Completed Event: Volleyball versus Utah State (Exh.) on August 12, 2026 ,
Volleyball
vs Utah State (Exh.)
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Jayden Todd
Nunez named to MW Preseason Team
8/19/2026 12:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Lopes picked 3rd ahead of Year 2 in the conference
The Mountain West preseason coaches poll picked Grand Canyon to finish third for its second season in the conference while earning two first-place votes.
Conference additions UTEP and UC Davis each picked up four of the 10 coaches' first-place votes with UTEP earning more points to be tabbed the Mountain West favorite.
GCU sophomore setter/opposite hitter Bella Nunez was named to the MW Preseason Team. The El Paso, Texas, native earned All-Mountain West honors as a freshman while recording nine triple-doubles, third most in Division I, and became the first player in GCU's Division I era to record a triple-double. She showcased her all-around impact with 262 kills, 512 assists, 314 digs and 86 blocks while earning four MW Freshman of the Week awards and a MW Offensive Player of the Week honor.
The Lopes made strong additions in the transfer portal this offseason, adding opposite Starr Williams and outside hitter Katie Schulz.
Williams, at 6 feet 3, joins GCU as a fifth-year student from Tennessee. Last season, the native of Ontario, California, played 22 matches with 12 starts and ranked third on the Volunteers with 198 kills while hitting .271 and adding 43 blocks. She reached double-digit kills 11 times, including a season-high 19 against Oklahoma and a team-leading 15 in the NCAA Tournament against Utah State.
Schulz, a native of Appleton, Wisconsin, is a senior who earned All-Horizon first-team honors at Green Bay last season, when she recorded 346 kills, a team-best 3.30 kills per set, 115 digs and 43 blocks. Schulz posted 20-plus kills twice, highlighted by a career-high 32 against Western Michigan, the second-most kills in a match in Green Bay history.
UNLV junior outside hitter Jaida Harris was named Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year. During a five-set battle last season, the Lopes held Harris to a .128 hitting percentage.
The Lopes, led by third-year head coach Kendra Potts, open the season at reigning national champion Texas A&M on Aug. 28 before the first home match Sept. 4 against Louisiana Monroe.
Conference additions UTEP and UC Davis each picked up four of the 10 coaches' first-place votes with UTEP earning more points to be tabbed the Mountain West favorite.
GCU sophomore setter/opposite hitter Bella Nunez was named to the MW Preseason Team. The El Paso, Texas, native earned All-Mountain West honors as a freshman while recording nine triple-doubles, third most in Division I, and became the first player in GCU's Division I era to record a triple-double. She showcased her all-around impact with 262 kills, 512 assists, 314 digs and 86 blocks while earning four MW Freshman of the Week awards and a MW Offensive Player of the Week honor.
The Lopes made strong additions in the transfer portal this offseason, adding opposite Starr Williams and outside hitter Katie Schulz.
Williams, at 6 feet 3, joins GCU as a fifth-year student from Tennessee. Last season, the native of Ontario, California, played 22 matches with 12 starts and ranked third on the Volunteers with 198 kills while hitting .271 and adding 43 blocks. She reached double-digit kills 11 times, including a season-high 19 against Oklahoma and a team-leading 15 in the NCAA Tournament against Utah State.
Schulz, a native of Appleton, Wisconsin, is a senior who earned All-Horizon first-team honors at Green Bay last season, when she recorded 346 kills, a team-best 3.30 kills per set, 115 digs and 43 blocks. Schulz posted 20-plus kills twice, highlighted by a career-high 32 against Western Michigan, the second-most kills in a match in Green Bay history.
UNLV junior outside hitter Jaida Harris was named Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year. During a five-set battle last season, the Lopes held Harris to a .128 hitting percentage.
The Lopes, led by third-year head coach Kendra Potts, open the season at reigning national champion Texas A&M on Aug. 28 before the first home match Sept. 4 against Louisiana Monroe.
2026 MW PRESEASON TEAM
- Bella Nunez, sophomore, setter/opposite, GCU
- Cha'lei Reid, sophomore, outside hitter, Hawaiʻi
- Ximena Cordero Barr, junior, libero, UC Davis
- Mia Starr, senior, setter, UC Davis
- Jaida Harris, junior, outside hitter, UNLV
- Ema Uskokovic, graduate, outside hitter, UTEP
- Paige Lauterwasser, senior, outside hitter, Wyoming
Preseason coaches poll |
|||
| Rank | Team (first-place votes) | Points | |
| 1. |
.png){kind=small} |
UTEP (4) | 84 |
| 2. |
 |
UC Davis (4) | 80 |
| 3. |
 |
Grand Canyon (2) | 70 |
| 4. |
 |
Wyoming | 69 |
| 5. |
 |
Hawai'i | 67 |
| 6. |  |
UNLV | 53 |
| 7. |
 |
San José State | 40 |
| 8. |
 |
Air Force | 36 |
| 9. |
 |
Nevada | 26 |
| 10. |
 |
New Mexico | 25 |
Players Mentioned
Friday, August 14
Thursday, June 18
Thursday, June 18
Tuesday, June 16