King makes history in defeat

Saturday, February 17

Phoenix, Ariz.

4 P.M.

Grand Canyon

11-5, 1-3

Stanford

3-11, 1-2

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Stanford	23	25	25	25	3
Grand Canyon	25	21	16	19	1

2/17/2018 7:06:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

Ashton King became GCU's all-time leading blocker in the 1-3 loss to Stanford

By: Alex Nash

PHOENIX – Grand Canyon men's volleyball team fell to Stanford on Saturday 1-3, ending their four game home stand. Set scores were 25-23, 21-25, 16-25 and 19-25. The loss drops GCU to 11-5 on the year while Stanford improved to 3-11.

"I am very disappointed with our mental toughness as of late." Head coach Matt Werle commented after the match. "We are not making easy plays that we are so capable of making."

Though the Lopes lost, there were some positive story lines that came out of the match. Ashton King finished with three blocks bringing his career total blocks to 370, a mark that is now best in program history.

We have a new blocks KING! Ashton King and his 370 total blocks now sit atop GCU's record books ?? #LopesRising?? pic.twitter.com/Nm76kPLVmo
— GCU Men's Volleyball (@GCU_MVolleyball) February 18, 2018

This match also gave Lopes fans a small glimpse into the program's future which looks bright. Freshman Trevor Weary made his GCU debut and capitalized on his opportunity. The 6'7 outside came in late third set and started the fourth recording five kills and two blocks with a .625 hitting percentage. David Kisiel also had a late impact on the match, coming in during the fourth set and netting two kills on two attempts to go along with a dig.

"Trevor Weary and David Kisiel did not shy away from their opportunity tonight." Added Werle. "They both have very bright futures in this program. I would like to congratulate Ashton King on setting the new blocking record for our program. He has worked extremely hard in his four years and deserves this honor."

As a whole, Stanford outplayed the Lopes in every category except digs, which GCU led 28 to 18. The offense was led by Shalev Saada with 16 kills and Cody Williams who added nine. Puna Kaniho led with 26 assists before Zachary Melcher came in, adding 13 of his own. On defense, King led with three blocks while Sky Engleman had another double-digit digs performance with 10.

The first set had Stanford with a 5-1 lead out of the gate. From there the two sides would set the tone for the night, each using runs to fuel their offense. Will Schwob landed a kill to tie the match and Kaniho added one of his own to give GCU their first lead. Stanford would take the lead back for a short time but back-to-back Saada kills ended their comeback and gave the Lopes a 25-23 set win.

The two sides carried momentum into the second set, keeping the score tight. There were seven ties throughout until Stanford used a 3-0 run late to pull ahead for good. While GCU hit .375 during the set, the Cardinal would hit at a .722 mark and played with no errors. Match tied, 1-1.

Stanford used the efficient set to springboard their run, hitting at .429 and .483 during the last two sets bringing their overall to .489. The Lopes would be held to a negative mark in the third, warranting some changes. Enter Weary. The freshman made an impact quick as a part of a huge triple-block along with King and Luke Turner. He would go on to start the fourth and final set helping the Lopes attack back on track. Even with Weary's spark and King's record setting block coming at the 10-13 mark, the Lopes could not sustain momentum and would fall, 1-3.

Looking ahead

GCU hits the road for two MPSF matches before taking a week off. The Lopes will travel to Irvine and Los Angeles, California to face Concordia and USC. The Concodia match will take place on Thursday Feb. 22 and USC will happen on Saturday Feb. 24. Both matches are set to start at 6 p.m. (MST).