Huge matchups with No. 1 Ohio State this weekend

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24
6:00 PM MST \| GCU Arena \| Phoenix, Ariz.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES

	GCU
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26
1:00 PM MST \| Antelope Gymnasium \| Phoenix, Ariz.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES

PHOENIX – It's not common that a Grand Canyon athletics program has the opportunity to host the defending national champion and current No. 1 team in their sport. The GCU men's volleyball team will have just that chance this weekend. The Ohio State Buckeyes, currently on a 38-game winning streak, travel to Phoenix for two matches with the Lopes on Friday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

"This is a weekend we have been looking forward to," head coach Matt Werle expressed. "Ohio State is the heavy favorite with their balance offensively and weapons from the service line. We are highly educated on their tendencies and it will come down to our attention to detail and execution."

The Lopes have found their stride as of late, winning their last five matches. Grand Canyon put together two decisive three-set wins over Benedictine Mesa and California Lutheran last Saturday to extend their winning streak. GCU is 5-1 on their home court this season, and also 5-1 in conference play.

A trio of hitters lead GCU in kills this season. Ashton King, Shalev Saada, and Drake Silbernagel have all amassed more than 100 kills this year. Michael Milstein runs the offense, dishing out 481 assists and Sky Engleman is the commander of the defense, leading GCU with 127 digs. Engleman will play a crucial role in defending the potent OSU offense this week.

Scouting Ohio State
Ohio State is ranked first in the MIVA while Grand Canyon is tied with Loyola for second place. The Buckeyes are 15-0 this season and have not lost a game since February 6, 2016, a five-set loss to Ball State. OSU has won 84% of their sets during the winning streak, and will be looking to break the all-time MIVA winning streak set by Loyola at 40 games.

"The past couple weekends we have focused more on our side of the net, but this weekend we will have to do that as well as make them uncomfortable," Werle added. "We will need to cut their service runs down and be resilient from start to finish. We will hope to use the home court to our advantage and fight from the first point to the last. The Lopes are ready for this challenge!"

Last season, the Lopes dropped two matches to the Buckeyes in Columbus. GCU was able to steal a set in the second contest, and will be looking to steal more this season. An upset of the Buckeyes would be the biggest win in program history.

The first match with Ohio State will be played at GCU Arena on Friday at 6 p.m. Antelope Gymnasium will host the second contest with the Buckeyes on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games can be streamed live on GCU's Youtube page.

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Players Mentioned

Sky Engleman

Ashton King

Michael Milstein

Shalev Saada

Drake Silbernagel

Grand Canyon University Athletics