Lopes Earn 3-2 Victory Over Charleston Southern

Friday, September 11

Phoenix, Ariz.

10 a.m.

Grand Canyon

0-7

Gonzaga

5-2

Gonzaga

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Darryl Webb

9/11/2015 9:32:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

PHOENIX – The Grand Canyon University women's volleyball team opened their home season with a pair of matches against Gonzaga and Charleston Southern in the GCU Classic. In the morning match, the Lopes fell 3-0 to Gonzaga, before facing Charleston Southern in a 3-2 battle to earn their first win of the season.

"Over the course of the last two weeks, we've played a pretty challenging schedule which I felt we saw benefit of that's today, both in the loss to Gonzaga and in the win over Charleston Southern," said head coach Kris Naber. "I'm extremely proud of the entire group today for facing challenges and overcoming obstacles on our side of the court. They are beginning to see what they are capable of."

After being down eight points in the first set against Charleston Southern, GCU made a strong comeback to win the opening set 28-26. They won set two 25-16, before Charleston Southern battled back to win the next two sets 25-18, 25-20. The Lopes secured the win with a decisive 15-7 victory in the final set.

Natalie Tardy led GCU with 20 kills, followed closely by Katrice Pond's 17 kills and Jordyn Sanchez's 15. Setter Michelle Steagall recorded 45 assists.

"We had a some freshman that I thought did really well today," explained Naber. "I thought Haley Glass was solid in the win against Charleston. Her ball control is something we can count on consistently. Katrice was great with her ability to skill points both in system and out of system."

"It was nice to see Natalie raise her level consistently today and take command of the ball, take some risks, and see those pieces come together," continued Naber.

Against Gonzaga, GCU fell 25-13 in the first set, but had a strong presence in the second and third (25-23, 25-21) that forced the Bulldogs to fight for their victory.

Tardy picked up 11 kills during the match, while Steagall picked up 26 assists.

"It was a team effort tonight," said Naber. "The bench provided the energy that the girls needed in sets three and four and leading into set five. I thought set five against Charleston Southern we were very disciplined in every aspect of the game. That's where we want to be when we come back to the gym tomorrow."

The Lopes will continue the competition in the GCU Classic Saturday at 4 p.m. against Niagara. For fans unable to attend, live stats and a full recap will be available at www.gculopes.com.