ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Grand Canyon men's volleyball team wrapped up a 3-0 weekend at the Lindenwood Invitational with a straight-set win over Quincy on Sunday.
The Lopes (6-2) collected their fifth straight victory with a 25-18, 25-17, 25-14 win over the Hawks (2-6) that made them the tournament co-champion with UC San Diego. Sophomores
Heath Hughes, a setter, and
Kyle Thompson, a middle blocker, were named to the All-Tournament Team.
"We are proud to take care of business on this trip," GCU head coach
Matt Werle said. "We were able to get a lot of guys on-court experience and I am pleased with their performances. We look forward to being back home on Wednesday and are excited to start conference play on Saturday."
Sophomore opposite
David Kisiel led the Lopes with six kills and one block. Three Lopes picked up five kills apiece in the match: senior outside hitter
Jack Burton, sophomore opposite
Hugo Fischer and freshman outside hitter
Grayson Browning. Browning went five for six in kills for a .833 hitting percentage, while Burton and Fischer recorded one service ace and one block assist.
Fischer made an early impact for the Lopes in the first set, collecting three kills in GCU's first four points of the match. The Hawks competed, keeping the score close until the Lopes went on a 10-2 run to go up 16-8. Quincy responded late in the set with a 5-0 run to close the gap to 18-15, but the Lopes pulled through thanks to two more kills and an ace from Fischer. Burton finished the set with a kill for a 25-18 set win.
The Lopes carried the momentum into the second set, leading Quincy 6-2. The teams traded four-point runs and the Hawks worked to close the gap to 12-11. GCU responded with a 7-2 run to lead 19-13. The Lopes pushed through to take the set 25-17, led by Kisiel's six kills and a block.
An early 7-2 lead gave GCU a strong start in the final set. Quincy attempted to come back, matching the Lopes point for point to stay close at 11-7, but a three-point run for GCU kept the Hawks from rallying. The Lopes won 25-14 with five kills from Browning, including one on match point.
GCU returns home to take on Benedictine on Wednesday at Antelope Gymnasium. First serve will be at 6 p.m.