Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, February 10
GCU Arena
1 p.m.
Grand Canyon
vs
King
Ben Ponnet had 44 kills in two matches at No. 13 Hawai'i and is ranked No. 9 in the nation in kills per set (3.97).
Canyon Spikers in Action at GCU Arena Friday, Saturday
2/9/2012 2:30:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
After a near two-week layoff without a match, Grand Canyon is back in action with four contests this weekend against King College and Johnson and Wales at GCU Arena.
The Antelopes (5-5) take on King (4-4) at 1 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday and Johnson and Wales (0-4) at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. King and Johnson and Wales play each other at 4 p.m. each day.
“It’s a demanding weekend with four matches in 30-plus hours,” said GCU head coach Jeremy Price. “It’s both a physical and mental challenge.”
GCU last played Jan. 27-28 in Honolulu against No. 13 University of Hawai’i. The Antelopes lost two tightly contested matches and have used the bye week and this week to help prepare for the next tough stretch in the team’s schedule.
“I feel like the bye week came at a good time,” said Price. “We’ve had a strong week and a half of practice and I feel we’re in a good place to launch the second part of our schedule.”
At 5-5, GCU has its best record after 10 matches in its brief three-plus years history. During the opening stretch, the team picked up a first-ever win over a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation team (UC San Diego) and set a new school mark for consecutive wins (five). It played seven of the 10 matches on the road and is 3-0 at GCU Arena.
“The areas we targeted for improvement over the last week and a half we feel we’ve got better,” said Price. “We need to continue to evolve in that direction.”
Five GCU players come into this weekend’s contests ranked among the nation’s statistical leaders. In the first installment of NCAA leaders, junior libero Trent Bruns leads the country in digs per set (2.97). Freshman middle blocker Ryan Mather is No. 4 in blocks per set (1.44). Sophomore setter Keith Smith is fifth in assists (11.24) and 14th in blocks (1.11). Sophomore outside hitter Ben Ponnet is ninth in kills per set (3.97) and junior hitter Jordon Tarantino ranks 21st (3.57).
Fans unable to attend can follow all six matches with live stats all the GCU matches with a live video feed. Links to the live coverage are on www.GCULopes.com.
GAME NOTES
The Antelopes (5-5) take on King (4-4) at 1 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday and Johnson and Wales (0-4) at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday. King and Johnson and Wales play each other at 4 p.m. each day.
“It’s a demanding weekend with four matches in 30-plus hours,” said GCU head coach Jeremy Price. “It’s both a physical and mental challenge.”
GCU last played Jan. 27-28 in Honolulu against No. 13 University of Hawai’i. The Antelopes lost two tightly contested matches and have used the bye week and this week to help prepare for the next tough stretch in the team’s schedule.
“I feel like the bye week came at a good time,” said Price. “We’ve had a strong week and a half of practice and I feel we’re in a good place to launch the second part of our schedule.”
At 5-5, GCU has its best record after 10 matches in its brief three-plus years history. During the opening stretch, the team picked up a first-ever win over a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation team (UC San Diego) and set a new school mark for consecutive wins (five). It played seven of the 10 matches on the road and is 3-0 at GCU Arena.
“The areas we targeted for improvement over the last week and a half we feel we’ve got better,” said Price. “We need to continue to evolve in that direction.”
Five GCU players come into this weekend’s contests ranked among the nation’s statistical leaders. In the first installment of NCAA leaders, junior libero Trent Bruns leads the country in digs per set (2.97). Freshman middle blocker Ryan Mather is No. 4 in blocks per set (1.44). Sophomore setter Keith Smith is fifth in assists (11.24) and 14th in blocks (1.11). Sophomore outside hitter Ben Ponnet is ninth in kills per set (3.97) and junior hitter Jordon Tarantino ranks 21st (3.57).
Fans unable to attend can follow all six matches with live stats all the GCU matches with a live video feed. Links to the live coverage are on www.GCULopes.com.
GAME NOTES
Senior Reflections
Wednesday, April 15
Baptized at GCU
Tuesday, April 14
Singles off BOTH bags. ONE inning. 🤯 #baseball
Sunday, April 12
HOMER from the DRONE 🥎 #collegesoftball
Saturday, April 11