Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Sebastian Molinar
5 Lopes named AVCA All-Americans
5/1/2023 4:55:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Hickman leads program-record 5 Lopes landing among nation's best
The Grand Canyon men's volleyball team had a program-record five players earn All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
GCU junior outside hitter Jackson Hickman was named to the second team while teammates Christian Janke, Camden Gianni, Nicholas Slight and Rico Wardlow landed honorable mentions. Along with a trio of first-time honorees, Gianni earned his fourt straight honorable mention award and Janke was honored for the second straight season.
The Lopes were led offensively by Hickman, who had a breakout season recording new career highs in most statistical categories. The Phoenix native leads the Lopes with 306 kills on .343 hitting which is a top-25 mark nationally. He also added 122 digs, 44 blocks and 23 service aces in 100 sets played. The GCU junior earned the AVCA National Player of the Week and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation offensive weekly honors after leading the Lopes with 42 kills on .442 hitting in two home wins over No. 7 UC Irvine.
Janke, in his fifth and final season with the Lopes, earned his second straight All-America honor after being named to the second team last season. The GCU team captain played in all 29 matches and finished second on the team with 283 kills on a .311 hitting percentage while leading the team with 141 digs and 32 blocks.
Gianni appeared in 24 matches and led the Lopes with 40 aces and 230 kills en route to his fourth straight AVCA honorable mention. The GCU outside hitter moved to opposite this season and battled through an early-season injury to record his 1,000th kill in the MPSF Tournament against UCLA. Gianni ended the season with double-digit kills in 14 of the last 16 matches.
Slight was named an All-American for the first time in his career after a stellar season as GCU's setter. Slight, a sophomore, set a new career-high with 970 assists and ranked inside the nation's top 15 with 10.0 assists per set while adding 49 kills in 97 sets. The Storm Lake, Iowa, native quarterbacked the GCU offense to a .348 hitting clip, the highest mark in program history.
Wardlow, in his first season at GCU, earned his first All-American nod after ranking second in the MPSF with a .532 hitting percentage. The Purdue Fort Wayne transfer collected 182 kills in 29 matches with 61 blocks and 25 digs. In the MPSF Tournament, he was outstanding with11 kills on .714 hitting while adding six blocks.
The Lopes are getting ready for their first NCAA tournament match in program history when they take on Long Beach State on Tueday in Fairfax, Virginia, at 2 p.m. (Phoenix time).
GCU junior outside hitter Jackson Hickman was named to the second team while teammates Christian Janke, Camden Gianni, Nicholas Slight and Rico Wardlow landed honorable mentions. Along with a trio of first-time honorees, Gianni earned his fourt straight honorable mention award and Janke was honored for the second straight season.
The Lopes were led offensively by Hickman, who had a breakout season recording new career highs in most statistical categories. The Phoenix native leads the Lopes with 306 kills on .343 hitting which is a top-25 mark nationally. He also added 122 digs, 44 blocks and 23 service aces in 100 sets played. The GCU junior earned the AVCA National Player of the Week and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation offensive weekly honors after leading the Lopes with 42 kills on .442 hitting in two home wins over No. 7 UC Irvine.
Janke, in his fifth and final season with the Lopes, earned his second straight All-America honor after being named to the second team last season. The GCU team captain played in all 29 matches and finished second on the team with 283 kills on a .311 hitting percentage while leading the team with 141 digs and 32 blocks.
Gianni appeared in 24 matches and led the Lopes with 40 aces and 230 kills en route to his fourth straight AVCA honorable mention. The GCU outside hitter moved to opposite this season and battled through an early-season injury to record his 1,000th kill in the MPSF Tournament against UCLA. Gianni ended the season with double-digit kills in 14 of the last 16 matches.
Slight was named an All-American for the first time in his career after a stellar season as GCU's setter. Slight, a sophomore, set a new career-high with 970 assists and ranked inside the nation's top 15 with 10.0 assists per set while adding 49 kills in 97 sets. The Storm Lake, Iowa, native quarterbacked the GCU offense to a .348 hitting clip, the highest mark in program history.
Wardlow, in his first season at GCU, earned his first All-American nod after ranking second in the MPSF with a .532 hitting percentage. The Purdue Fort Wayne transfer collected 182 kills in 29 matches with 61 blocks and 25 digs. In the MPSF Tournament, he was outstanding with11 kills on .714 hitting while adding six blocks.
The Lopes are getting ready for their first NCAA tournament match in program history when they take on Long Beach State on Tueday in Fairfax, Virginia, at 2 p.m. (Phoenix time).
Players Mentioned
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