Lopes pull reverse-sweep at Nevada

Friday, September 25

Reno, Nev.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Nevada

Photo by: Nathan Peters

9/25/2026 9:28:00 PM | Volleyball

Nunez records career-high 44 assists in MW road victory

By: Nathan Peters

RENO, Nev. – Grand Canyon volleyball turned a slow start into a complete reversal Friday night, rallying from two sets down to defeat Nevada 19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 15-10 at Virginia Street Gym in Reno.

The Lopes (7-6, 1-1 Mountain West) earned their first conference victory by becoming more effective as the match progressed. GCU hit .235 for the night, but that number climbed from .114 in the second set to .231, .323 and .346 over the final three sets.

Nevada's offense moved in the opposite direction. After hitting .324 in the opening set, the Wolf Pack dropped to .216, .158, .097 and finally .080 in the fifth.

"The difference between yesterday and today was definitely the serve-and-pass game going a little bit more in our favor," GCU head coach Kendra Potts said. "When a team has 15 service aces on you like Nevada did against us last night, it's hard to win matches. They served us out quite a bit.

"I thought we had some answers late in the match yesterday, but I felt like we had answers all throughout the night tonight."

Junior middle blocker Aubrey Goodere led an increasingly balanced GCU attack with 14 kills and only one error on 28 swings for a .464 hitting percentage. Fifth-year opposite hitter Starr Williams added 13 kills, while sophomore opposite hitter Macey Hughes had 12 and sophomore middle blocker Aubrey Bellus finished with 11 on .320 hitting.

GCU also reversed the pressure from the service line. After allowing 15 Nevada aces Thursday, the Lopes limited the Wolf Pack to seven Friday and produced 11 of their own.

Senior outside hitter Katie Schulz led the way with four aces while adding 15 digs. Sophomore setter Bella Nunez had three aces to go with a career best 44 assists, and Bellus added two.

"Tonight, the big difference is that we stepped up at the service line and we were more aggressive, whereas I think last night we were a little bit passive at the service line," Potts said. "We were able to knock them out a little bit more in serve receive and just have a stronger defense at the net and behind."

Nevada controlled much of the opening set, building a 17-9 advantage before GCU made a push. The Lopes scored five consecutive points to cut the deficit to 17-14, but the Wolf Pack regained separation and took the set 25-19.

GCU battled through a tighter second set and erased a 12-7 deficit before eventually taking a 16-15 lead. The teams stayed within two points of one another late, and Goodere's kill pulled the Lopes within 24-23 before Nevada closed the set on the next point.

Facing a 2-0 match deficit, GCU found its turning point after another difficult start in the third.

Nevada jumped ahead 7-1, but the Lopes responded with an extended 11-1 surge to move in front 12-8. Nunez supplied consecutive aces during the turnaround, while Bellus, Hughes and Schulz helped ignite the offense.

GCU never surrendered the lead again. The Lopes stretched their advantage to 19-13 and answered a late Nevada push to take the third set 25-20.

"Although we had a slow start, we were trying to work with different matchups, and once we got in our groove, we knew it was going to be a long match against a team like Nevada that doesn't ever let the ball hit the ground," Potts said. "We respect their scrap and their style of play. We knew we were going to have to play it until the ref blew the whistle."

Freshman Audrey Cook became one of the key pieces in the turnaround after entering during the second set. Cook, in her collegiate debut, finished with eight digs and an ace while appearing in each of the final four sets.

"A big glimmer tonight was Cook coming in and just making a big defensive momentum boost for our side," Potts said. "She was playing relentless defense, not letting balls fall and keeping us in attempts so we could continue attacking.

"She also served very aggressively. Not being able to serve all year long and then coming in and having to not just serve but be a difference-maker was huge for Cook."

The Lopes carried their momentum into the fourth set, opening an 8-3 advantage. Nevada pulled within 8-7, but GCU immediately created separation again and pushed the lead to 14-8.

Goodere, Williams, Hughes and Schulz all contributed down the stretch as GCU hit .323 and held Nevada to .097. The Lopes closed the 25-17 win to force a deciding fifth set.

The switch to a 5-1 offense also put more of the setting responsibilities on Nunez, who helped GCU's attack become increasingly efficient during the comeback.

"Us shifting into a 5-1 is just showing some versatility on our end," Potts said. "Some nights we're going to have to change things up, and we're going to have to be OK making midgame decisions. We just have to make sure the girls understand we do these things because we know they're capable of making these changes."

The fifth set remained tight through a 9-9 tie before GCU made the decisive move.

Hughes gave the Lopes a 10-9 lead with a kill, and GCU scored the next two points to create its first three-point cushion of the set. Nevada stopped the run to make it 12-10, but senior Schulz and Williams followed with kills before GCU finished the match 15-10.

GCU recorded 11 kills with only two errors in the fifth for a .346 hitting percentage while holding Nevada to .080.

Junior libero Natalie Guerrero joined Schulz with 15 digs, while senior libero Bella Anderson added 14 as GCU finished with 68 digs.

"We were able to just chip away and play the long game," Potts said. "Each set, we decreased their hitting efficiency. We increased our side-out efficiency, and we were able to chip away and play a mature level of volleyball.

"It's nice that you can grow in real time during a match instead of having to go home, go to practice and figure it out. I'm proud of the things that we figured out tonight."

The Lopes home opener for conference play will take on Hawai'i October 2nd and 3rd.