No. 5 Lopes' 14-match win streak ends on road

Friday, February 24

Malibu, Calif.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

14-1, 3-1

Pepperdine

10-6, 2-2

Grand Canyon

Pepperdine

Photo by: Zach Campbell

2/24/2023 3:39:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

Lopes falter down stretch in 5-set loss, split with No. 7 Pepperdine

By: Jerob Moon

MALIBU, Calif. – The No. 5 Grand Canyon men's volleyball team suffered its first loss of the season, ending its 14-match winning streak by falling 3-2 at No. 7 Pepperdine on Friday.

The Lopes (14-1, 3-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) were in control of the match when they took the first two sets, but like Wednesday's match, the Waves (10-6, 2-2 MPSF) won the third and fourth sets and this time prevailed in the fifth set, winning 15-9.

The first two sets were all GCU, as they won 25-20 and 25-23. Not only was the GCU offense in rhythm with .475 hitting with just four attacking errors, the defense collected 18 digs and 7.5 blocks to limit Pepperdine to .203 hitting.

In the first set, the Waves jumped out to a 7-3 lead, but the Lopes responded with a 7-2 run to regain the lead at 10-9. GCU outside hitters Camden Gianni and Christian Janke each had two kills in the run, as they went on to led the Lopes in scoring with 14 and 12 kills, respectively. GCU regained the lead at 11-10 and never gave it back, ending the first frame on a 4-2 run.

The second set was back and forth with Pepperdine leading 7-4, only to see GCU go on another 7-2 run to take the lead back at 11-9. Down the stretch, the score tightened with GCU leading 23-22 after an Anderson Fuller kill. A kill by middle blocker Rico Wardlow kill gave the Lopes set point and outside hitter Jackson Hickman finished off a 25-23 win with a kill.

The Waves began their comeback with a dominant third set, winning 25-16. The Lopes lost their offensive rhythm, hitting just .083 while Pepperdine found its hitting at .500 while relying on its one-two punch of outside hitter Jaylen Jasper and middle blocker Akin Akinwumi. The two seniors combined for 40 of the Waves' 55 kills while adding four aces and seven blocks.

The fourth set was close down the stretch as both teams traded runs. The Lopes went up 18-16 on a 3-0 run, but the Waves regained the lead with three consecutive points. A key 5-2 GCU run was capped off by a kill from Hickman to give the Lopes two match points at 24-22, but the Waves scored three in a row to take a 25-24 lead. Gianni tied up the match with a kill in the next rally, but the Waves scored the next two points to win the set 27-25.

The fifth set was all Pepperdine, which took an 8-2 lead. GCU had four kills and four attacking errors on 10 attempts while Pepperdine hit .500. GCU senior middle blocker Colin Lovejoy was a nice spark off the bench collecting two kills in the set, but the Waves closed out the match by winning the deciding set, 15-9.

The Lopes will return to GCU Arena next week for the start of a 10-match homestand against No. 8 BYU on March 3 and 4.