Lopes topped at USC in playoffs

Saturday, April 13

Los Angeles, CA

7 P.M.

Grand Canyon

13-16

USC

17-9

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Grand Canyon	17	19	22	0
USC	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Katie Severns

4/13/2019 9:20:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Ally Schellhase

LOS ANGELES – The Grand Canyon men's volleyball team's season ended Saturday night after dropping three sets to No. 5 USC in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation quarterfinal with scores of 25-17, 25-19 and 25-22.

Freshman outside hitter Christian Janke led the 15th-ranked Lopes with eight kills while opposite David Kisiel contributed seven. Senior Alex Shmelev concluded his career with a .667 hitting percentage and led GCU with two service aces. Freshman setter Tanner Petchul gathered 14 assists, followed by middle blocker Ian McLain with 11 of his own.

The Trojans (17-9) led in all team categories, including 40 kills and 10 aces. The Lopes (13-16) managed to lead in digs and total blocks with 10 and 5 1/2, respectively.

The Lopes and Trojans stayed neck and neck in the first set, keeping it tied 7-7 with the help of three kills from Kisiel. A few service errors on both sides kept the score knotted at 12. A USC kill from Jack Wyett gave the Trojans the ball and Ryan Moss served a pair of aces to pull ahead, 19-16. GCU took a timeout and Janke gathered one more kill but USC closed out the first set with two kills.

GCU continued its effort in the second set with two kills from Janke and one from McLain to tie the set at 5-5. USC answered by going on a three-point run but a kill from Shmelev put the ball back into the Lopes' hands. A GCU service error and a USC ace forced the Lopes to take a timeout after trailing by four, 10-6. The Trojans extended their led to five with two kills, a service ace and a GCU attacking error. Shmelev and freshman opposite Hugo Fischer attempted to close the gap but the USC offense stayed strong, topping off the second set 25-19.

The third set was a battle for the Lopes, as they managed to grab the lead early after USC committed three attacking errors and a service error. The Trojans closed the gap with a pair of kills but an attack from Janke kept the score tied at 12-12. GCU and USC continued to fight back and forth until two consecutive aces from Shmelev put the Lopes ahead by three and forced a Trojan timeout. The lead did not last long, a pair of USC kills and a service ace tied the game again at 20-20. USC took the lead after a GCU attacking error and the Lopes took a timeout. The break didn't prove successful for the Lopes as the Trojans' offense collected three kills to finish the match.