Quick turnaround as Lopes face Ball State this week

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1
6:00 PM MST \| Worthen Arena \| Muncie, Ind.
GRAND CANYON LOPES	at	BALL STATE CARDINALS

	GCU
THURSDAY, MARCH 2
6:00 PM MST \| Worthen Arena \| Muncie, Ind.
GRAND CANYON LOPES	at	BALL STATE CARDINALS

PHOENIX – Two days after nearly upsetting the No. 1 team in the country, GCU travels to face another top league opponent in No. 11 Ball State University. The Lopes will play the Cardinals back-to-back this week on Wednesday and Thursday.

"This week is going to be a real test for us," head coach Matt Werle stated. "We had the luxury of having two weeks to prepare for Ohio State and now we have a quick turnaround with only two days to educate ourselves and prep our bodies after this emotional weekend."

Grand Canyon pushed Ohio State further than any other team has this season. The Lopes held a 10-8 advantage in Set 5 against the Buckeyes before eventually falling to the defending national champions. Shalev Saada and Matthew Kinnebrew stepped up in the matches as each hitter tallied double-digit kills in both games.

Scouting Ball State
Ball State has a record of 13-4 this season and is ranked the No. 11 team in the NCAA. The Cardinals are 5-3 in conference play and are tied for fourth place in the MIVA with Grand Canyon. BSU has won their previous two games, over Quincy and Lindenwood, both on the road, to boost their national ranking. The Cardinals are 6-1 at home this season.

"Ball State is a program with a long history of success," Werle added. "They have depth and show some different looks. We have to maintain the same attention to detail as this past weekend and keep progressing forward. We still don't have a lot of respect from the coaches around the country so that lack of respect is getting our guys fired up. I expect both of these matches to go the distance."

Last season, the Lopes and Cardinals split matches. On the first night in Antelope Gym, the Cardinals took a five set win over GCU. The result was reversed on the following night as the Lopes edged out a five-set victory during the second matchup.

This year, the first contest will begin at 6:00 PM MST on Wednesday and is available for streaming on www.ballstatesports.com/watch. On Thursday, March 2, the second game will also begin at 6:00 MST. Both matches will be played in Worthen Arena.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Matthew Kinnebrew

Shalev Saada

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