Lopes thrive in 5

Thursday, April 4

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 P.M

Grand Canyon

13-14, 3-8

BYU

12-11, 6-6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
BYU	25	25	25	22	14	2
Grand Canyon	19	27	19	25	16	3

4/4/2019 10:03:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

GCU improves to 8-2 in 5-set matches, defeating No. 11 BYU

By: Alex Nash

When the Grand Canyon men's volleyball team goes five sets, good things happen. GCU took No. 11 BYU the distance and came out victorious on Thursday night by scores of 19-25, 27-25, 19-25, 25-22 and 16-14.

GCU (13-14, 3-8) improved to 8-2 in five-set affairs in front of a standing-room-only crowd in Antelope Gym. BYU (12-11, 6-6) had the edge in most statistical categories on the night but a Lopes comeback effort was the difference maker.

"As young as we are as a team, we're really experienced in five sets," GCU junior middle blocker Caleb Blazer said. "We've proven we know how to win when it comes down to the wire."

The Lopes were led by sophomore opposite David Kisiel's 23 kills on a .415 hitting percentage but had contributions from all over the court. Freshman outside hitter Christian Janke recorded 16 kills on a robust .522 hitting mark while adding two aces and nine digs. Blazer came in during the third set and had an instant impact, leading the team with six blocks. Redshirt freshman setter Tanner Petchul had himself a night, recording a career-high 55 assists while pacing the Lopes to a .311 team hitting percentage.

BYU had two players in double-digit kills with Davide Gardini recording 26 and Gabi Garcia Fernandez adding 17. Felipe de Brito Ferreira led the match in total blocks with nine.

GCU had to fight from behind all night after dropping the first and third sets. The team bounced back to take Set 4 and closed things out in the fifth after trailing by as many as four.

The Cougars jumped out to a 5-1 advantage after an ace. GCU responded by tying things at 11 after a Janke kill but could not build on the momentum. It was the service game that defined the first set as BYU landed another ace to take the set, capitalizing on five Lopes service errors.

Determined to respond, GCU came out in the second set and tied things at five, this time behind a BYU service error. The Cougars kept the pressure on, however, and secured the next two points. From there, the two sides traded 14 straight points until BYU finally strung two consecutive together for a 15-12 advantage. The Lopes kept their heads up as senior outside hitter Will Schwob capped off a 3-0 run, forcing BYU to take a timeout with its lead cut to 18-17. A battle followed with each team trading points until kills from middle blockers Alex Shmelev and Ian McLain had the score reading 23-23. Kisiel came out with a kill but both sides followed with four straight service errors. With a one-point advantage in hand, Schwob went up and landed a kill to end the set and tie the match.

The third set resembled the first from the very beginning as BYU jumped out to a 5-1 lead, capped off by an ace. The Lopes went on to trail by as many as six after three straight Cougar points made the score 17-11. GCU showed its fight and Blazer made his presence felt with two blocks, alongside Kisiel and Janke to have the score read 21-18 in favor of the visitors. Strong defense wasn't enough as BYU went on to secure four of the next five points and the set.

As they have all year at home, the Lopes kept battling. The fourth set did not see a two-point lead until a block had the score at 10-8, BYU. Kisiel kept swinging and tied things up at 11, but GCU did not hold a lead until Blazer paired up with Janke for a block to give the home side a 16-15 advantage. BYU responded with two points to retake the momentum, but it would not stay after Janke responded to a Cougar service error with an ace. Back-to-back Kisiel kills gave GCU a two-point edge and it was all that was needed. BYU came within one at 23-22, but a Kisiel kill and a timely solo block from Shmelev sent the match to a decisive fifth set and Antelope Gym into a frenzy.

Things did not look good for the Lopes in the fifth as another BYU ace had the home side trailing 10-6. As they had been all night, Kisiel, Blazer and Janke's numbers were called. Kisiel landed a kill and teamed up with Blazer for a block while Janke landed three kills of his own until the score read 12-11, BYU. The Cougars came close to fighting off a GCU comeback when they landed the next point, but the Lopes stayed focused. BYU was called for a ball-handling error and Janke took advantage with a kill and a block alongside Shmelev to put a period on the comeback.

The Lopes will stay at home for their final regular season match on Saturday when No. 9 Stanford comes to town. The match will serve as senior night, honoring Schwob and Shmelev before first serve at 6 p.m..