Lopes seek two conference wins at McKendree

FRIDAY, MARCH 10
6:00 PM MST \| Melvin Price Center \| Lebanon, Ill.
GRAND CANYON LOPES	at	McKENDREE BEARCATS

	GCU
SATURDAY, MARCH 11
6:00 PM MST \| Melvin Price Center \| Lebanon, Ill.
GRAND CANYON LOPES	at	McKENDREE BEARCATS

PHOENIX – With a 6-4 record in conference play, and two upsets over nationally ranked opponents, the GCU men's volleyball team finds itself in control of its own destiny. This weekend, the Lopes travel to Lebanon, Illinois for two matchups with the McKendree Bearcats. Grand Canyon can begin to secure home court advantage in the MIVA playoffs as six games remain on the schedule.

"Our matchup with McKendree this weekend is very important as one of our goals is to host conference playoff matches," GCU head coach Matt Werle said. "We like that our destiny is in our hands at this point with six MIVA matches left."

Last week, GCU split contests with then-No. 11 Ball State. The Lopes were swept in three sets on Wednesday and then defeated BSU in five sets on the following night. Shalev Saada and Matthew Kinnebrew have led the Lopes recently as both hitters are averaging more than 2.5 kills/set. Grand Canyon has won six of their last nine matches.

Scouting McKendree
McKendree has a record of 7-12 this season, with a 2-4 mark in MIVA play. Most recently, the Bearcats defeated Saint Francis in four sets and were swept by George Mason. In conference play, McKendree was victorious over Quincy and Lindenwood, both of which GCU has defeated twice.

"McKendree is a well-coached and very athletic team," Werle added. "Their graduate assistant is a former GCU setter, Keith Smith, so that will help them have a nice game plan going in. We, as a staff, keep preaching that we need to earn everything, nothing is just handed to us. We are going to have to play better this weekend than we did at Ball State. It is going need to be more focused, aggressive and our attention to details within the match needs to be improved."

Last year, McKendree and Grand Canyon split matches in Antelope Gym. The Lopes were upset in five sets on the first night, then won decisively in the second contest, sweeping the Bearcats in three sets.

This weekend, both contests can be watched live on the GLVC Sports Network and live stats will be available on the team schedule. The first contest will begin at 6 p.m. MST on Friday, March 10 and the second will again start at 6 p.m. MST on Saturday, March 11. Both games will be played at the Melvin Price Convocation Center in Lebanon, Ill.

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Kinnebrew

Shalev Saada

Grand Canyon University Athletics