Lopes Swept by No. 6 Long Beach State

Friday, April 10

Long Beach, CA

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Long Beach State

Brooke Razo

Photo by: Darryl Webb

4/10/2015 6:06:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

The Grand Canyon University sand volleyball (6-5) team was swept by No. 6 Long Beach State (9-3) today in Long Beach, Calif.

"We didn't quite come in with a strong sense of urgency," said head coach Jose Lugo. "Playing on the road is hard, particularly when the wind conditions are such that it forces you to do some things out of character. We needed to dial in a little more quickly, and when you don't do that with a strong opponent, they take advantage of opportunities."

The match featured several close games by the Lopes and one three-game match.

Brooke Razo and Alex Green put up a strong fight on court three, taking their match against Bre Mackie and Jenelle Hudson to three games. GCU fell just short in the opening set 21-18, but managed to make the 21-16 comeback in the second to force the third. The pair was defeated 15-10 in the final game.

"Brooke and Alex played a great match," explained Lugo. "I think they figured out how to manufacture some points in the conditions, and it helped them force the third game with a 21-16 win in the second. Those two did a nice job of staying on task for a long period of time, and it paid off, so that's something they can continue building off of."

The freshmen team of Emilee Erichsen and Molly Turner battled a tight match on court two, falling short 21-17, 21-18. Shannon Dugan and Mackenzie Phelps faced Long Beach State's number one pair in their 21-14, 21-18 defeat.

"There's a lot of volleyball left to play this weekend, so we have this evening to look at film and pick some things apart, so we can right the ship and play at a level which we are used to competing at the rest of the weekend," Lugo concluded. "It's going to be a great weekend for sand volleyball, we are looking forward to getting back on the sand in Hermosa."

The Lopes will continue their trek in California by competing in USA Volleyball's second collegiate tournament of the season at Hermosa Beach tomorrow. The squad will take on Loyola Marymount at 11 a.m. and Concordia-Irvine at 1 p.m. before starting the opening rounds of the pairs tournament. A full recap of the matches will be available at www.gculopes.com.

No. 6 LBSU 5, GCU 0

1. Delainey Aigner-Swesey/Chelsea Cabrajac, LBSU def. Mackenzie Phelps/Shannon Dugan, GCU 21-14, 21-18
2. Tyler Jackson/Anete Brinke, LBSU def. Emilee Erichsen/Molly Turner, GCU 21-17, 21-18
3. Bre Mackie/Jenelle Hudson, LBSU def. Brooke Razo/Alex Green, GCU 21-18, 16-21, 15-10
4. Andrea McHugh/Ciana Wagner, LBSU def. Kaitlynn Ausmus/Megan Glennie, GCU 21-9, 21-11
5. Rachel Nieto/Sammee Thomas, LBSU def. Alex Goodman/Becca Conrad, GCU 21-5, 21-17