Okay, so they didn't draw it up like this.
 
No one's complaining.
 
Using the frustration of the regular season as motivation, the resiliency of the Grand Canyon University Women's Club Volleyball team came to the forefront at the 2026 National Club Volleyball Federation National Championships this weekend as it sprinted to the quarterfinal round of the Gold Bracket of the Division 1AAA level. The Lopes went 6-2 at the annual event, dropping all of three sets in their first seven matches before falling to the University of North Carolina in the quarterfinals, 25-11, 25-18, Sunday morning in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition, Lopes' freshman libero Izzy Nuss was named to the NCVF Women's Division 1AAA All-Tournament 2^nd Team.

"Izzy being named is a huge accomplishment for a freshman in a position where we had three girls share that role, but a position she won heading into nationals," said Lopes' Head Coach Kris Naber. "She obviously did a great job in not just our eyes but the voters' eyes. She led the backcourt, which is a tough place to have that responsibility, and she handled it well."
 
Those who judged the Lopes by their 1-9 record going into the tournament paid the price in dominant fashion. The Lopes – who won it all at the Division 1 level twice before – lost their first set of the tournament Thursday morning to the University of Chicago, 25-18, then motored past the Maroons in the next two sets to win before sweeping Eastern Kentucky University in straight sets two hours later. A two-set loss to end Thursday's pool-play rounds to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington sent the Lopes to a make-or-break Challenge Round match Friday morning against Cal Poly Pomona. That's where the Lopes officially found their stride, not losing a set in any of their four Friday matches en route to breezing through Championship Pool Play matches against Texas State University and Montana State University before using DePaul University (Illinois) as their springboard to the Gold Bracket with a thrilling 25-21, 25-22 victory. Unfortunately, for the second time in three days, a North Carolina team jumped up and bit the Lopes as the University of North Carolina – led by the tournament's most valuable player, Haley Carson - eliminated the Lopes to begin a run that ended with Tar Heels as the NCVF Division 1AAA National Champions that afternoon.
 
"I never thought we were flat, but we got caught playing catchup," said Naber. "(The Tar Heels) were fast and in control, and very scrappy defensively. Mentally, we were in a great spot, but got caught off-guard, and when you get matched up against the eventual division winner, it's luck of the draw.
 
This is probably the most skilled position-by-position club team I've ever had. Perseverance along the way, showing up in practice, being diligent in learning and buying into what we were teaching them only showed what that work ethic could do when we got to nationals. Our student leaders did a phenomenal job of keeping the culture going throughout the program."
 
GCU has now won 13 out of 16 matches at nationals over the past two seasons. The Lopes finish out the season with a 7-11 overall record.