Ex-conference foe returns to GCU

Friday, March 8

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 P.M.

Grand Canyon

Loyola Chicago

Photo by: Takashi Sato

3/7/2019 12:00:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Lopes to face former MIVA opponent Loyola-Chicago

By: Alex Nash

The Grand Canyon men's volleyball team will take a break from conference play but not its tough schedule when No. 9 Loyola-Chicago comes to Antelope Gym for matches on Friday and Saturday.

The Lopes (7-11) and Ramblers (13-4) are no strangers, having played 16 times in GCU's history. Before the Lopes transitioned to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation last season, the two sides faced off twice a year in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

However, GCU's youth can be seen in the fact that only one Lope, Jack Burton, has faced off against Loyola, totaling five sets and one dig. On the other side, the Ramblers' Colin Mahan will remember playing the Lopes, totaling 16 sets, 49 kills and three aces on a .417 hitting percentage.

GCU is coming off a hard-fought, four-set loss to No. 6 UCLA last Friday. The Lopes battled with the MPSF leader but came up short by just two points in each of the final sets at GCU Arena.

Freshman outside hitter Christian Janke led the Lopes on all fronts against the Bruins. The Carlsbad native had 13 kills and eight digs, just two away from his third double-double this season. Sophomore opposite David Kisiel kept his MPSF tear alive with 13 kills and is fourth in the conference for kills per set (3.90) during MPSF play.

The Lopes defense continues to be the story this season. GCU currently leads the MPSF in opponent hitting percentage and has held 12 of its 18 opponents under their season averages. Freshman libero Cole Udall has played a key role in stopping opposing offenses, especially in conference play. The libero is averaging 2.15 digs per set, ranking second in the MPSF. He is the only freshman in the top 15.

The Lopes got back to their blocking ways against UCLA, tallying five solo blocks and 14 assists for a total of 12, marking a season high in a four-set match. Junior middle blocker Caleb Blazer saw the court in all four sets for the first time since going down with an injury on Jan. 20. Senior middle blocker Alex Shmelev continued his strong play, factoring into five blocks for the third time in as many games.

This weekend will be the second and third matches in GCU's seven-game homestand. Next week, MPSF foe No. 11 USC and no-conference opponent No. 14 George Mason come to town.

SCOUTING:

Loyola-Chicago | Friday/Saturday, 6 p.m. | Phoenix, Ariz. | Antelope Gym

Loyola-Chicago is one of the top offensive teams in the country. The Ramblers are top five in the NCAA for kills per set (second), assists per set (second) and team attacks per set (second). Setter Garrett Zolg currently leads the NCAA in assists per set with 11.46 and is the reason why the Ramblers are hitting at a .322 clip. The Rambler attack is a balanced one, thanks to 100-plus kills from five players with Collin Mahan leading the way (227). Mahan recorded his 1,000th career kill last weekend, becoming the 13th player in program history to do so. His career numbers against GCU include 16 sets, 49 kills, .417 hitting percentage and three aces. This will be the 17^th meeting between the Ramblers and the Lopes with Loyola leading the series, 14-2.