Let others brood about what could've been.
 
Showing little disappointment on the heels of getting nosed out of a second straight trip to nationals, the Grand Canyon University Club Tennis team put the proverbial cherry on the sundae of its 2025-26 season, blowing through all six opponents this weekend in Flagstaff to win the Northern Arizona University Easter Tournament. In addition, the Lopes' 'B' team fought off a single pool-play loss to defeat the University of Texas-El Paso's 'A' team, 28-16, to win the consolation final in the Gold Flight.
 
"The team was really disappointed after sectionals, because we thought we were good enough to (advance to nationals)," said Lopes' Head Coach Ed Prudhomme. "I had my "Gipper" speech ready to go at the beginning of the tournament, but I was already beaten to it by the players. There was a quiet confidence like we were on a business trip, instead of being happy after each round we won. I saw that and loved that. They just leaned in and did it."
 
From the outset, the Lopes' 'A' squad showed it was on a mission, posting a trio of 30-point efforts in shellacking its three pool-play opponents – University of New Mexico 'A', Mesa Community College 'B' and University of Arizona 'B' – Saturday afternoon, holding the Thunderbirds and Wildcats to five and six points, respectively. Staring the Lopes in their collective faces once they reached the Gold Flight Saturday evening were the two teams that finished above them a month ago at the United States Tennis Association's Southwest Sectional Tournament in Texas: the 'A' teams from both the U of A and Arizona State University.
 
No problem.
 
The motivated Lopes held the Wildcats' top team to just a dozen points in a 21-12 victory, then outlasted the archrival Sun Devils in a 27-21 nailbiter in Sunday morning's semifinals. That left just Mesa's 'A' team standing between GCU and the crown, and they were little match Sunday afternoon in a lopsided 26-15 Lopes' win. The victory helped the Lopes end the season with a seven-match winning streak.
 
"I always thought that ASU was going to be the hurdle to get over," said Prudhomme. "(Judging from) past results, we were close to them and the 2^nd-best team in our section, but when you play, who knows? We have been so close many times this year and I am so happy for the players. They deserved to have a great ending."