Balanced offense keys 2nd sweep of No. 19 Penn State

Sunday, March 9

Phoenix, Ariz.

4 p.m.

Grand Canyon

11-5,0-2MPSF

Penn State

5-10,2-2EIVA

Penn St.

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Bryce Fairchild

3/9/2025 7:48:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Paul Coro

Box Score

Trio of Lopes record double-digit kills with Herr's 38 assists in 3 sets

By: Paul Coro

In the race to 25 points each set, Grand Canyon men's volleyball discovered this weekend about how much sprinting ahead with early success makes the Lopes more confident and calm to reach the finish line first.

After exhausting itself playing catch-up in recent losses, No. 16 GCU did not trail any set later than a 4-3 score Sunday and swept No. 19 Penn State for the second consecutive day at Global Credit Union Arena.

The Lopes won 25-22, 25-23, 25-20 with three players reaching double-digit kills, a trio feat that even last season's Final Four team did only once in a three-set match even though it had 17 sweep wins.

After talking with GCU coach Bryan Dell'Amico last week about involving middle and back-row attacks more to ease double blocks on the pins, Lopes junior setter Jaxon Herr used a balanced dispersal Sunday to record his three-set career high of 38 assists.

"We ran that this weekend better than we have all year, and it just opened everything else up for us," said Dell'Amico, coaching with Jon Girten. "It makes it a lot easier on our pins. We've relied on our outside pins so much this year because we haven't forced the middle enough. Our offense was flowing much more."

Jaxon Herr

Amid GCU's coaching, starting lineup and roster changes, Herr is growing into his first starting role with the program knowledge and buy-in of a returner.

"I love all these guys so much, so to be that kind of a middleman for them all and make my good sets, it's great," said Herr, who is from Anthem, just north of Phoenix. "They make my bad sets look good, so I love them for it. I appreciate them sticking with me, because I have my moments and lapses, but I love they're just walking with me all the time. It's a great team that have we have."

Herr guided GCU through a block-less first set to victory by racking up 13 assists to five players. Herr's varied distribution carried over for the match with junior outside hitter Trent Moser leading the Lopes with 13 kills while graduate opposite Jarrett Anderson had 12 and senior outside hitter Karter Rogers added 10.

Leading 24-22, the Lopes closed that first set when one of senior libero Cooper Herndon's 13 digs giving Herr a chance to make a one-hand touch set to Anderson, who boomed the ball on his way to .385 hitting for the match.

Cole Duncanson and Karter Rogers

But after thriving off its triple block to sweep Penn State on Saturday night, the Lopes made an adjustment and tallied nine blocks over the second and third sets.

"We got better at being low and over and more disciplined," Dell'Amico said. "Then all of a sudden, we got back to getting touches and getting blocks, and that helped us for sure."

Penn State stayed tight until Anderson's consecutive kills, a quick-tempo deep strike and a high, hard rocket, put GCU ahead 22-19 in the second set. Anderson blasted through a two-man block on set point too for a 2-0 match lead.

"For us, it's all about up the middle for us," Dell'Amico said. "Once we get that going, then it helps them. We have been in so many doubles for those poor pins all year long because we haven't run the middle of the court. Now you're seeing what they can do in system. We can go to them now because they're honoring the middle of the court, and then it gives them a hole to swing into."

The Lopes clicked best in the third set with .324 hitting and built a 16-8 lead on a 5-0 run of two Rogers kills, a block and a kill by Anderson and senior middle blocker Cole Duncanson and a service ace by freshman Braedon Marquardt, who had three kills and three block assists in the third set.

Penn State tightened GCU's third-set lead to 20-19 on a series of blocks, but Moser got crafty to set up Marquardt's kill up the middle on match point.

"We keep building and building, and what we're doing in practice right now is great," Herr said. "We're just finding those connections, and it's really starting to show that we're coming. We're firing on all cylinders right now.

"We've got a lot of talent, and we do a lot of great things, so when it gets in those late situations, we're fine. We're calm."

Jarrett Anderson

After a four-game losing streak against top-eight teams (No. 1 Long Beach State, No. 7 CSUN and No. 8 Pepperdine twice), GCU took advantage of its home atmosphere after spending 10 road days over two weeks. The Lopes stay on campus for next Friday's and Saturday's matches against Concordia Irvine and March 21 and 22 matches against No. 6 BYU.

"This was a a get-right weekend for us," Dell'Amico said. "I'm happy for the kids because they did the little things that we've been talking about that's cost us in close moments. They made the right decisions and all those little things. Our defensive effort was great. Everyone was on the ground going for balls. It just was such a more well-rounded game. We played level.

"For us, if we play good volleyball for long stretches, we'll win matches. We don't need to play great, and then have these peaks and valleys."