anywhere you go — doesn't matter if it's home or doesn't matter if it's away — you try your hardest to go 3-0 or 2-0 or whatever the weekend is," Taflinger said. "It's especially fun to do it in front of a home crowd. My first time being at Lope-A-Palooza. It's insane."

The Lopes will get back to work for their final three-match weekend of the nonconference schedule. GCU heads to Northern Iowa to play the hosts along with Southeast Missouri and Western Michigan.

"I think working hard in practice and making sure we're focusing on the things that we didn't do as well this weekend," Brecka said. "Sharpening those up so when it comes to next weekend we can take it to those teams as well."

GCU faces Southeast Missouri on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (Phoenix time).