1st NCAA tourney trip ends in 4-set battle

Tuesday, May 2

Fairfax, Va.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

22-8,6-6MPSF

Long Beach State

21-4,9-1Big West

Grand Canyon

Long Beach St.

Photo by: Rafael Suanes/NCAA

5/2/2023 6:07:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

GCU won 1st set, nearly tied match at 2-2 with Gianni's 18 kills

By: Paul Coro

FAIRFAX, Va. – The thrill of reaching its first NCAA tournament and the exhilaration of winning the first set Tuesday night subsided by the match's end for Grand Canyon.

The rugged reality of a season-ending, four-set loss to Long Beach State sent the Lopes out of EagleBank Arena, but junior All-America second-teamer Jackson Hickman stopped, turned and stared back at the sports' ultimate postseason scene with regret for the result and resolve to return.

NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship - Game 2 - Grand Canyon vs Long Beach State

"It was hard, between being grateful and being disappointed in what happened," said Hickman, the outside hitter who delivered 13 kills. "We were proud of what we put out there.

"Now we have a new hump to get over."

The Lopes (22-8) were one of the final six men's volleyball teams in the nation standing in Fairfax, advancing the program as a national name and making last year's national runner-up buckle a bit before winning 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23.

GCU sent out senior outside hitter Christian Janke and his program-changing class with a stamp that the Lopes belong among the nation's best, whether it was proving that with its dominant 19-11 finish to the first set or threatening to force a fifth set until the final lunges of the fourth set.

"We can be proud," GCU head coach Matt Werle said. "We didn't execute the way we needed to execute, but we can leave here proud of the season.

"Being in this room on this stage feels way different than losing in the MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) tournament and not being here. The expectations do change, but also team makeup. We're going to do our best to be here every year."

Lopes junior Camden Gianni, playing his first year at opposite, finished with his second-best kill total of the season (18) against Long Beach State (21-4), a team that ranks second in the nation for blocks. The Beach lived up to that and then some Tuesday with 21 blocks, eight of which came from 6-foot-10 opposite Simon Torwie.

NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship - Game 2 - Grand Canyon vs Long Beach State

"Being in a spot that the program never has before and being surrounded by the guys who I started with and being able to look left or right to see the guys I love so much, I'm just so thankful for the opportunity," Gianni said in the postgame press conference, which Janke watched from the back of the room. "I wouldn't trade anything for what it is."

The Lopes emerged with tentative play in their first NCAA tournament appearance, falling behind 7-2 with the only points coming on Long Beach State service errors. With the margin the same at 11-6, GCU surged back by rattling off five answered points featuring kills by Janke, Hickman and freshman middle blocker Cameron Thorne.

GCU and Long Beach State exchange point for point from 11-11 to 18-18 before the Lopes took their first lead on Janke's ace and ultimately won the 25-22 set with sophomore Nic Slight's 13th assist (he ended with 49) for junior middle blocker Rico Wardlow's kill.

Long Beach State went from three blocks in the first set to 13 blocks in the second set, when the Lopes' hitting plummeted to minus-.031 and their digs dropped from 13 to six.

NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship - Game 2 - Grand Canyon vs Long Beach State

GCU led 7-6 in the third set on another of Wardlow's nine kills, but the Beach never trailed again in the set, although the Lopes closed the lead to 23-21 on sophomore middle blocker Colin Lovejoy's block.

After trailing to start each set, the Lopes took a 4-1 lead with their season on the line in the fourth set and did not trail until 12-11.

But with the Beach hitting .431 in the final stanza, even Gianni's seven fourth-set kills were not enough. Werle won a key challenge on a Wardlow kill to tie the score at 20-20 and Gianni retied the score at 21-21 before three consecutive Beach points.

The Lopes fought off two of the three match points, and Hickman made plays in the back row, reaching up high and then lunging with one arm to the side, in an attempt to stave off a clinching score. Beach outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis, who did not start because of illness, connected on the match winner for his 12th kill.

Long Beach State coach Alan Knipe, in his 18th season, advances with admitted relief after facing a GCU program that he has watched grow with admiration.

NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship - Game 2 - Grand Canyon vs Long Beach State

"It's a desirable place to go play volleyball," Knipe said. "The style of volleyball that Matt coaches is fun. They push the tempo with their offense. They're aggressive from the end line. He's getting good kids, and he's also getting good local kids. It's a tough place to play for opponents. He's got a good thing going. I'm excited for Grand Canyon, and it's good for men's volleyball."

Werle's postgame focus with his team stayed true to year-long messages about leaving anything they do in sports, academics and family life with pride. These Lopes continued the program's ascension with another building block toward their national championship goals.

"Everybody's thankful for that guy sitting right there, Christian, and all the seniors," Hickman said. "It is the expectation now, but those guys are definitely the core piece of why we're here today. I'm thankful for the seniors, and we're letting the underclassmen and everyone else know that this is where we are going to be."