Battle for LA awaits Lopes with loaded matchups

The 14th-ranked Grand Canyon beach volleyball team travels to Los Angeles to compete in four top-20 showdowns at the Battle for LA Invitational against Washington (1 p.m. Phoenix time) and Loyola Marymount (3 p.m.) on Friday and USC (1 p.m.) and Cal Poly (3 p.m.) on Saturday.

Scouting No. 13 Washington

Washington holds a 2-2 record this season, with 5-0 wins over Houston Christian and Central Arkansas.
The Huskies, ranked No.13, started the season ranked No.15 and then jumped the Lopes following the Third Coast College Classic in Houston.
The Lopes are 3-0 against the Huskies all-time with the last win coming in April of 2022, when GCU got the sweep.

Scouting No. 5 Loyola Marymount

The Lions are 2-3 with all matches coming against ranked squads.
The Lopes have only played LMU once, a 2023 matchup that LMU won 4-1.

Scouting No. 3 USC

Back-to-back national champion USC is 4-2 after losses to Stanford and rival UCLA. Prior to the opening weekend, USC was ranked first in the country.
The Lopes last faced the Trojans in last year's Battle for LA,when USC won 3-2.

Scouting No. 18 Cal Poly

The Mustangs are 4-0 this season and have not yet faced a ranked opponent. Their wins include sweeps vs. Tarleton State, Nicholls State and McNeese State, as well as a 4-1 win vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
GCU won the last two meetings with Cal Poly in Los Angeles. The 2023 matchup resulted in a sweep for the Lopes.

What's next?

This is the first of four road trips which are opportunistic for the Lopes. GCU will face 11 consecutive ranked opponents with the chance to demand attention. The Battle for LA marks the first ranked matchups under first-year head coach Abra Rummel.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Scouting No. 13 Washington

Scouting No. 5 Loyola Marymount

Scouting No. 3 USC

Scouting No. 18 Cal Poly

What's next?

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