Lopes sweep New Mexico behind balanced attack, strong defense

Thursday, October 29

Albuquerque, N.M.

5:30 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

12-10,6-5Mountain West

New Mexico

9-12,7-4Mountain West

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Grand Canyon	25	25	25	3
New Mexico	19	15	20	0

Photo by: Nathan Peters

10/29/2026 8:18:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

GCU now trails UNM by just 1 match in MW standings

By: Nathan Peters

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Grand Canyon volleyball executed its game plan from the service line, spread its offense across multiple contributors and delivered a strong defensive performance to sweep New Mexico 25-19, 25-15, 25-20 on Thursday night at The Pit.

The Lopes (12-10, 6-5 Mountain West) controlled the match with an effective serving strategy that kept New Mexico (9-12, 7-4 MW) out of rhythm offensively. GCU recorded four service aces while preventing the Lobos from registering an ace, helping limit New Mexico to a .066 hitting percentage, the second lowest of the Lobos' MW season thus far.

Grand Canyon complemented its serving with a balanced offensive attack, receiving contributions throughout its lineup. The Lopes finished with 41 kills on .252 hitting, led by 5th year Starr Williams' 10 kills on a .308 hitting percentage. Sophomore Bella Nunez added nine kills while hitting .333 to go with 16 assists, five digs and five blocks while junior Aubrey Goodere contributed seven kills and six blocks.

The offense also benefited from five kills apiece from sophomores Aubrey Bellus and Macey Hughes, while senior Katie Schulz added four. Nunez and junior Taylor Kubacak directed the balanced attack with 16 and 17 assists, respectively.

Defensively, the Lopes matched New Mexico with 54 digs and dominated at the net with 12 blocks to the Lobos' three. Freshman Nika Zupanic anchored the back row with a match-high 14 digs, while Kubacak added nine and Schulz recorded eight. Goodere led the blocking effort with six total blocks.

The opening set featured 12 ties as the teams battled back and forth before Grand Canyon pulled away late. With the score tied at 16, the Lopes used a 5-0 run, highlighted by consecutive kills from Goodere, to create separation. Nunez closed the set with her sixth kill of the frame, securing a 25-19 win.

GCU carried that momentum into the second set, producing its most efficient offensive performance of the night with 14 kills and just two attack errors for a .387 hitting percentage. The Lopes built a 14-9 advantage before using another strong stretch to extend their lead to 20-13. Schulz capped the 25-15 set victory with a service ace.

New Mexico opened the third set with five consecutive points, but Grand Canyon responded with its serving pressure and defensive intensity. Bellus delivered back-to-back aces to help close the deficit before a 5-0 run gave the Lopes an 11-10 lead.

After the teams traded points, GCU used another four-point surge to take a 17-13 advantage. Nunez later delivered an ace to extend the lead to 19-14, and the Lopes maintained control down the stretch. A combined block from Schulz and Goodere secured the 25-20 victory and completed the sweep.

The Lopes will face off with New Mexico again Saturday (12 p.m. Phoenix time) with crucial MW playoff implications on the line. The Lopes trail the Lobos by just one match in the standings.