Grand Canyon leads early but falls to No. 6 Lewis

Friday, January 27

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

3-4

Lewis

6-1

Lewis

Grand Canyon

1/27/2017 5:45:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Josh Hauser

PHOENIX - Despite holding a 2-0 advantage early, Grand Canyon fell to No. 6 Lewis in five sets in front of 948 fans at Antelope Gymnasium on Friday night. GCU lost the high-intensity match by scores of 23-25, 18-25, 25-19, 28-26 and 15-13. It was a tough defeat for the Lopes who had a match-point opportunity in the fourth set. The game against the Flyers marked the fourth match against a top-10 nationally-ranked opponent to date in the young season.

"Tonight was a great match to be a part of," head coach Matt Werle noted. "The environment was what men's volleyball is all about. We have the Havocs to thank for that! This was a nice showing of resiliency on our part. I am proud of the way the team competed from start to finish. We had opportunities to win and just couldn't make that timely play to put Lewis away."

Ashton King hit .467 on the night and finished with 10 kills and 10 blocks for GCU. Luke Turner and Matthew s. Kinnebrew led Grand Canyon with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Michael Milstein racked up 47 assists, again setting a season-high. Sky Engleman recorded 11 digs.

In a decisive fifth set, the Flyers used a 5-0 run to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 9-5 lead. Lewis led by as many as six in the set before the Lopes strung together a few points to cause the Flyers to spend both timeouts. However, after pulling within a point at 14-13, GCU fell just short when all was said and done, dropping the set 15-13 and the game 3-2.

The Lopes claimed the first two sets and had another full crowd rocking at Antelope Gymnasium. Grand Canyon and Lewis traded points in a tightly-contested first set with neither side leading by more than three. King's accuracy led the Lopes as the redshirt junior was a perfect 4-for-4 on attacks in the set.

A key point in the match came when the Flyers appeared to grab a 24-23 lead, but after a lengthy discussion, the officials decided to replay the point. The moment represented a shift in momentum, as the Lopes won the point on a diving dig by Shalev Saada and kill by Kinnebrew. Instead of Lewis having a set point opportunity, the Lopes were the ones to take the 24-23 lead and force a Lewis timeout. On the ensuing point, Mitch Perinar's attack went straight into net and the Lopes claimed the victory. Grand Canyon scored four of the final points in the set, while the Flyers were plagued by five service errors.

In set two, Grand Canyon used the momentum from the first set win to come out on fire. The Lopes led 7-4 early, and maintained a modest lead throughout much of the second set. After the Flyers drew within a point at 15-14, the Lopes scored four of the next five points to take a 19-15 lead and force a Lewis timeout.

After a diving dig by Drake Silbernagel and kill by Kinnebrew, the Lopes took a 23-18 lead and put the set out of reach for Lewis. The Lopes sealed it with a service ace and set-clinching kill from Turner.

Lewis controlled the third set, leading from wire-to-wire. Grand Canyon pulled as close as three points late, but the Flyers took the victory.

A back-and-forth set number four ultimately went the way of the Flyers, as Lewis knotted the match at two wins a piece. Grand Canyon held a 25-24 lead with the opportunity to clinch the match victory, but a Lewis timeout calmed the Flyers who went on to win 28-26. Lewis outside hitter Mitch Perinar ended the match with a game-high 27 kills.

"Perinar attacked really well for them," Werle noted. "We tried showing a couple different looks but it didn't seem to slow him down. We have struggled the second match of our previous two match outings, so we hope to correct that trend on Sunday."

Last season, GCU claimed one win over a top-10 opponent in six tries.

Grand Canyon and Lewis take a day off from game action before returning to the floor on Sunday. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. MST at Antelope Gymnasium.