Lopes fall to No. 1 Ohio State in front of record crowd

Friday, February 24

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

9-6

Ohio State

16-0

Ohio State

Grand Canyon

Lopes fall to No. 1 Ohio State in front of record crowd

2/24/2017 7:34:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Josh Hauser

PHOENIX - In front of the largest crowd to ever witness a Grand Canyon men's volleyball game, the Lopes claimed the second set but fell to No. 1 Ohio State in front of 2,604 fans at GCU Arena on Friday night. The Lopes fell to 9-6 overall and 5-2 in MIVA play. Ohio State improved its winning streak to 39 games, dating back to last year's national championship season.

"We showed some resiliency tonight and executed about 80% of the match," head coach Matt Werle explained. "Ohio State did a nice job establishing their middles, which is something we weren't focused on going in and had to make some adjustments."

After falling behind 1-0, Grand Canyon comfortably won the second set. In the middle of the game, the Lopes went on a quick 5-0 spurt that extended an 8-6 lead to a 13-6 advantage. GCU went on to win the set 25-17. The Lopes hit a scorching .476 for Set 2 compared to just .258 for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State hit the ground running on Friday night, taking early leads of 5-1 and 15-9 before going on to win the first set 25-19. GCU scored three of the final four points in the first, taking the momentum into the second set.

The Buckeyes claimed tightly-contested third and fourth sets to put the match away. GCU held a 24-23 edge in the third with a chance to take a 2-1 set lead, but the Buckeyes scored the final three points to gain the one-set advantage themselves.

GCU trailed 24-21 in the fourth set, but feeding off the momentum from a raucous crowd, the Lopes pulled within a point at 24-23. Ohio State sealed off the match victory to win the set 25-23 and the game 3-1.

"Our guys just can't take plays off to beat a team like this," Werle added. "We will get back to the drawing board in the morning and make our adjustments for Sunday's match. The crowd was great and we are greatful. Hope to see a packed house on Sunday!"

Grand Canyon and Ohio State finish off the two-game series on Sunday afternoon, as the matchup shifts across campus to Antelope Gym. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. MST.