No one expected this.
 
Except several players wearing purple.
 
Despite not qualifying for the top level at the tournament, the Grand Canyon University Women's Club Volleyball team made the most of where it was at the 2025 National Club Volleyball Federation National Championships in downtown Phoenix, rolling its way to the crown in the Bronze Brackets of the Division 1AAA level. The Lopes went 7-1 at the Phoenix Convention Center, playing six consecutive three-set matches before dominating California State University Northridge in the bronze championship match, 25-19, 25-16.

The Lopes – who have won the national title at the Division 1 level of the tournament twice before – entered this year's tournament in unfamiliar territory: as the underdog. The Lopes had uncharacteristically struggled through the Southern California Collegiate Volleyball League season, which forced them to enter the national tournament in the third division. Opponents paid the price for taking them lightly from the outset, though. The Lopes sent an immediate message by thrashing Duke University, 25-21, 25-9 in their first pool-play match, then played 'late bloomer' in its other two pool-play matchups, spotting both Cleveland State University and the University of Illinois-Chicago the first set before roaring back to defeat both squads in three.
 
"I wasn't surprised at all by how we played, because skill-wise, this is quite possibly the best team we've had," said Lopes' Head Coach Kris Naber. "The girls figured out that they were all fighting for the same goal and bought into each other. They 're-learned' how to win and push back when facing adversity."
 
That prepped them for the next three grueling matches – all of which went to overtime. The Lopes' lone loss came in their Power Pools Championship Pools match Friday against Sam Houston State University, but the BearKats not only had to come from one set down but went eight points extra in the final set to win, 19-17. That was a message to the Lopes not to flinch in the late stages of a match, and they obliged by winning the last two sets of the best-of-3 against University of South Florida, 29-27 and 17-15; then going extras to win the first set of the quarterfinals against University of North Carolina-Charlotte, 27-25, and rebounding from a second-set loss to outlast the 49ers, 16-14, in set 3. That made the three-set semifinal match against East Carolina University seem easy by comparison as the Lopes won, 25-21, 19-25, 15-13, to head to the finals, where they stayed in command over CSUN to win in straight sets.
 
"They were genuinely celebrating each other and watching them compete – really compete – throughout nationals was so enjoyable," said Naber. "This program has only known success, so this year's regular season record was not something any of us were used to. Learning how to stay on course - even when the outcome was frustrating at times – made every experience build a stronger foundation for the future."
 
The Lopes finish out the season with a 7-11 overall record.