Loaded 5-man signing class positions GCU for success

Falling a point short of a WAC Tournament championship is never an easy thing to overcome, but Grand Canyon men's tennis head coach Derek Siddiqui and his staff got right to work on their 2024-25 team. A loaded five-player signing class may be what turns the tide for this GCU program in its final year in the WAC.

Among the five international players making their way to Phoenix next season, two are incoming freshman, two are transfers from international universities, and the final signing comes from an SEC school.

Finbar McGarvey is one of those incoming freshmen, an 18-year-old from Great Britain. McGarvey had the chance to stop by campus and immediately fell in love with GCU. Siddiqui believes he has a powerful game with a high ceiling moving forward.

The other freshman will be Andreas Loizas, a 17-year-old juniors star from Greece. Loizas ranks No. 231 in the world in the ITF Junior Ranking, which is the highest ranking in his home country. Andreas is playing Futures overseas as he prepares to take his talents to the Valley.

Matteo Lugari will bring much more veteran leadership and experience to the table. Lugari is a 23-year-old from Rome, Italy, where he attends Lumsa Universita. Matteo is expected to bring physicality and fire to the lineup next season.

Nikita Volonski is the final player who will play his first competitive matches in the U.S. next season. Volonski, a 22-year-old from Sydney, Australia, comes with multiple years of eligibility. The Lopes are getting a highly touted recruit who received interest from SEC and Big 12 schools before COVID.

Brice Patoux rounded out the class, after signing on just a week ago. Patoux, a transfer from Ole Miss, was heavily recruited a year ago when he decided to be a Rebel. Brice is from Yvetot, France, adding to the European-heavy roster that Siddiqui has put together.

"I am very excited for these five guys to be joining GCU," Siddiqui said. "They see the vision of what we are trying to do and are going to push the program to new heights."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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