Lopes open WAC season on road - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Southern Utah: Thursday, Sept. 21, Cedar City, Utah \| Utah Tech: Saturday, Sept. 23, St. George, Utah

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (7-4, 0-0 WAC)	at	SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS (4-6, 0-0 WAC)
			UTAH TECH TRAIL BLAZERS (4-6, 0-0 WAC)

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The Grand Canyon women's volleyball team begins its WAC schedule with Southern Utah on Thursday and Utah Tech on Saturday.

All seven Lopes wins this season have been sweeps, but their four losses have stretched to four or five sets.
GCU swept Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine at the Big West/WAC Challenge last weekend.
Graduate setter Klaire Mitchell ranks eighth for Division I career assists among active players with a total of 3,823 assists.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH

The Thunderbirds notched their first sweep of the season versus Idaho on Saturday.
Southern Utah presents a balanced attack with four players averaging at least two kills per set: Andrea Spasojevic (2.45), Hana Makanova (2.05), Natasha Obradovic (2.0) and Molly McDermott (2.0).
Spasojevic also leads the squad in digs per set (3.11).

The Blazers and Lopes have met 21 times with the Lopes leading the series 13-8. Utah Tech leads the series 5-4 at home, but GCU swept the Blazers last season in St. George.
Utah Tech is 1-3 at home this season with a victory over Idaho (won 3-1) and losses to Fresno State (lost 3-1 and 3-2) and Marshall (lost 3-2).
Kennedi Knudsen leads Utah Tech offensively (2.88 kills per set) with assistance from Taela Laufiso (7.68 assists per set); Emma Ricks holds down the back row with 3.26 digs per set.

GCU at the Big West/WAC Challenge

Sophomore outside hitter Tatum Parrott notched 26 kills (4.33 per set), .359 hitting, five service aces, nine digs (1.5 per set) and four blocks for 33.5 points.
Sophomore libero Tatum Thomas posted 17 digs (2.83 per set), 23 receptions (.870), seven assists (1.17 per set) and one service ace.
Graduate setter Klaire Mitchell recorded 70 assists (11.67 per set), 12 digs (2.0 per set), eight blocks, six kills and 10.5 points.

GCU hosts conference opponents Abilene Christian and Tarleton on Sept. 28 and Sept. 30, respectively.

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