3 nights, 3 sweeps for Lopes

Saturday, March 10

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 P.M.

Grand Canyon

15-6, 2-4

Mount Olive

11-9, 7-2

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Mount Olive	23	24	21	0
Grand Canyon	25	26	25	3

3/10/2018 8:52:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

GCU defeated Mount Olive in straight sets for ninth consecutive set win

By: Alex Nash

PHOENIX – Three nights, three matches, three sweeps for Grand Canyon men's volleyball team after taking down Mount Olive on Saturday night in Antelope Gym. GCU took straight sets by scores of 25-23, 26-24 and 25-21. The Lopes increase their win streak to four and move to 15-6 while the Trojans fall to 11-9.

"We set a goal going into the weekend and we accomplished it; we did not lose a set." Said head coach Matt Werle. "This match was a lot closer than it should have been and our blocking again, was not what it should be. However, I am pleased with our serving and passing tonight. Some of our guys are getting into a nice rhythm from the service line."

Compared to Friday night, the match and stats were closer but the result stayed the same. The Lopes led in every category except blocks in which they were outdone 13 to five. GCU recorded 51 kills, 47 assists, 38 digs and six aces on the night.

Cody Williams continued his hot-streak, leading the Lopes in multiple categories which included 17 kills, two aces, three blocks and a .444 hitting percentage. Cullen Mosher added double-digit kills with 11 and split the aces lead with two of his own. The Lopes hitting percentage improved every set and was paced by Zachary Melcher and Puna Kaniho who split setter duties, each recording 20+ assists. Sky Engleman led GCU's reception with 13 digs while Ashton King teamed up with Williams to split the lead in blocks with three.

Unlike the night before, GCU found themselves trailing early in the match as the Trojans held a 1-4 lead. Mosher responded on behalf of the home team with back-to-back kills followed by an ace, tying the set. From there, a battle ensued with both sides trading leads and forcing ties. Mount Olive found themselves with an 18-19 lead until Melcher used a deceptive attack to swing momentum. A Trojan error and a triple block from King, Melcher and Williams built on the Lopes momentum and would be enough to win the set following a Williams and Caleb Blazer block.

The battle carried over into the second set as seen by an early 5-5 score. GCU used a 3-0 run to pull away but UMO responded with a run of their own and the set went back to square one. Just as the previous set, the Trojans claimed an 18-19 lead and would not yield until the set point. Down by one, a Mount Olive service error tied it, Mosher landed a kill to give the Lopes the lead and a triple block from Mosher, King and Shalev Saada ended it, giving the Lopes a 2-0 match advantage.

GCU came out swinging in the third, determined to accomplish their goal set forth by coach Werle. The Lopes trailed only once in the set, going down 3-4 but quickly retook the lead after a Blazer kill. Each squad used scoring runs to either put distance on a lead or close the gap until Williams and Saada landed consecutive kills to end the set and the match, 25-21 in the Lopes favor.

Always looking to improve, Werle added "We need to be a lot better next weekend and play every point with the intensity and mindset of a match point."

Looking ahead

The Lopes hit the road again for the second half of MPSF play, traveling to Los Angeles for tilts against No. 2 UCLA and No. 7 Pepperdine. With MPSF seeding on the line, GCU looks to rebound in conference play with the matches starting at 7 p.m. and 5 p.m. (MST) respectively.