Balanced Lopes tip Texans with 55 kills in 3 sets

Saturday, October 19

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

13-6,6-2WAC

Tarleton State

6-15,1-7WAC

Tarleton St.

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Nate Cochran

10/19/2024 7:05:00 PM | Volleyball, Paul Coro

Box Score

4 GCU players reach double-digit kills in a 3-setter for D-I era 1st

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon did not play in Global Credit Union Arena, but Saturday's venue might be more like home than the arena where the Lopes play every other match.

GCU staged a Throwback Day in Antelope Gymnasium, the 30-year-old facility where the Lopes practice daily across three courts. GCU tilted its match to one main court Saturday and tilted the scales of the conference match with its third-best hitting of the season to top Tarleton State 25-22, 25-20, 25-21.

The Lopes (13-6, 6-2 WAC) hit .295 against the Texans with four GCU players reaching double-digit kills in a three-set match for the first time in the program's 12-year Division I era.

Led by graduate outside hitter Ashley Lifgren's season-high 16 kills, the Lopes' double-kill quartet also included junior outside hitter Tatum Parrott with 12 kills and junior outside hitter Anaelena Ramirez and senior middle blocker Trista Strasser with 10 kills each.

"This was one of the cleanest matches that we've played so far this year," GCU head coach Kendra Potts said. "We've been below 15 kills per set recently. We've been trying to get that kill number up, and we were above 15 kills in all three sets. The growth was awesome to see."

The Lopes more than doubled their 27-kill total from Thursday's loss at UT Arlington by tallying 55, which was GCU's highest three-set total since Nov. 6, 2021, against Utah Tech.

Trista Strasser

Strasser has established a noted net presence with the nation's 12th-best block total entering Saturday, but the 6-foot-4 Texas native put 10 kills, three blocks and three aces on the Texans to even her kill and block totals at 98 and hit 20 aces for the season.

"Our team is very balanced, and everyone can contribute in their own way," Strasser said. "Kendra always talks about the 1/17th. So whether you're on or off the court, everybody has to do their 1/17th to be part of the (17-player) team."

Tarleton State opened with its best stretch of the match, taking a 6-1 lead until GCU grinded to stay close and took its first lead at 12-11 with a Parrott ace. Lifgren then teamed with Strasser on a block and added a kill for a 14-11 lead that the Lopes would not relinquish until the Texans rallied to a 24-24 tie.

That is when Lifgren, who hit .351 and added 12 digs, rocketed back-to-back kills to close the 26-24 first set.

"I liked how patient we were," Potts said. "We had a lot of chances to attack, and we didn't become high-error. It looked like the girls played confidently all night long."

The second set lacked rallies until GCU stretched a 17-15 lead to 22-15 with an alternating run of Ramirez right-side kills and Strasser aces. Graduate setter Ava Mason back-set junior opposite Magdalena Juric for a deep kill that gave the Lopes a 25-20 set and 2-0 match lead.

Celebration

Strasser again flipped momentum in the third set, when she scored three consecutive GCU points off kills up the middle from freshman setter Taylor Kubacak, who delivered 31 assists. Strasser backed those kills with her third ace for a 12-9 lead that put the Lopes in control permanently.

Strasser scored four consecutive points later with a block and three kills, picking up Kubacak in air after the last point of the run put GCU ahead 22-19. Lifgren closed out the match with two kills on the Lopes' final three points, finishing a 25-21 set and treating the packed gym to GCU's sixth sweep victory of the season.

"I like it because it's smaller and more confined, so I'm seeing more familiar faces in the crowd," Strasser said of playing in Antelope Gymnasium. "That's super nice. It's so much louder, but it gets me pumped."

The win put GCU back on track with an intriguing nonconference diversion ahead. The Lopes will play a 6:30 p.m. Monday match at No. 13 Arizona State, which moved to 18-2 after consecutive sweeps against Texas Tech, Houston and Colorado.

The Lopes showed their ability to play top-notch teams when they pushed then-No. 12, now-No. 11 Oregon to five sets in Eugene, where the Ducks needed to stave off three GCU match points to win.

"I'm super-excited to play against a team like Arizona State, for our girls to be able to play those caliber of athletes and put themselves in the arena to fight," Potts said. "I know we're still thinking about how we could've beat Oregon. I know our girls believe."

The GCU-ASU meeting, which has not happened since 1990, will be played at Mullett Arena in Tempe with ESPN+ streaming.