Grand Canyon women's volleyball has its new leader.

Kendra Potts boasts a national championship and a 124-24 (.839) record from five seasons leading Division II power West Texas A&M. She will take the reins of a Lopes program that reached new heights in 2023 with its first WAC Tournament championship and first NCAA Division I tournament appearance.

"I would like to thank President Brian Mueller, Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs and Assistant Vice President of Athletics Nick Ojea for their vision for the future of GCU and their trust in me to lead the volleyball program," Potts said. "The continuous growth and success of GCU women's volleyball has made it one of the premier programs in the country, and I am embracing the challenge of bringing more championships to this program. As we begin this journey, we are focused on providing an amazing experience for our student-athletes and passionate fans. Lopes Up!" 

Potts led her West Texas A&M teams to 33-4 records in each of the last two seasons, advancing to the national championship game both years. The Buffaloes claimed the 2022 title, and Potts was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. 

"Coach Potts has been a proven winner at every place she's been and we're extremely excited to welcome her to the GCU family," Boggs said. "During our national search, her proven history of winning at all levels, her genuine commitment to investing in her student-athletes on and off the court, her reputation as an outstanding recruiter and volleyball mind, and her passion for GCU's Christian mission made her the perfect fit for us. We are excited to welcome Kendra, Jim, Ella, Easton and Elizabeth to Phoenix."

In her program's national championship season, West Texas A&M went 16-0 in Lone Star Conference play and finished the season on a 26-match winning streak. In the championship match, the Buffaloes lost the first set to No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul but rebounded to win 3-1 and claim the program's first national title since 1997. 

In five seasons as a head coach, Potts developed eight All-Americans, went 14-3 in NCAA tournament matches and won her last three Lone Star Conference Tournaments. 

Potts also holds experience at the Division I level in a six-year stint at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the Islanders' lead assistant coach. In 2010, as the program's recruiting coordinator, she helped reel in one of the nation's top-75 recruiting classes to lead to a substantial program turnaround. In 2009, the Islanders were 9-22 and ranked No. 312 in the NCAA RPI rankings. By 2012, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was 21-11 and No. 82 in RPI. 

Potts has deep ties to West Texas. She graduated from Amarillo High School (about 15 minutes from West Texas A&M's campus in Canyon), played volleyball at West Texas A&M and was an assistant coach at West Texas A&M before becoming head coach. 

With the 2015 founding of the Corpus Christi Force Volleyball Club, Potts had a hand in developing elite women's volleyball players who scattered throughout the nation for collegiate careers. Corpus Christi Force developed into a top-30 club program nationally and sent players to Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Creighton and more during her four years as director. 

Potts had a standout playing career for West Texas A&M, finishing as a three-time All-American and the Lone Star Conference's all-time assists leader. In four seasons as a Buffaloes assistant coach, the team went 131-27 (.829) and 42-3 (.933) in conference play.

GCU is coming off its best season in program history. The Lopes went 23-8 and 13-3 in WAC play, entering the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed before ending top-seeded Stephen F. Austin's 18-match win streak. GCU appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time.  

Kendra and her husband, Jim, have three children: Ella, Easton and Elizabeth.
 

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