Defense delivers in 3-1 win

Saturday, April 2

Phoenix, Ariz.

4 p.m.

Grand Canyon

16-9,6-4MPSF

Stanford

10-11,2-6MPSF

Stanford

Grand Canyon

4/2/2022 7:23:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Lopes tally season-high 16 blocks in 4-set win

By: Jerob Moon

The Grand Canyon men's volleyball team kept the good times at home rolling with a 3-1 win over No. 12 Stanford at GCU Arena on Saturday.

The Lopes (16-9, 6-4 MPSF) did it all against the Cardinal (10-11, 2-6 MPSF) hitting .325 offensively while recording a season-high 16 blocks in their seventh consecutive home win.

GCU was balanced in the offense attack with three players recording double-digit kills for the second time in three matches while middle blocker Kyle Thompson provided the defense with a career-high with seven blocks.

The first set was all GCU in a 25-20 win. The Lopes hit a match-high .577 in the frame while recording just two errors. It was a balanced GCU offense attack with junior opposite Hugo Fischer leading with five kills while junior outside hitters Camden Gianni and Christian Janke each added four kills. Up 9-8 the Lopes went on an extended 10-3 run to put the set out of reach 19-11 with all 10 of the GCU points coming off kills. The Cardinal made a late push at the end of the set to cut the deficit to just three before a Stanford service error ended it.

Stanford would respond with a 25-21 second set win ending GCU's 16-set win streak at home. Cardinal outside hitter Will Rottman carried the team with 13 of 33 kills in the set as he hit .478 and raised the Stanford team hitting percentage to .306. GCU's offense slipped as the team hit just .161 but four blocks kept them in it late with the score tied 19-19. Stanford would buckle down and close out the set on a 6-2 run with Rottman collecting three kills and the set-ending block.

The GCU defense was turned up a notch in a 25-20 third set win. The Lopes tallied four blocks while forcing the Cardinal into 10 attacking errors and just 13 kills for a .100 hitting mark. GCU jumped out early to a 9-6 lead, but Stanford closed the gap late trailing 19-18 before junior setter Nicholas Slight, junior middle blocker Colin Lovejoy and Thompson collected blocks in back-to-back plays. Gianni's service ace put the Lopes at match point and a Stanford service error handed the Lopes the set.

The Lopes would close the match out in a hard fought 27-25 fourth set. Both teams were nearly identical in on the stat sheet with GCU inching ahead of Stanford in hitting percentage and blocks while the Cardinal outpaced the Lopes with 19 digs. The Lopes held their biggest lead of the set at 14-10 but Stanford answered with a 6-2 run to tie up the score.

Thompson gave the Lopes match point at 24-23 but a Rottman kill sent the set into extra points. Lovejoy would deliver in the clutch with a kill to give GCU a 25-24 lead and later finished the with his eighth kill after Stanford gave GCU match point off a service error at 26-25.

Gianni, Janke and Fischer shared the team lead with 10 blocks while Slight finished with 39 assists.

The Lopes will have a week off before their final matches of the regular season against USC on April 15 and 16 in GCU Arena.