GCU Wins Four-Set Thriller Over Lindenwood

Thursday, April 11

Antelope Gym

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

15-14, 6-7

Lindenwood

19-11, 5-8

Lindenwood

Grand Canyon

Keith Smith (12) had 57 assists, one shy of his career high in Thursday's 3-1 win over Lindenwood.

Photo by: Darryl Webb

4/11/2013 8:55:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

Led by a pair of 20-plus kill performances from outside hitters Ben Ponnet and Jordon Tarantino and a double-digit effort from second-time starter Bob Houser, Grand Canyon rallied from a first-set loss to defeat Lindenwood 3-1 in a Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association match at Antelope Gymnasium Thursday.

GCU won by set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 31-29 and tied a school mark, set last season, by winning their 15th match. The Antelopes are 15-14 overall and 6-7 in the MIVA. Lindenwood dropped to 19-11 and 5-8. GCU is in fifth place in the conference with one match remaining. GCU and Lindenwood play again on the Antelopes’ Senior Night, 6 p.m. Saturday.

The Antelopes will honor Tarantino, libero Trent Bruns and early-graduate Jared Goldberg.

“I’m really proud of our toughness,” said GCU coach Jeremy Price. “Coming off four losses, which is the longest losing streak we’ve had, and playing a very good Lindenwood team.”

Ponnet tied his career-high with 23 kills. He also had 23 in a Jan. 23, 2012 match at Hawai’i. Tarantino had his second-straight 20-plus kill match and fifth straight double-digit performance. He finished with 22. He holds the school mark of 25, accomplished during the 2011 season at NYU. Houser had played only 12 sets this season and had totaled 14 kills prior to his 13-kill effort Thursday.

All three of the outsides hit over .300. Houser was at .393 (13-2-28). Ponnet hit .326 (23-8-46) and Tarantino .311 (22-8-45). The team hit .288 with 64 kills. Setter Keith Smith finished one shy of his career high in assists with 57.

“Once we got going on offense our passing got better and Keith kept finding the hot hitter,” said Price, who was also happy with the defensive performance, getting 48 digs and 11 blocks.

Bruns finished with 14 digs. Tarantino had nine and Ponnet added eight. Tarantino and Connor Dougherty, who came off the bench late in the second set, each had four block assists. Ponnet and Ryan Mather each had a pair of service aces.

GCU 3, LWU 1