Career Night for Muys, Dugan, Posse Lead GCU To Win

Friday, November 22

Antelope Gymnasium

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

11-19

Abilene Christian

6-17

Abilene Christian

Grand Canyon

Senior setter Jessica Posse had a career-best 15 digs and tied a career high with 35 assists in a win over Abilene Christian Friday.

Photo by: Darryl Webb

11/22/2013 10:44:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Saturday's Senior Night Match With Incarnate Word Starts at 7

It may not have been the start Grand Canyon was looking for, but it liked the finish.

After dropping the first set, Grand Canyon (11-19) won the next three to take a 3-1 non-conference victory over Abilene Christian (6-17), like the Antelopes in the first year of its transition to NCAA Division I athletics, at Antelope Gymnasium Friday.

GCU junior outside hitter Shannon Dugan had her third straight double-double and tied her career high with 21 kills. Senior right side hitter Lanie Muys had a career-best 18 kills and senior setter Jessica Posse tied a career high for assists with 35, while setting an all-time best in digs with 15.

Muys hit .516 for the match, the best for an Antelope all season. She had just two errors on 31 tries. Dugan had 21 kills for the second straight night tying the mark she set last night for GCU's most in a four-set contest.

Posse tied her mark set in a five-set win at Chicago State on Sept. 28. It, too, is the most for an Antelope setter this season. Posse and Dugan are tied for the team lead with six double-doubles.

Mackenzie Phelps had 35 digs, her fourth 30-plus dig match of the season. With one match remaining, 7 p.m. tomorrow against Incarnate Word at Antelope Gym, Phelps has 630 digs on the year, 31 shy of her single-season school mark set last season. She already holds the program's all-time record for digs with 1,852.

GCU set two single-season four-set marks with 63 kills and 93 digs.

"Our main goal tonight was to have a high level of consistent play," said GCU coach Kris Naber. "I felt like we started doing that in the second set. We also wanted to be able to come back when the other team made a good play. We didn't want to panic, we wanted to answer. We did a great job of doing that, also in sets three and four."

After dropping the first set, GCU led the majority of the remaining three sets. After three ties and lead changes each in the first set, there were only three more ties and two lead changes the rest of the match.

Dugan had 16 kills in the last two sets. Phelps had an amazing 15 digs in the first set alone.

Off the bench, Hayleigh Friemoth sparked the Antelopes. Entering the match in the second set, Friemoth had nine kills, hit .276 (9-1-29), had 13 digs and a pair of service aces.

"She's a competitor and works hard," added Naber.

Frosh Bree Davis tied a career high with three block assists to go with 19 assists on kills. Kristen Johannsen chipped in eight kills and six blocks, including three solos. GCU had more blocks (9-3), kills (63-41) and digs (93-75). Fifteen of ACU's kills were in the first set.

Grand Canyon wraps up its season with Senior Night 7 p.m. Saturday against Incarnate Word. Prior to the match, the Antelopes will honor Muys, Posse, Johannsen, Kaitlynn Ausmus and Megan Davis.

GCU 3, ACU 1