No. 2 UCLA flips momentum to win at No. 5 GCU

Friday, March 31

Phoenix, Ariz.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

21-3,6-3MPSF

UCLA

22-2,7-0MPSF

UCLA

Grand Canyon

3/31/2023 9:25:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Paul Coro

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Lopes became 1st conference team to win set vs. the Bruins this season

By: Paul Coro

GCU Arena was a pot with all the ingredients available to cook up one of the Grand Canyon men's volleyball program's best wins Friday night.

With a crowd of 1,821 fans for No. 5 GCU vs. No. 2 UCLA, a first-set victory and more extra points in the second set, the Lopes were bringing the recipe to a boil until the Bruins asserted themselves and their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation lead.

GCU (21-3, 6-3 MPSF) became the first team to win a set against UCLA (22-2, 7-0 MPSF) in conference play this season when they used their sixth set point to prevail 31-29. But the Bruins took the ensuing sets 27-25, 25-20 and 25-13 to set a 4 p.m. Saturday rematch for Senior Day.

"It seemed like two separate matches," GCU head coach Matt Werle said. "We showed up the first two sets and brought some energy. It was almost like when we dropped that second set, we lost all fight and all will. It was like that was our chance, and it seemed like we kind of gave up."

Phoenix, AZ March 31 : GCU drops their match against UCLA 3 sets to 1 at GCU Arena. (Photo by: David Kadlubowski/GCU)

Phoenix, AZ March 31 : GCU drops their match against UCLA 3 sets to 1 at GCU Arena. (Photo by: David Kadlubowski/GCU)

After senior Christian Janke and junior Camden Gianni pounded from the pins and the back row for seven kills each in the first set, the match's style of back-and-forth play carried over to the second set with neither team scoring on its serve until UCLA led 11-9.

Trailing 15-11, the Lopes scored five consecutive points with sophomore setter Nicholas Slight capping the run with an ace, GCU's only one of the match.

"We came out super strong," said Slight, who delivered 49 assists for his highest four-set total of the season. "Our guys were firing from the start, and then they just kept applying pressure. That will hurt a team. We just have to learn to sustain for the whole game."

GCU junior outside hitter Jackson Hickman tallied five of his 12 kills in the second set, which the Lopes led 20-19. At that stage, UCLA emerged from a timeout with a 4-1 run and never trailed in any set again.

The Phoenix, AZ March 31 : GCU drops their match against UCLA 3 sets to 1 at GCU Arena. (Photo by: David Kadlubowski/GCU)

Lopes tied the second set at 24-24 and 25-25 before the Bruins' top hitters on the night, middle blocker Merrick McHenry (14 kills) and outside hitter Ethan Champlin (15 kills), recorded consecutive kills to even the match.

The third set remained tight early, but UCLA exerted its command to lead 18-13 and win 25-20 in a set of eight GCU attacking errors.

"As a unit, we just lost focus and lost the grittiness," Werle said. "We know that UCLA is a very good team. Our execution needs to be flawless. We don't need to play outside of ourselves. We just need to be ourselves and trust that we can win."

The momentum buried the Lopes in the fourth set, when the Bruins bolted to 5-1 and 11-3 leads and cruised to a 25-13 victory on .480 hitting.

GCU entered the game with the third-best hitting percentage in the nation at .367 and hit .400 for its winning first set before hitting .265 for the tight second set. But the Lopes plummeted to clips of .100 and .190 in the third and fourth sets, respectively. The Lopes recorded a season-low two blocks.

"They've been relentless in games all year," Werle said of his team. "We've been down a number of sets, and they find a way to make plays. But against a team like this, you can't dig yourself those holes because they're just too good. They're going to keep building and building and building, and that's when the doubt sets in.

"If we play our game, we know we can compete. The disappointing thing tonight is not about the loss. It's about how we lost. It's hard for us to leave with our chins held high and making eye contact with teammates, fans and family."

Saturday's GCU-UCLA rematch also will be Senior Day, when Janke and fellow seniors Grayson Browning, Jacob Guerber, Colin Lovejoy and Cole Udall will be recognized. The match should be a large draw again for a top-five matchup. Outside of BYU and Hawaii, GCU Arena staged three of the nine matches that drew more than 1,800 fans for men's volleyball this season.