GCU Falls to No. 1 USC

Friday, March 27

Phoenix, AZ

7:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

USC

Alex Goodman

Photo by: Darryl Webb

3/27/2015 11:05:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

Competing against the number one team in the country, the Grand Canyon University sand volleyball team (5-4) were defeated in a 5-0 sweep by USC (12-0) tonight in Phoenix, Ariz.

"We had a really nice crowd today with great fan support," said head coach Jose Lugo. "It's always great to have the number one team in the country come to your place, so getting this opportunity was something we were looking forward to and the fact that we had such a good crowd supporting our athletes, we couldn't have asked for anything better."

GCU's number three pair Brooke Razo and Alex Green battled in a close match against Eve Ettinger and Meg Norton.

"I think Brooke and Alex Green played a really strong match," Lugo explained. "Every time I looked up, I saw those guys just diving for balls all over the place and making crazy athletic plays. It was a tight match."

Becca Conrad and Alex Goodman also played a competitive match as the number five pair. They fell short 21-16, 21-19.

"Becca and Alex Goodman also played a really tight match," continued Lugo. "Those two are playing a really great level of volleyball. You just have to get after it and play really hard. I thought both of those team in particular did exactly that. They put themselves in a position to be in striking distance."

"They're a great team and it was awesome to have them here," concluded Lugo. "Their staff was fantastic and did a really nice job today with their team. They were also very complementary of our program—especially the crowd support we were getting and the venue. I think we were able to show a team like that that we can put on a great event. It's really nice to hear that from them because they don't have to say anything like that. They told us that they haven't played anyone that has been as fast as us, which is a huge compliment to both our kids and the program. It was just a great experience and a great match."

USC 5, GCU 0

Sara Hughes/Kelly Claes (USC) def. Kenzie Phelp/Shannon Dugan (GCU) 21-18, 21-5
Sophie Bukovec/Alexa Strange (USC) def. Molly Turner/Emilee Erichsen (GCU) 21-11, 21-19
Eve Ettinger/Meg Norton (USC) def. Alex Green/Brooke Razo (GCU) 21-18, 21-14
Jenna Belton/Nicolette Martin (USC) def. Kaitlynn Ausmus/Megan Glennie (GCU) 21-17, 21-19
Bria Russ/Jo Kremer (USC) def. Alex Goodman/Becca Conrad (GCU) 21-16, 21-19