GCU sweeps Tarleton State for 2nd time this season

Saturday, November 2

Stephenville, Texas

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

16-8,9-3WAC

Tarleton State

7-18,2-10WAC

Grand Canyon

Tarleton St.

Photo by: Tarleton Athletics

11/2/2024 3:23:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Lopes serve 9 aces on road to record 3-set season high

By: Nathan Peters

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Grand Canyon rolled through Saturday's match at Tarleton State for a 3-0 victory, sending them home to Phoenix without dropping a set on the two-match trip.

The Lopes (16-8, 9-3 WAC) swept consecutive matches in Texas to bring their season sweep total to eight.

The match began back and forth with each team landing kills. In the fifth point of the match, freshman setter Taylor Kubacak had the first of GCU's nine service aces, a three-set match high on the season.

Lopes senior middle blocker Trista Strasser led the way with a career-high five aces, surpassing her previous best of four as a Missouri freshman against Kentucky.

At 16-16, the Lopes went on a 4-0 run with two of those four kills coming from graduate outside hitter Ashley Lifgren. She closed the match with 12 kills on a .423 hitting clip, a three-set match season high for the Peoria, Arizona, native.

The Lopes won the opening set 25-21 after two straight kills from junior outside hitter Tatum Parrott were followed by two hitting errors from the Texans.

Parrott had seven kills on .750 hitting at the conclusion of the set. The Phoenix native ended the match with 15 kills, six digs and two blocks.

At 11-9 in the second set. the Lopes went on a 4-0 run to set up a comfortable separation. The run was capped off by junior opposite Anaelena Ramirez's kill with an assist from graduate libero Mykenna Nelson.

Nelson had 21 digs for her three-set season high and added six assists.

"Mykenna is playing so well and we are asking her to cover a lot of court," GCU head coach Kendra Potts said. "It's exciting to see her own her position."

Similar to the run, Ramirez closed the set with a kill, this time by way of Kubacak, who had 20 assists on the day.

Midway through the third set, the Lopes ignited a run that took an 11-4 lead with a Parrott kill, Strasser ace and a combination block by freshman middle blocker Aubrey Goodere and Ramirez to force a Tarleton State timeout.

The Lopes closed the door on the match when graduate setter Ava Mason recorded her 18th assist for a Parrott kill that won the 25-18 set and the match.

"Our setters are both distributing well and creating seams and space for all hitters to be effective," Potts said. "It is great to see us hit at such a high percentage last two matches."

GCU returns home for a Thursday night showdown with Utah Tech, which is tied for second place in the WAC with the Lopes. Senior Day will be Saturday, Nov. 9, against Seattle U at Global Credit Union Arena.