UC Irvine prevails at GCU for 7th straight win

Friday, September 16

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

6-4,0-0WAC

UC Irvine

7-2,0-0Big West

UC Irvine

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Zach Campbell

9/16/2022 9:28:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Lopes fall in 3 sets to Anteaters, face Titans on Saturday

By: Adrianna Candelaria

Beach Night was anything but fun in the sun for the Grand Canyon women's volleyball team, as UC Irvine defeated the Lopes 25-14, 25-22, and 25-19 for its seventh consecutive victory on Friday night.

"Tonight was difficult, working around injuries and getting creative with lineups," GCU head coach Tim Nollan said. "We had some bright spots with Mel (Melanie Brecka) and Mac (McKenzie Wise) attacking, but we need to get better on the defensive side of the ball."

Wise, a sophomore outside hitter, led the Lopes in kills (12) while freshman libero Tatum Thomas led the team in digs (11) and junior setter Ava Mason topped GCU in assists (16) before a GCU Arena crowd of 1,327 fans.

But the Anteaters (7-2) made quick work of the match, hitting .400 while the Lopes (6-4) struggled offensively at .192.

Although the Lopes were shut down early in the first set, they bounced back in the next set. With an opening kill from Wise, GCU took control and even led UC Irvine deep into the set at 15-14 with eighth ties along the way.

Unfortunately, once the Anteaters grabbed a16-15 point advantage, the Lopes spent the remainder of the set chasing UC Irvine, only tying the score twice before its conclusion.

An 0-2 deficit wasn't enough for the Lopes to roll over, as they fought to contend in the final set.

After trailing 4-0, the Lopes strung together a crucial four-point run to eat into UC Irvine's 15-8 lead with senior setter Klaire Mitchell at the service line. A kill from junior outside hitter Ashley Lifgren, a kill from graduate student Melanie Brecka, an attack error by the Anteaters and a block from sophomore middle blocker Syndey Reed competitively position themselves at 15-12. However, the momentum remained with UC Irvine to close out the match.

"A big thank you to all those who came to Beach Night and made noise; the crowd was great tonight," Nollan said. "Tomorrow, we regroup and go again."

The Lopes host Cal St. Fullerton Saturday at 6 p.m. (Phoenix time) on Saturday at GCU Arena.