Experience, best culture bode well for Lopes

Friday, January 6

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Lindenwood

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Photo by: Taylor Hansen

1/5/2023 3:00:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Paul Coro

No. 11 GCU returns 12 players, including All-America pair, from 16-win team

By: Paul Coro

Having 12 returnees, including two All-America honorees, back from a Grand Canyon men's volleyball team that posted its best win total since 2018 is encouraging enough.

But when Lopes eighth-year head coach Matt Werle sees his team's eye contact, body language and trust on the practice court, he feels even better about the talent that will be unveiled when preseason No. 11 GCU opens its season this weekend.

"This has been the most dialed-in, focused and competitive gym," said Werle, whose team faces Lindenwood at 6 p.m. Friday and noon Sunday in GCU Arena. "We expedited the young guys' learning curve with the leadership of the older guys. The mentality has been awesome. We've had maybe two bad practices. There hasn't been a day where I left disappointed in our group effort.

"The culture and vibe in our gym is better and stronger than it ever has been."

The newcomers are talented enough to make an impact, which is impressive considering the Lopes boast the returns of All-America second-team honoree Christian Janke and All-America honorable mention Camden Gianni. The pair combined for 645 kills and 86 aces last season.

Seven of GCU's top point scorers return this season, with Hugo Fischer being the only departed player among the seven Lopes who played the most sets last season.

"We have so many guys who have a lot of experience," Werle said. "I think that always was kind of our issue in the past. It was such a young group of guys on the court who lacked the experience and couldn't finish in certain pressure situations. Let's just say, there's no excuses this year."

GCU built a schedule that remains challenging but also offers the chance to build momentum, a goal after ending its 16-12 season on three losses last year. After dominating Stanford in a home sweep, the Lopes had their season ended by the Cardinal less than three weeks later in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship tournament.

"We're going to be a lot more steady than we have been," Lovejoy said. "We were more consistent this fall. We're not on super highs and lows. We're the same no matter what.

"We have a bad taste in our mouth from losing in the first round of the tournament. That's a big goal, to accomplish more this year. There are a lot of guys in their last year – a do-or-die kind of thing."

Werle said his team has stayed on the same page through the offseason and preseason training. Much of that comes from having a roster with an average age of about 22 years old. Leadership can come in top scorers such as Gianni, Janke and Lovejoy or a veteran role player like fifth-year senior Grayson Browning, whose responsible guidance galvanizes the team.

Sophomore Nicholas Slight, at 6 feet 3, returns at setter after recording a team-best 791 assists as a redshirt freshman last season. Only Gianni and senior libero Cole Udall played more sets last season than Slight.

"He's been better in our gym this year," Werle said. "A year under his belt at the Division I level is only going to make him tremendously better. He has one of the highest volleyball IQs in our gym. That, coming from the setter position, is huge."

GCU added depth there with 6-foot-6 freshman setter Jaxon Herr, a competitive Phoenician who led Sandra Day O'Connor High School to a state championship last year. Herr entered a recent exhibition match when momentum swung for a reverse sweep.

Another freshman quickly becoming a factor is Cameron Thorne, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker from Hollywood, Florida, who Werle called "the ultimate highlight reel" in attacking with his jumping ability.

"These guys are here to play and play this season," Werle said of the freshmen.

Thorne is part of why middle blocker could be GCU's deepest position with another addition, Purdue Fort Wayne 6-foot-7 transfer Rico Wardlow, adding length and scoring ability to a group that already features 6-foot-10 junior Jacob Guerber in the middle, 6-foot-4 senior and former starter Troy Culp back to full health and Lovejoy's offense at 6 feet 8.

"We're really going to be a super scrappy team this year," said Lovejoy, a Finance graduate student who earned an Applied Business Analytics degree last year. "It's been a focus all offseason. I think it's going to be a big shift in how we play. We can't wait."

GCU also features 6-foot-4 junior Jackson Hickman at outside hitter after he came off the bench at each pin last season.

"He is a gamer evolving into a tremendous powerhouse offensively," Werle said of the Phoenix native. "The court presence he brings, with his chip on his shoulder, is very special."

Sophomore Karter Rogers, at 6 feet 5, handled pressure situations as a serve specialist last year.

Behind them all, the Lopes lean on Udall, who brings 125 career matches of experience and projects to reach the 1,000-dig mark for his career in his final season.

"Cole is one of the best serve/receive guys in the country," Werle said after the San Tan Valley, Arizona, native handled serves at a 96.7% rate last season.

The outlook also is being helped by assistant coach Matt August and volunteer assistant Bryan Dell'Amico bolstering a staff that returns graduate assistant Peter Russell for his second season and Ethan Rucker for his third season as special assistant to the head coach.

"Hopefully, we can get a few wins under our belts early that potentially lead to more confidence when it comes to playoff time," Werle said. "

National Volleyball Association/American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll
Rank	Team (first-place votes)	Points
1.	Hawaii (21)	328
2.	UCLA (1)	295
3.	Long Beach State	284
4.	Penn State	254
5.	Pepperdine	216
6.	Ball State	198
7.	UC Santa Barbara	187
8.	UC Irvine	161
9.	Stanford	156
10.	USC	133
11.	GCU	118
12.	Loyola Chicago	106
13.	Ohio State	72
14.	Lewis	47
15.	Princeton	29