The Rise of Grand Canyon

Not that long ago, Men's Volleyball had its first team in Arizona. Today, the Lopes are the last undefeated team in the country and ranked #2 in the nation.

Feb 20, 2024

The date was January 9th, 2009. A brand new D-II Men’s Volleyball program took the court to face the formidable D-III UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. Grand Canyon began their program by being swept 3-0. The next day they had two matches. They lost to UCSC again 3-0 before getting their first victory in program history. GCU would defeat Holy Names 3-1 and eventually end their inaugural season at 4-25.

The year is now 2024 and the Lopes are 11-0, the last undefeated team in the country. Last season, Grand Canyon made it to the National Tournament in just their 15th season. The meteoric rise of GCU has been a sight to behold.

With so many new teams being added, the path of GCU may provide some hope. Some programs are struggling more than others, but their goal is all the same. They want to build their programs from the ground up.

Looking at the chart above, it looks like it took about 8 years for the Lopes to get their bearings. The key to their growth may also be found in the institution’s financial commitment to athletics. Given the for-profit status of GCU, their commitment to creating valuable sports programs has created impressive programs. Men’s Volleyball may soon become their shining example.

I should also mention, GCU is currently benefitting from the extra COVID year for several athletes. As these students begin to move on from collegiate sports, we will likely see several teams revert to their mean a little more. Grand Canyon is likely one of these programs, but they have built a winning culture in Phoenix.

If we are several years away from seeing some of the potential of new teams, 2030 might be a golden age in Men’s Volleyball. This is very speculative, but I don’t think it is crazy. Tournament expansion paired with the growth in the popularity of volleyball could fuel new programs to great heights.

Who do you think will be the next Grand Canyon?

Match Recaps

No matches yesterday.

Match Projections

ConfCarolinas

Belmont Abbey (61%) vs King (39%)

North Greenville (91%) vs Lees-McRae (9%)

IVA

Lincoln Memorial (90%) vs Tusculum (10%)

MIVA

Lewis (70%) vs Quincy (30%)

Purdue Fort Wayne (16%) vs Ohio State (84%)

Non-conference

Edward Waters (50%) vs Emmanuel (50%)

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