GCU gets gritty 3-2 comeback win at BYU

Saturday, February 26

Provo, Utah

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

9-6,3-1MPSF

BYU

5-9,0-2MPSF

Grand Canyon

BYU

Photo by: Skyler Coblentz

2/26/2022 11:47:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

Janke ties GCU single-game record with 31 kills in victory

By: Jerob Moon

PROVO, Utah – The No. 9 Grand Canyon men's volleyball completed a weekend sweep over No. 13 BYU on Saturday night with a dramatic 3-2 win.

Facing a hostile crowd at Smith Fieldhouse, the Lopes rallied from a 2-0 deficit by winning the final three sets, including an 18-16 nailbiter in the fifth set. The match was close throughout with 50 ties and 11 lead changes.

GCU redshirt junior outside hitter Christian Janke was nearly unstoppable, tying the GCU single-game kills record with 31 while making just four attacking errors on 46 attempts. It was a career weekend for Janke, as he collected 52 kills in two wins against the Cougars.

With the victory, the Lopes (9-6, 2-1 MPSF) completed the regular-season sweep over BYU (5-9, 0-2 MPSF) for the first time in program history.

After last night's four-set loss to the Lopes, the Cougars came out energized and took the first set 26-24. GCU was only able to hit .185 while BYU countered with a .308 mark and nine kills from both Miks Ramanis and Davide Gardini.

The Cougars continued the pressure with a second-set win, again in extra points at 30-28. The Lopes improved offensively, hitting .333 while Janke collected 10 kills with no errors on 13 attempts. It was a close set that featured 18 ties and four lead changes, and the Lopes held a 23-22 lead. The Cougars won the next two points, but the Lopes saved match point to level the score at 24-24 to force extra points. BYU closed out the set off a GCU service error and an attacking error.

The Lopes began their comeback with a 25-22 third set. Janke continued his hot play, tallying seven kills on .875 hitting while no other Lope had more than two kills in the set. GCU jumped out to an early 6-3 lead and never gave it up as it outhit the Cougars .476 to .292. Janke gave the Lopes set point with a kill and redshirt sophomores Jacob Guerber and Jackson Hickman finished it off with a block.

GCU completed its comeback and tied the match score at 2-2 with a 28-26 fourth set. GCU hit over .450 for the second straight set while Janke and Hickman led the way with six kills each. Down 12-11, the Lopes scored five straight points and maintained the lead until having set points at 24-21. BYU scored three straight to tie it up. The score would flip-flop for the next four points before Hickman's kill and BYU's attacking error forced a fifth set.

In the fifth set, GCU had to go to extra points, yet again winning 18-16. The Lopes and Cougars traded blows and were tied at 10-10. GCU only won two of the next four points, as BYU jumped ahead 14-12 and held two match points. The Lopes buckled down as redshirt sophomore outside hitter Camden Gianni had back-to-back kills and redshirt junior middle blocker Kyle Thompson and redshirt freshman setter Nicholas Slight combined for a block to put the Lopes ahead 15-14.

The two teams alternated points to a 16-16 tie. Thompson closed it out with two straight kills to finish the set and the match for the team's first five-set win of the season.

Gianni added 15 kills and Thompson had a season-high 12 while Slight collected 56 assists.

The Lopes will travel to No. 1 UCLA for two matches on March 3 and 4.