Completed Event: Beach Volleyball versus SCE West Coast Championships on October 10, 2025 ,
Beach VB
vs SCE West Coast Championships
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Thursday, March 26
Phoenix, AZ
6 p.m.
Grand Canyon
3
vs
2
Nebraska
Phelps and Dugan Earned a 2-1 Victory Against Nebraska
Photo by: Darryl Webb
GCU Falls Short in Battle with Nebraska
3/26/2015 10:48:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
The Grand Canyon University sand volleyball team (5-3) fell short 3-2 in their contest against Nebraska (3-2) in Phoenix, Ariz.
"We were pretty excited to get another top-20 team to play against and Nebraska is very physical," said head coach Jose Lugo. "We know that from their indoor game and we knew that it was just going to be a question of how savvy they were on the sand to execute their game, so we knew that it was going to be a tough match."
The first win of the evening was earned by Becca Conrad and Alex Goodman against Mel Kiel and Alexa Ethridge. The match featured a long opening game with Conrad and Goodman snagging the 25-23 triumph. They secured the win with a 21-13 second game.
"Becca Conrad and Alex Goodman played, once again, a pretty flawless game," Lugo explained. "They just keep finding ways to beat their opponents, so this is two top-15 teams that they have beaten this season with their win over Hawai'i and tonight."
The Lopes' first pair, Mackenzie Phelps and Shannon Dugan, earned the second point in a tough three-game match. They faced off against Alicia Ostrander and Justine Wong-Orantes to win the opening game 21-14. The Huskers came back in the second to tie it up with a 21-18 win. Phelps and Dugan netted the final game 16-14 for their eighth victory this season.
"Shannon and Kenzie played a wonderful match," Lugo said. "I think this match is another one of those that will highlight their season and give them some consideration for the championship. They beat a good team and I'm really proud of their efforts."
The remaining three pairs for Grand Canyon fell short against the Huskers in two-game matches.
"We had some opportunities on the other courts," continued Lugo. "Our freshman pair at number two was battling at times and they were just riding that roller coaster a little bit with their experience. Nebraska does some things that are a little unorthodox because they don't generally happen in the sand game, so it takes some time to get adjusted to it and go. They played very well and were physical, so we needed to be more crisp with our execution."
"In the end, you hand it to your opponent and say, 'Well done,'" Lugo concluded.
GCU will continue their four-game home stand tomorrow against USC.
"We are without a doubt excited for our match against USC tomorrow," explained Lugo. "Any time you get to bring one of the top teams—and, in this case, the current top team—in the country to your place it's great for the visibility for our sport and gives the community here the opportunity to see two fantastic teams battle it out."
"USC is a team who has had a storied tradition from the indoor game and now they've established themselves as well in the sand game," Lugo continued. "We're really looking forward to having them on campus and it's a great team, staff, and coaches. Hopefully we can get another great environment like they had tonight, especially with the fans trickling in from the men's volleyball game. It will just be a great day of volleyball."
Tomorrow, the Lopes will host USC at 7:30 p.m. after the conclusion of men's volleyball's contest against Lindenwood. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the team. A full recap will be available at www.gculopes.com.
Nebraska 3, Grand Canyon 2
"We were pretty excited to get another top-20 team to play against and Nebraska is very physical," said head coach Jose Lugo. "We know that from their indoor game and we knew that it was just going to be a question of how savvy they were on the sand to execute their game, so we knew that it was going to be a tough match."
The first win of the evening was earned by Becca Conrad and Alex Goodman against Mel Kiel and Alexa Ethridge. The match featured a long opening game with Conrad and Goodman snagging the 25-23 triumph. They secured the win with a 21-13 second game.
"Becca Conrad and Alex Goodman played, once again, a pretty flawless game," Lugo explained. "They just keep finding ways to beat their opponents, so this is two top-15 teams that they have beaten this season with their win over Hawai'i and tonight."
The Lopes' first pair, Mackenzie Phelps and Shannon Dugan, earned the second point in a tough three-game match. They faced off against Alicia Ostrander and Justine Wong-Orantes to win the opening game 21-14. The Huskers came back in the second to tie it up with a 21-18 win. Phelps and Dugan netted the final game 16-14 for their eighth victory this season.
"Shannon and Kenzie played a wonderful match," Lugo said. "I think this match is another one of those that will highlight their season and give them some consideration for the championship. They beat a good team and I'm really proud of their efforts."
The remaining three pairs for Grand Canyon fell short against the Huskers in two-game matches.
"We had some opportunities on the other courts," continued Lugo. "Our freshman pair at number two was battling at times and they were just riding that roller coaster a little bit with their experience. Nebraska does some things that are a little unorthodox because they don't generally happen in the sand game, so it takes some time to get adjusted to it and go. They played very well and were physical, so we needed to be more crisp with our execution."
"In the end, you hand it to your opponent and say, 'Well done,'" Lugo concluded.
GCU will continue their four-game home stand tomorrow against USC.
"We are without a doubt excited for our match against USC tomorrow," explained Lugo. "Any time you get to bring one of the top teams—and, in this case, the current top team—in the country to your place it's great for the visibility for our sport and gives the community here the opportunity to see two fantastic teams battle it out."
"USC is a team who has had a storied tradition from the indoor game and now they've established themselves as well in the sand game," Lugo continued. "We're really looking forward to having them on campus and it's a great team, staff, and coaches. Hopefully we can get another great environment like they had tonight, especially with the fans trickling in from the men's volleyball game. It will just be a great day of volleyball."
Tomorrow, the Lopes will host USC at 7:30 p.m. after the conclusion of men's volleyball's contest against Lindenwood. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the team. A full recap will be available at www.gculopes.com.
Nebraska 3, Grand Canyon 2
- Kenzie Phelps/Shannon Dugan (GCU) def. Alicia Ostrander/Justine Wong-Orantes (NU) 21-14, 18-21, 16-14
- Amber Rolfzen/Kira Carson (UN) def. Molly Turner/Emilee Erichsen (GCU) 21-18, 21-13
- Kelly Hunter/Kadie Rolfzen (UN) def. Brooke Razo/Alex Green (GCU) 21-16, 21-15
- Anni Albrecht/Cissi Hall (UN) def. Kaitlynn Ausmus/Megan Glennie (GCU) 21-14, 21-12
- Becca Conrad/Alex Goodman (GCU) def. Mel Kiel/Alexa Ethridge (UN) 25-23, 21-13
Players Mentioned
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
GCU Men's Basketball vs. IU Indy - Postgame with Coach Drew
Tuesday, December 23
GCU Men's Basketball vs. IU Indy - Postgame with Jaden Henley, Makaih Williams
Tuesday, December 23
GCU Men's Basketball vs. IU Indy - Postgame with Jaden Henley
Tuesday, December 23
GCU Men's Basketball vs. IU Indy - Highlights
Tuesday, December 23