GCU sets conference wins record with 3-0 victory over Fort Wayne

Friday, March 17

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

13-8

Fort Wayne

5-16

Fort Wayne

Grand Canyon

GCU sets conference wins record with 3-0 victory over Fort Wayne

3/17/2017 8:38:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Samantha Fell

PHOENIX – The GCU men's volleyball team set a school record for most conference wins in an MIVA season on Friday evening, and the Lopes still have three league games remaining on the schedule. Grand Canyon claimed one of its most decisive victories of the season against Fort Wayne, winning by scores of 25-19, 25-16, and 25-17. The Lopes improve to 9-5 in conference play and 13-8 overall.

"Tonight was a great win for this team and this program," GCU head coach Matt Werle stated. "It has been a while since we won a match in three because we have a tendency to either start slow or let off the gas at some point. We won every first point of all the sets and that is a small goal of ours."

Every player that took the court for GCU had a good outing. Matthew Kinnebrew led the Lopes with 10 kills, two aces, three blocks and two digs for the night. Hitters Cody Williams, Ashton King, and Drake Silbernagel tallied seven kills each to help the GCU offense. Michael Milstein dished out 30 assists en route to the Lopes hitting an impressive .409 attacking percentage for the night.

In each set, GCU jumped out to an early lead. The Lopes had a 14-7 lead in Set 1, a 15-6 advantage in Set 2, and a 12-5 lead in Set 3. Fort Wayne was unable to recover in any of the sets. It was one of the most dominating performances of the season for Grand Canyon.

The Lopes outperformed the Mastodons in every statistical category. A main advantage was blocking as GCU put up 11 walls compared to only four for Fort Wayne. Led by six digs from libero Sky Engleman, GCU outpaced Fort Wayne 19-15 in digs and held the edge all contest defensively.

"This team has become supportive of one another's success and that leads to more success," Werle added. "I am very happy with how we played tonight, but this weekend is not complete yet!"

With the rest of campus on spring break, the Lopes still played in front of a rowdy crowd of more than 500 fans. GCU will need more support tomorrow night as it looks to complete the sweep of Fort Wayne in Antelope Gym at 6 p.m.