Sweep ties Lopes win record, ends 10-0 home season

Friday, April 12

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

22-4,10-2MPSF

Pepperdine

17-10,5-7MPSF

Pepperdine

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Wesley Kurz

4/12/2024 9:16:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Paul Coro

Box Score

No. 3 GCU beats No. 9 Pepperdine in 3 sets again on Senior Night

By: Paul Coro

The testament to where the Grand Canyon men's volleyball seniors have ascended the program was evident Friday night in the Lopes' frustration with how they swept a top-10 visitor on Senior Night.

No. 3 GCU downed No. 9 Pepperdine in three sets for a second consecutive night for its program record-tying 22nd win, first undefeated home season and first season sweep of the Waves ever.

Yet, the performance did not meet the Lopes' expectations for where they want to be when the postseason begins next Wednesday with the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship quarterfinals.

The Lopes (22-4, 10-2 MPSF) won 25-22, 25-23, 25-20 in front of 1,572 fans at Global Credit Union Arena, extending another program record with their 15th sweep of the seeason.

"This was the icing on the cake for our regular season and these seniors, but ultimately we didn't play the best of volleyball, which is a little upsetting," GCU head coach Matt Werle said. "We've talked about who fans are showing up to see and who they leave talking about in a positive fashion. Tonight, we didn't leave fans talking about GCU volleyball being at the best they could be yet.

"There were some highlight-reel things that get the crowd going. Ultimately, we got the job done. Our seniors have got the job done match after match, year after year. It's special to see them go out on a sweep in front of 1,500 people."

Gianni and Hickman

Before the match, Carson Brandt, Troy Culp, Camden Gianni, Jackson Hickman, Nicholas Slight and Rico Wardlow were honored when they were introduced with their families and presented framed uniforms.

Gianni, Hickman, Slight and Wardlow have been integral to the two most successful seasons in program history, amassing a 44-12 record with as many losses in the past two seasons as the 2022 season (16-12).

Gianni survived cardiac failure and heart surgery as a freshman to become a four-time All-American honorable mention and USA Volleyball collegiate team member. He ranks second all-time in GCU history for career kills with 1,318 after adding a match-high 17 on Friday night.

Hickman, an All-America second-team pick last season, emerged for 595 kills in the past two seasons after having 75 in the first two.

Nicholas Slight

"When Jackson and I came in together (in 2020), we said, 'We're going to do something special here,' " said Slight, who has delivered 2,728 assists (nine from being second in GCU history) in three seasons.

Wardlow, a Purdue Fort Wayne transfer, arrived in 2022 and became a force in the middle with 346 kills and 116 blocks on the program's only 22-win teams.

"It's meant a lot coming here with how many games we've won and how quote-unquote dominant we've been," Wardlow said. "These guys are like family even though I've only been here a short time."

"This was definitely like the ending before the ending. I've never been able to play in front of home fans like this before. It's been a really good experience."

It was appropriately Gianni finishing off the Waves on Friday night, when he hit .371 with punishing swings from the left side and back row. The third set was tied at 18-18, GCU took control of the stretch with a 3-0 run that was capped by a Gianni kills off Hickman's end-line assist bump.

On Gianni's devastating serve, the Lopes took a 24-19 lead with Slight setting Hickman on the left side and Gianni from the back row for kills. The storybook finish eluded Gianni on a service error, which was followed by a Pepperdine service error.

"The seniors are continuing to pave the path that has already started being paved," Werle said. "Our guys are bought in to making sure that they're leaving a lasting impression on these young guys. They're making sure that being ranked No. 3 and getting to the (NCAA) tournament (last year) isn't good enough. We want something more. Our journey and our road isn't done."

The Lopes never trailed in Thursday night's sweep of the Waves (17-10, 5-7 MPSF), who had a chance at a tournament fourth seed with a win. On Friday night, Pepperdine's last leads in each set were at 3-2, 7-6 and 4-3.

It was a non-senior, sophomore middle blocker Cameron Thorne, that affected Pepperdine the most beyond Gianni. Thorne recorded the highest-scoring, three-set match of his career with 12 points on nine kills and six block assists.

When the first set was tied at 15-15, Thorne dumped a two-hand kill in the middle before consecutive block assists, going to the right with opposite Jarrett Anderson and then to the left with Gianni.

In the third set, Thorne accounted for four consecutive GCU points during a pivotal 5-2 run that broke a 12-12 tie.

"Cam Thorne has been really special," Werle said. "To be challenged by (assistant coach) Matt August, a middle blocker who played professionally and been in the USA gym, Cam's been so receptive to his feedback and his athletic ability that I truly believe Cam Thorne is one of the best lateral blockers in the country."

As the No. 2 seed in the MPSF Championship, GCU will open the tournament at USC's Galen Center against No. 7 Concordia Irvine at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The Lopes swept the Eagles twice in the regular season, when GCU set a program record with 15 sweep victories.

The NCAA tournament will be an eight-team field on May 2-4 at Long Beach State. Six bids will be automatic qualifiers, including the MPSF Championship winner, with two teams receiving at-large berths. GCU made its first NCAA tournament last season as an at-large qualifier.

"We've put ourselves in a good position right now," Werle said. "We have an opportunity for an at-large bid, but that is not something that we need to try to depend on. We want to go earn it. It's been our message to not wait for other teams to make mistakes. Let's go take that win. We want to earn that bid. We want to earn it by winning the MPSF tournament."