Lopes head out on East Coast trip


No. 2 Grand Canyon Lopes (6-0)	vs	Merrimack Warriors (1-3)	Harvard Crimson (1-2)	Daemen Wildcats (2-1)
		Wednesday, Jan. 31 5 p.m.	Friday, Feb. 2 5 p.m.	Saturday, Feb. 3 3 p.m.
		Live Video Live Stats	Live Video Live Stats	Live Stats

The second-ranked Grand Canyon men's volleyball team heads out on an East Coast trip that features matches at Merrimack and against Harvard and Daemen in the Harvard Invitational.

The Merricmack match on Wednesday will be streamed live on NEC Front Row before Friday's match at Harvard will be streamed live on ESPN+.

3 THINGS TO KNOW

NATIONAL RANKINGS: The Lopes made a massive jump in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association/National Volleyball Association national poll. Despite the off-week, GCU jumped to No. 2, the highest ranking in program history. The Lopes sit at 404 points to move past their previous program high ranking of No. 5. Long Beach State ranks first at 460 points.
GIANNI, SLIGHT AMONG BEST: Senior opposite Camden Gianni and junior setter Nicholas Slight have been among the nation's best players through the first four weeks of the season. Gianni ranks third in aces per set at 0.88, and Slight ranks third in assists per set at 10.4. Both those marks are atop the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
ONE OF FOUR: The Lopes are one of four unbeaten teams this season. GCU is joined by Long Beach State (7-0), Stanford (6-0) and Quincy (3-0) as undefeated teams. Long Beach State is ranked No. 1, and Stanford slots at No. 6 in the newest national rankings.

SCOUTING

Merrimack has three losses against ranked opponents (Long Beach State, Lewis and Loyola Chicago). The Warriors picked up their first win of the season against American International last week. Sophomore Logan Whitaker leads the team with 26 kills while freshman Jack Johnson has a team-high six blocks.

Harvard started the season with losses to No. 12 USC and No. 18 CSU Northridge before picking up their first win against Sacred Heart. Along with facing the Lopes in the Harvard Invitational, the Crimson also will take on No.12 UC Santa Barbara. Outside hitter Noah Fanning leads the team with 37.5 points and 31 kills.

Daemen has begun its second season in the Northeast Conference with a 2-1 start. The Wildcats have a balanced offensive attack through the first three games with five players recording double-digit kills. Freshman middle blocker Ondrej Arabasz leads the way with 10 blocks.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU will travel to BYU to begin Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play on Feb. 16 and 17.

3 THINGS TO KNOW

SCOUTING

WHAT'S NEXT?

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Camden Gianni

Nicholas Slight

Grand Canyon University Athletics