GCU blocks but Barton prevails

Friday, January 18

Lebanon, Tenn.

2 P.M.

Grand Canyon

3-3

Barton College

1-2

Barton College

Grand Canyon

1/18/2019 5:10:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

Lopes had a NCAA-best 21.5 block performance, fall in 5 to Barton

By: Alex Nash

LEBANON, Tenn. - No. 15 Grand Canyon men's volleyball came out on the wrong side of a hard-fought battle to kick off the Grow the Game Challenge, falling to Barton College in five sets on Friday night.

The Lopes can draw from many positives in the match, including setting a national season high for team blocks with 21.5. Set scores were 27-29, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 15-13.

GCU (3-3) started hot thanks to, what would be the story of the night, timely blocks. However, a determined Barton team (1-2) fought back to force the tournament's first-ever fifth set and took take the match narrowly.

Everything about the match was close but it was GCU that had the edge on the stat sheet. The Lopes led in kills (63), hitting percentage (.201), assists (61), digs (43) and blocks (21.5). Barton led in aces with seven to GCUs' six.

Freshman outside hitter Christian Janke continued to lead the Lopes attack, notching 21 kills on a .273 hitting mark and added 10 digs for his second double-double of the season. Senior middle blocker Alex Shmelev was effective on both sides of the court, recording 14 kills on a robust .455 hitting percentage to pair with two aces and seven blocks. Junior middle blocker Caleb Blazer followed up his season-high block performance last match by setting a new career high with 12. Jack Burton and David Kisiel also had good nights, with Burton tallying eight blocks and Kisiel adding nine kills. Freshman libero Cole Udall led the team in digs with his second double-digit dig performance of the season, recording 11.

The first set was a small preview of how the match would play out with both teams trading blows and leads. Barton came out strong to start, securing seven of the first 10 points. A 4-0 GCU run, powered by a Shmelev ace and kill, would tie the match to start the back-and-forth play. With the score reading 18-17 in favor of the Bulldogs, freshman setter Heath Hughes made his GCU debut. Hughes stepped up to the service line with the Lopes trailing by one but would leave with a one-point lead after a GCU triple-block. Shmelev would give the Lopes a chance at set point with an ace but Barton fought to tie it at 27. Shmelev responded, teaming up with Burton for a set-winning block at 29-27.

Shmelev and Burton kept it going in the second set, teaming up for another block that gave GCU an early 7-4 lead. Barton used a 4-0 run to respond and the tango continued. The Bulldogs went ahead by three but seniors Will Schwob and Shmelev answered with kills and the score read even at 15. Neither side would budge until GCU used another triple-block to take the lead and didn't look back. Blazer and Schwob closed out the set, teaming up for a block to take the 2-0 match lead.

This match was too close for it to end in a sweep and the Bulldogs made sure it wouldn't. Barton used its most efficient sets of the night, hitting .318 and .231 in sets three and four to force the decisive fifth set.

It was no surprise that the fifth set was an all-out battle. Following two Kisiel kills, the set was tied at 11-11. GCU took its first lead at 13-12 but Barton responded as it did all match to score the final three points and get the reverse sweep.

GCU will need a short memory to prepare for a match with an old Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association foe, Lindenwood, on Saturday night. First serve is set for 7 p.m. (Phoenix time).