Packed arena treated to home-opener sweep

Friday, September 1

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

3-1,0-0WAC

Long Island

0-4,0-0NEC

LIU

Grand Canyon

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

9/1/2023 9:55:00 PM | Volleyball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Dominant 1st set sends GCU to Nollan's 100th win in front of 7,108

By: Paul Coro

The Grand Canyon crowd crescendo built with the countdown to first serve. A cavalcade of sound descended from the top rows of GCU Arena's 200 sections to the front-row student dressed as a hot dog.

Even the visiting Long Island players jumped with the Havocs, the GCU students who were kicking off their Welcome Week's Lope-A-Palooza night by filling the home arena with 7,108 fans and dozens of decibels.

The Lopes emerged matching the sound in energy and tied the program's second-largest set blowout of its Division I era en route to a 25-8, 25-19, 25-19 win in Friday night's home opener.

GCU (3-1) threw a heck of a party for eighth-year head coach Tim Nollan's 100th win, especially in a first set when the Lopes hit .500 with sophomore outside hitter Tatum Parrott racking up four kills and two blocks.

"It's honestly amazing," said Parrott, the Phoenix Greenway High School graduate who finished with team highs for kills (11) and blocks (3). "Nobody else gets this crowd. We all started out with a little nerves, but that's good because that means you want it.

"It's crazy being able to be supported by all these people. It feels good to be loved by everyone."

GCU earned that fandom by feeding off the fervor with a 15-1 start that began with junior outside hitter McKenzie Wise coming off the service line to record an attack-line kill off the Lopes' first volley.

Two Long Island time outs could not contain GCU's 15-1 start, especially with graduate setter Klaire Mitchell running the offense in her final home opener. Mitchell delivered 24 assists in the match and was one of three Lopes with 10 digs, joining sophomore libero Tatum Thomas and senior outside hitter Stella Gkiourda.

"I was emotional all day," said Mitchell, who ranks eighth nationally among active players for Division I career assists (3,562). "I was excited for it because I didn't want it to be over. It's just so special. I was just trying to take it all in and trying to make eye contact with people in the stands and just really soak it in. It was an amazing experience."

GCU ripped through the 25-8 opening set, marking its largest winning margin in a set since 2019.

The Lopes' service errors gave the Sharks seven of their first 15 points, helping Long Island settle into the environment for tighter second and third sets.

"The crowd was amazing," Long Island head coach Amable Martinez said. "The fans brought a lot of energy into the gym, and it was a great experience for our girls to be in that environment. They had a rough first set because of it possibly, but they bounced back."

At 12-12 in the second set, Parrott and Gkiourda recorded consecutive blocks and it was more of GCU's improved defense leading to the set win later. Mitchell's diving dig kept alive a point that was finished with a kill by senior outside hitter Hope Hanak-Harper for set point, which Gkiourda put down off a Mitchell set.

The Lopes delivered a match-best 14 kills in the final set, needing them when Long Island rallied to take a 15-14 lead.

A 6-0 GCU run, five of which came on Wise's serve, featured a Mitchell block and a kill by junior middle blocker Trista Strasser for a 20-15 edge.

The Lopes finished the match with a 25-19 set that was closed consecutively by Gkiourda's change-of-direction kill, Wise's block and Parrott's ace.

It was the third consecutive year that GCU coordinated its home opener with Lope-A-Palooza for a crowd exceeding 7,000 people.

"I thought I had one under my belt until I went out there again and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is still so cool,' " Mitchell said.

The crowd marked the seventh-largest women's volleyball crowd in the nation this season.

As rallies went back and forth, students chanted "G," "C" and "U" for each Lopes touch and repeated a university commercial with "Private," "Christian" and "Affordable" for each Sharks touch.

Tim Nollan

"That experience for our student-athletes is unreal," Nollan said. "Having all of GCU out supporting – and really student-driven supporting – is so special for them. It's part of what makes GCU so incredibly special. It's a community, and it starts with (GCU President) Brian Mueller and his vision."

The 100th victory for Nollan came quickly with his teams going 72-28 over the previous four seasons. GCU is off to a 3-1 start with the GCU Invitational continuing this weekend, when the Lopes will play Iowa State at 7 p.m. Saturday and Arizona at 1 p.m. Sunday in GCU Arena.

"Reflecting back, it means we've had a lot of special athletes come through here. To be a part of their journey and to be a part of it here is incredible. Every time I talk to my wife about it, I can't believe this is season No. 8. It feels like yesterday. It's just a number, but it showcases the program we've built, and we're not done yet. I'm not stopping at 100. I want to get 500 more."