Lopes close Silver State Showcase in sweep

Saturday, February 1

Reno, Nev.

4 p.m.

Grand Canyon

7-1,0-0MPSF

Fort Valley State

2-7,0-0SIAC

Grand Canyon

Fort Valley St.

Photo by: Slate Mitchell

2/1/2025 6:11:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

Zediker dishes 33 assists with 44 team kills over Fort Valley State

By: Nathan Peters

RENO, Nev. – The No. 11 Grand Canyon men's volleyball team continued its strong performance in the Silver State Showcase with a decisive 25-19, 25-11, and 27-25 victory over 2024 NCAA tournament qualifier Fort Valley State on Saturday.

The Lopes showcased their offensive prowess and depth, improving their season record to 7-1.

GCU took the first set on the strength of graduate opposite Jarrett Anderson's six kills on a .625 clip. Anderson finished with a team-high nine kills on a .353 hitting percentage, contributing 11.5 points through the three-setter.

"I am really proud to see Jarrett back healthy and showcasing what he can provide for this team," Lopes head coach Matt Werle said. "He is picking up where he finished last season, so that is a really bright note for us."

GCU opened the day on a 6-1 run to jump out to a 10-5 lead in the first set. A few plays later, an assisted block from Anderson and senior middle blocker Cole Duncanson stretched GCU's advantage to 12-6.

Duncanson played a big role in the quick evening for the Lopes, recording seven kills on nine attempts with a .778 hitting percentage while adding five block assists and two service aces.

"He is positive," Werle said of Duncanson. "He is a great leader, and he is energy that we thrive on. So he is almost irreplaceable in our lineup just with what he provides in terms of character and leadership."

A Duncanson kill closed the first set for a GCU 25-19 win.

The second set went fast, thanks to a flurry of Lopes plays, winning 25-11 on sophomore Zachary Drake's service ace. GCU tallied nine aces in the match with Drake, Duncanson and freshman setter Kyle Zediker each recording two.

The Lopes found lots of success throughout the match with the team's freshmen playing a big role.

Freshman outside hitter Connor Oldani secured eight kills, three digs and two blocks.

"Connor is such a stud and competes at a high level," Werle said. "The young talent that we have on our team is pretty special, and he's a big part of that."

The third set was tight throughout, but GCU found a match point when Zediker assisted Duncanson for the kill. The following play resulted in an Oldani-and-Duncanson rejection to win 27-25 for the match sweep.

Zediker facilitated the offense with a career-high 33 assists and five digs in his first GCU start.

"Kyle getting the start today was nice," Werle said. "Jaxon Herr was out with a little stomach issue. Kyle is going to be really good. We know that he has a great understanding of the game, so this week was good getting those young guys some experience."

GCU senior libero Cooper Herndon anchored the defense with nine digs.

The Lopes will have a bye week before hosting No. 15 UC San Diego with a Feb. 14 match at 6 p.m. and the Feb. 15 rematch at 7 p.m. in Global Credit Union Arena.