Depth, maturation dispatch UCSD in 3 sets

Sunday, January 29

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

6-0,0-0MPSF

UC San Diego

4-6,0-0Big West

UC San Diego

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Zach Campbell

1/29/2023 5:08:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

Hickman continues rise with team-high 12 kills; No. 9 GCU moves to 6-0

By: Paul Coro

The next step in the aspirations of a national top-10 men's volleyball team is for Grand Canyon to add a complete match to its undefeated start.

But in starting 6-0 for the first time in the program's history, No. 9 GCU showed another stride in its maturation for a 25-19, 25-19, 25-23 sweep of UC San Diego on Sunday at GCU Arena.

After winning the first two sets, the Lopes slipped into a 6-1 hole to open the third set. After a time out, GCU roared back with six unanswered points capped by junior middle blocker Rico Wardlow's block and two kills.

But that was not even the Lopes' best volleyball, which they saved to take the lead for good later in the third set. Trailing 17-14, a 5-0 run started with GCU sophomore setter Nicholas Slight connecting with junior opposite Jackson Hickman for a quick-strike kill.

"It felt like the best we've played in a long time," Hickman said of the stretch.

The momentum picked up on the next point with sophomore libero Jordan Lucas' diving dig leading to Hickman laying out for a bump that set a back-row kill by junior outside hitter Camden Gianni, playing his second set of the season after a back injury.

Nicholas Slight

By the time Slight's backward set gave senior outside hitter Christian Janke a blistering kill and Hickman served successive aces, GCU led 19-17 and later closed out the match on another Hickman left-side kill.

"We talk quite a bit as a team when you build big leads, the time is to push and build something bigger with more separation," Lopes head coach Matt Werle said. "We're struggling with that right now. A guy like Jackson Hickman has the ability to take over a match, which is awesome to see. Jackson sold out and did everything he could to make sure we weren't going to a fourth set."

Hickman, at 6 feet 4, is showing off his offseason weight room work, extra summer training with Slight and intensified confidence with a team-high 4.03 points per set and .393 hitting.

With a team-high 12 kills and three aces Sunday, the Boulder Creek High School graduate has recorded double-digit kills in each of his five appearances this season after doing so twice last season in a spark-plug bench role.

"It's been a whole journey for me," Hickman said. "I love the team and have come a long way. I couldn't have done it without my whole team.

"The more work I do in the summer, the better my mind feels in the system. It's like a safety net for me."

Hickman picked up five kills and two blocks in the first set, when GCU hit .556 to overcome spotting UCSD an 11-7 lead with four service errors. Three consecutive Hickman kills on Slight assists took the lead at 16-13 with a Wardlow block making it a 4-0 run.

Rico Wardllow

Wardlow, a junior middle blocker who transferred from Purdue Fort Wayne, added six kills on .750 hitting with three blocks.

"We knew offensively he was going to be a force," Werle said of Wardlow. "It's just a matter of Nic Slight using him at the right times to succeed. Blocking, which was a little bit of a liability for him in years past, really no longer is. He's made some great changes."

Janke, last season's All-American second-team honoree, delivered 10 kills as part of Slight's 27-assist match.

"We have some weapons across the court," Werle said. "If we're serving and passing well and our serve/receive gets us in system, we can go any of four ways and all of those options are going to be able to score for us. That makes us balanced across the net and unpredictable at times."

GCU is amid a nine-day stretch with six matches, including Tuesday and Wednesday night matches against Lees-McRae with a venue change to Antelope Gymnasium before a weekend home pair with UC Irvine.

"At no point today did I think we were going to lose that match," Werle said. "I was just curious the fashion we were going to win it in. I think we're getting much more businesslike in these matches.

"These guys are in such a good head space and excited to build our reputation nationally. We want to see what we can make happen and try to make this year as special as possible."