OREM, Utah — Grand Canyon brought the Phoenix heat to Thursday's WAC quarterfinal match, sweeping seventh-seeded California Baptist 25-17, 25-15, 25-22.
"What a great way to start the conference tournament," Lopes head coach
Tim Nollan said.
GCU (21-7) hit .336 on the match, its best clip in a WAC Tournament quarterfinal since 2019, and recorded its 10th sweep with .300-plus hitting against a conference opponent this season.
Graduate setter
Klaire Mitchell aided the Lopes to three sets over .300 (.395, .409, .303), fueling the offense with 35 assists, five digs and two kills.
"What can be said about Klaire that hasn't already been said," Nollan said. "She is special, and I am going to soak up every last second of having her play for the Lopes."
GCU sophomore outside hitter
Tatum Parrott posted a season-best .593 hitting percentage, and new postseason career high of 17 kills and 19.5 points in three-sets.
"Tatum P. was on a different level today," Nollan said. " She just molly whopped the ball."
Thirteen of GCU's 19 roster players, including five of the Lopes nine seniors, saw court time with only 16 allowed to dress by tournament rules.
Senior outside hitter
Ashley Lifgren (.313) delivered a solid seven kills, with sophomore outside hitter
Anaelena Ramirez (.545), junior middle blocker
Alissa Uhlenhop (.444), and junior middle blocker
Trista Strasser (.182) posted six, five, and four kills successively.
The Lopes defended well in their first postseason meeting against CBU, notching five total blocks and 38 digs, led by Parrott (three block assists, one solo), and sophomore libero
Tatum Thomas (11 digs) respectively.

Parrott opened the match with a kill, giving the Lopes an immediate 1-0 lead, which quickly became a 5-1 lead after a CBU attacking error, and three consecutive Parrott kills, and built to as much as an eight point lead on a kill by Ramirez and a CBU error to close the first set 25-17.
The Lancers took a short-lived lead (1-0) in the second frame, as the Lopes went on to score four-unanswered points on two CBU errors, a Mitchell kill and a block by Parrott and Strasser (4-1). A sideout kill by Lifgren at 18-15 sent freshman libero
Bella Anderson to the service line, where she served the remaining seven points of the set, featuring two CBU errors, two Lifgren kills, and Anderson ace, a Uhlenhop kill, and a block by Uhlenhop and Ramirez.
GCU led the third set in its entirety, scoring five consecutive points, on two Parrott kills, an error by CBU, a Uhlenhop kill, and a service ace by junior outside hitter
Stella Gkiourda, to stretch a seven-point advantage (12-5). Despite allowing CBU to apply late pressure with seven unanswered points at 22-21, GCU finished strong, with two kills and solo block by Parrott.
GCU will compete against the victor of the (3) UTRGV v. (6) Tarleton match in a WAC Tournament semifinal at 3 p.m. (Phoenix time) on Friday, Nov. 17.