LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Sam Houston Bearkats' run in the WAC Tournament came to an end on Friday night in the semifinals as Grand Canyon swept its way into the championship match at the Pan Am Center.
 
It was the second time the Lopes (19-6), the No. 5 seed in the tournament, swept the Kats (18-9) this season. They will take on the winner of No. 6 Stephen F. Austin and No. 7 Utah Valley in the tournament finals on Saturday night.
 
GCU hit .202 for the night and held Sam Houston to just .176 hitting, but dominated at the service line and at the net. The Lopes served up 13 aces to just one for Sam Houston in the match and held a 7-2 advantage in blocks, negating a night that saw the teams draw even with 35 kills apiece.
 
Ashley Lewis and Catherine Krieger led Sam Houston with nine kills apiece, while Breanne Chausse had seven. Jenna Roberson led the Kats with 17 assists and Morgan Janda had 16, while Hannah Baker finished with 13 digs.

Grand Canyon took control of things early with an 8-0 run in Set 1 and never let up, getting a 25-20 win in the opening set and then using a 5-1 run late in Set 2 to grab a 2-0 lead before holding the lead for the majority of the third set.
 
The loss puts to an end the Kats' fourth consecutive winning season and a year that saw them claim the WAC Southwest Division title, the program's first title since 2012.