Lopes fall to Cowgirls in 5-set battle

Thursday, October 2

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

8-6,0-3Mountain West

Wyoming

7-7,3-0Mountain West

Wyoming

Grand Canyon

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

10/2/2025 10:29:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

GCU's Bellus, Goodere combine for 22 kills, 13 blocks while Ramirez tallies 20 kills

By: Nathan Peters

Grand Canyon rallied from two sets down but fell in the fifth set to Wyoming in a Thursday night conference match at Antelope Gymnasium.

The Lopes (8–6, 0–3 Mountain West) leaned heavily on senior outside hitter Anaelena Ramirez, who delivered 20 kills on .327 hitting with 12 digs and five blocks despite the Cowgirls winning 25-21, 25-19, 19-25, 17-25, 15-10.

After falling down 2-0 in the match, the GCU squad showed grit climbing back. The Lopes went on a 5-0 run in the third setto capture a 15-10 lead off a Ramirez kill.

"Ana came back very strong because last weekend was very tough for her," Lopes head coach Kendra Potts said. "For her to bounce back and hit over .300 with 20 kills leading the match, I was super proud of her."

After clinching the third set, GCU continued to find the middles, helping to swing the momentum.

Lopes sophomore middle blocker Aubrey Goodere and freshman middle blocker Aubrey Bellus combined for 22 kills. Goodere tallied 11 kills on .375 with seven blocks, while Bellus added 11 kills on .320 hitting.

"I was really proud of our middles," Potts said. "They gave us balance and presence at the net that helped turn things around."

GCU sophomore setter Taylor Kubacak dished 22 assists with two aces and nine digs, while freshman setter/opposite Bella Nunez recorded 21 assists, 17 digs and seven kills.

Potts credited Wyoming's start.

"Shout out to Wyoming," Potts said. "I think they're one of the hottest teams in the conference right now. To be able to learn them as we went from Set 1 to Set 2 and then turn things over in Set 3 was really good, showing us we can make in-game adjustments. Our biggest thing this week was to get back to ourselves. I do think we played with true, genuine confidence tonight."

Contributions also came from depth players. GCU freshman opposite Ana Jaramazovic, making her first career start, slowed down the Cowgirls with three timely blocks and multiple positive block touches resulting in Lopes' offensive terminations, while freshman outside hitter Shay Heaney added important back-row passing.

"AJ (Jaramazovic) has been patient and persistent," Potts said. "I think she's just going to get better and better with more touches. Shay came in passing when we needed it, making defensive plays at crucial times."

A fifth-set Ramirez kill came off the assist of Goodere for a 1-0 GCU lead, but Wyoming swung momentum back in its favor.

The Lopes went on a 4-0 run after trailing 13-6 to reduce the deficit to three points before a service error put Wyoming back in control, leading to a 15-10, fifth-set victory for the Cowgirls.

Wyoming (7–7, 3–0 MW) was led by Sarah Holcomb's 15 kills on .714 hitting with seven blocks and Paige Lauterwasser's 11 kills.

Despite falling short in the fifth, Potts emphasized progress.

"There's a lot of glimmers," Potts said. "If we can stack plays like the scrambles and execution we showed, the Ls will turn into Ws. We're chipping away and determined. All I'm thinking about right now is Colorado State."

GCU will face Colorado State (8-5, 2-1 MW) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Global Credit Union Arena. The Rams swept New Mexico in Albuquerque on Thursday night.