Stage set for Lope-A-Palooza, climax of Welcome Week

Friday, September 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Louisiana Monroe

Photo by: Jayden Todd

9/3/2026 8:45:00 AM | Volleyball

Lopes host 3 teams over 3 days for GCU Invitational

By: Nathan Peters

Grand Canyon volleyball makes its Global Credit Union Arena season debut Friday night. The Lopes host Louisiana Monroe in a 7 p.m. match that is expected to have a capacity crowd of at least 7,000 fans, mostly GCU student Havocs. The match will be followed by Lope-A-Palooza, a major pep rally that is a part of GCU's Welcome Week festivities.

The GCU Invitational also will play host to San Francisco at 6 p.m. Saturday and Temple at 2 p.m. Sunday.

AT A GLANCE

Head coach Kendra Potts, in her third season at GCU, has a career record of 162-50 (.764) that places her ninth among active NCAA coaches.
Potts coached West Texas A&M to the 2023 Division II national championship and was named American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year in 2022.
Potts became the 66th inductee into the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor, recognizing her playing and coaching careers.
The Lopes return 11 players from last season's squad and welcome nine newcomers.
Aubrey Goodere's mother, Kendra Roer, played middle blocker at GCU from 1997-2000. Roer is GCU's all-time career blocks record holder with 364 total blocks.
Assistant coaches Evan Larson and Ryan Vorderer were named to the AVCA Thirty Under 30, which recognizes top young coaches in the sport.
The 2025 season marked an attendance record for the Lopes with 25,780 fans.
GCU welcomed 7,114 students for its 2025 Lope-A-Palooza home opener.

During the 2025 season...

Freshman setter/opposite Bella Nunez ranked third in Division I with nine triple-doubles.
GCU set a single-season program record with 516 block assists.
As a freshman, Aubrey Bellus set the individual match record with 14 total blocks at San Diego State on Oct. 16, 2025.
GCU set Division I-era team match records with 36 block assists and 21 total blocks at San Diego State on Oct. 16, 2025.

2026 bits and pieces...

Aubrey Goodere now ranks sixth in GCU's Division I-era career block assists with 172.
Starr Williams' 20 kills against Arkansas State rank second in the Lopes' Division I history for a three-set match.
Through Week 1, Williams leads the Mountain West with 41 kills and 4.1 kills per set.
Aubrey Bellus ranks fifth in the Mountain West with 10 blocks and 1.0 block per set.
Bella Anderson ranks fifth in the Mountain West with four service aces.
Freshman outside hitter Gentry Oblad started two matches for the Lopes after producing nine kills and eight digs against reigning national champion Texas A&M.

LAST TIME OUT

GCU went 1-2 at the Texas A&M Invitational, closing the weekend with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 sweep of 2025 NCAA Tournament team Arkansas State. The Lopes' losses came to defending national champion Texas A&M and 2016 Sweet 16 qualifier Cal Poly. Starr Williams highlighted the weekend finale with .421 hitting and 20 kills, the second most in a three-set match in GCU's Division I era.