Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, January 8
Stockton, CA
2 p.m.
Grand Canyon
0-2
0
at
3
Pacific
2-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | 16 | 24 | 23 | 0 |
| Pacific | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
Freshman middle hitter Ryan Mather had seven kills, hit .308 and added two service aces and two block assists Sunday at Pacific.
Grand Canyon Drops Second Contest At Pacific
1/8/2012 3:32:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Grand Canyon fell to 0-2 with a 3-0 loss at University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif. Sunday.
GCU lost by set scores of 25-16, 26-24, 25-23.
The match was similar to Saturday’s contest with the Tigers. The ’Lopes found themselves in position to take the second and third sets, but fell just short. Saturday’s scores were 25-19, 25-23, 26-24.
“We have to learn how to finish close sets. We’ve been unable to finish (the last two days) and that’s very frustrating,” said GCU coach Jeremy Price. “We have to learn to finish against good teams.”
GCU didn’t lead in the second set, but forced ties at 19, 20, 21, 23 and 24, before a Tiger service ace ended the match. The ’Lopes led most of the third set, including a 21-28 advantage after a Ben Ponnet kill. Pacific came back to force a tie at 22. Jordon Tarantino had a kill to give GCU a 23-22 lead, but the Tigers scored the final three points of the match.
The Canyon offense showed improvement from the opener. After hitting .084 Saturday, GCU hit .202 Sunday.
Freshman middle hitter Ryan Mather had seven hits, a .308 average, two service aces and two block assists. Sophomore middle Connor Dougherty had eight kills and a .263 average. Outside hitter Tarantino led the club with 12 kills and hit .207. Also on the outside, Ponnet had eight kills and a .200 percentage.
“We improved offensively as the match went on,” said Price.
Libero Trent Bruns had a match-high 13 digs. Setter Keith Smith had 33 assists on 38 kills.
“We’re learning every time we step on the floor and we competed well,” added Price.
GCU ends its three-match road trip with an 8 p.m. contest Monday at UC Santa Cruz.
The home season begins at 6 p.m. Friday against NJIT.
Pacific 3, GCU 0
GCU lost by set scores of 25-16, 26-24, 25-23.
The match was similar to Saturday’s contest with the Tigers. The ’Lopes found themselves in position to take the second and third sets, but fell just short. Saturday’s scores were 25-19, 25-23, 26-24.
“We have to learn how to finish close sets. We’ve been unable to finish (the last two days) and that’s very frustrating,” said GCU coach Jeremy Price. “We have to learn to finish against good teams.”
GCU didn’t lead in the second set, but forced ties at 19, 20, 21, 23 and 24, before a Tiger service ace ended the match. The ’Lopes led most of the third set, including a 21-28 advantage after a Ben Ponnet kill. Pacific came back to force a tie at 22. Jordon Tarantino had a kill to give GCU a 23-22 lead, but the Tigers scored the final three points of the match.
The Canyon offense showed improvement from the opener. After hitting .084 Saturday, GCU hit .202 Sunday.
Freshman middle hitter Ryan Mather had seven hits, a .308 average, two service aces and two block assists. Sophomore middle Connor Dougherty had eight kills and a .263 average. Outside hitter Tarantino led the club with 12 kills and hit .207. Also on the outside, Ponnet had eight kills and a .200 percentage.
“We improved offensively as the match went on,” said Price.
Libero Trent Bruns had a match-high 13 digs. Setter Keith Smith had 33 assists on 38 kills.
“We’re learning every time we step on the floor and we competed well,” added Price.
GCU ends its three-match road trip with an 8 p.m. contest Monday at UC Santa Cruz.
The home season begins at 6 p.m. Friday against NJIT.
Pacific 3, GCU 0
Team Stats
GCU
PACIFIC
Kills
38
43
Errors
18
8
Attempts
99
86
Hitting %
.202
.407
Points
45.0
61.5
Assists
35
40
Aces
3
6
Blocks
4.0
12.5
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Tuesday, June 09
Tuesday, June 09
Tuesday, June 09
Monday, June 08