Lopes head north for Lumberjack Classic - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Thursday, September 10

Flagstaff, Ariz.

3 p.m.

Grand Canyon

UC Riverside

Photo by: Presley Burdick

9/9/2026 3:35:00 PM | Volleyball

GCU set to take on UC Riverside, Northern Arizona, Omaha in final 3-match weekend of regular season

By: Nathan Peters

Grand Canyon volleyball heads to Flagstaff for its final three-match weekend of the regular season, facing UC Riverside (2-3), host Northern Arizona (3-3) and Omaha (3-2) at the Lumberjack Classic.

The Lopes last faced UC Riverside in 2019, when the Lopes won 3-1 in Phoenix. This will be the 17th meeting between the two programs.
The Lopes last faced Northern Arizona in 2025, when the Lumberjacks won 3-1 in Phoenix. The 20th meeting between the two programs will be available on ESPN+.
The Lopes last faced Omaha in 2019, when the Lopes won 3-1 in Phoenix. This will be the fifth meeting between the two programs.

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, played middle blocker at GCU from 1997-2000. Her mother, then Kendra Roer, is GCU's all-time career blocks record holder with 364 total blocks. Aubrey is a on a career pace to break the record.
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.

During the 2026 season ...

Aubrey Goodere ranks sixth in GCU's D-I era for career block assists with 172.
Starr Williams' 20 kills vs. Arkansas State rank second in the program's D-I history for a three-set match.
Bella Anderson set a career high with 28 single-match digs vs. Temple.
Through Week 2, Williams ranks third in the MW with 3.6 kills/set.
Anderson ranks third in the MW with 4.0 digs/set.
Goodere ranks sixth in the MW with a .338 hitting percentage.

LAST TIME OUT

Grand Canyon went 2-1 at the GCU Invitational, earning wins over Louisiana Monroe and Temple while falling to San Francisco. The Lopes swept Louisiana Monroe to open the weekend before San Francisco handed GCU a three-set loss Saturday night. GCU responded Sunday with a four-set victory over the Owls to close the tournament against a Temple team that had swept its prior three opponents.