Back-to-back national champs?

Technically, yes.

Grand Canyon University Women's Club Volleyball competed in the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation tournament this past weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center, and they took home the gold for the second time in program history. Due to the pandemic, NCVF has not hosted the national tournament since 2019, when the Lopes won their first national title. This time, the Lopes earned the title with a perfect record, going undefeated on the weekend.

"Obviously, winning a national championship with our Black Team was the highlight of the weekend," said Lopes' Head Coach Kris Naber. "It is what we set out to do at the beginning of the semester, so to earn that and do it undefeated is a huge accomplishment."

GCU Black swept through competition with ease, only dropping only two sets the entire tournament – once on the first day to University of Kansas, and later to University of San Francisco in the first round of Gold Bracket play. In both instances, the Lopes rallied in the third set to win the game and keep their perfect record.

It was Truman State University from Missouri that the Lopes met in the championship. The game was tight, but the Lopes held the lead consistently. GCU held off the Bulldogs and battled out a two-set win (25-23, 25-22) to close out the tournament and reclaim the title.

Despite the two-year break from NCVF tournaments, GCU came back hungry for even more. The program sent three total teams compete in the tournament this time around. While GCU Team Black secured the second straight first-place trophy, GCU Team Purple and GCU Team White advanced to the Gold Bracket of their respective divisions as well, falling short in the first round of tournament play.
 
"All three of our teams made it to the Gold Bracket," said Naber. "This speaks volumes not only for how deep the program is, but for the coaches that we have on staff, their knowledge, and leadership."

The Lopes have a lot to celebrate. 

"Congrats are in order for all of us," said Naber. "When you surround yourself with the best, great things are bound to happen."

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