Lopes drop intense 5-set home finale

Saturday, April 5

Phoenix, Ariz.

5 p.m.

Grand Canyon

15-9,4-6MPSF

UCLA

17-4,7-1MPSF

UCLA

Grand Canyon

Photo by: Jack Gilday

4/5/2025 9:37:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

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GCU recognizes 7 seniors ahead of finishing series split with No. 2 UCLA

By: Nathan Peters

The Grand Canyon men's volleyball team fought valiantly in a five-set thriller but fell short to No. 2 UCLA on Saturday night at Global Credit Union Arena.

No. 13 GCU (15-9, 4-6 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) pushed the match to the limit in front of another lively crowd of 1,687 fans, ultimately falling 25-20, 17-25, 25-23, 25-27, 15-11 in a battle that showcased high-intensity rallies.

A night after the Lopes swept the Bruins, senior opposite Jarrett Anderson paced GCU with 10 kills on an impressive .500 hitting percentage, adding five digs and two service aces.

Lopes junior outside hitter Trent Moser led the team in scoring with 13 points, recording 11 kills, three blocks and six digs. He made key contributions on both sides of the net with relentless energy.

GCU dropped the opening set but responded with a dominant performance in the second, sparked by a 5-1 run and strong serving that led to taking the set 25-17. Senior outside hitter Karter Rogers recorded some of his nine kills and two aces to help the Lopes pull even at 1-1.

GCU junior setter Jaxon Herr distributed 28 assists and tallied six digs.

After falling behind 2-1 in sets, the Lopes stormed back in the fourth set, claiming a 27-25 win thanks to late errors from the Bruins.

In the decisive fifth set, UCLA closed strong behind Cooper Robinson's match-high 19 kills. GCU fought until the end but was unable to overcome late miscues, falling 15-11.

The Lopes honored seven seniors ahead of the Saturday match — Slate Mitchell, Matthew Meeker-Hackett, Nicholas Bentlage, Cole Duncanson, Karter Rogers, Jarrett Anderson and Cooper Herndon.

"We've got the whole gamut, from a transfer who's been here one year to a two-year transfer to five-year players," Lopes coach Bryan Dell'Amico said of the seniors.

"Every single one of those kids has given their heart and soul to this program, and the respect as coaches that we have for their trust in us, especially with the changes they had in the middle of the season. We never once had anyone question where we were going or what we were doing. That's just a testament to the character of those kids. I'm so proud to be able to be a little part of their journey through this thing."

The Lopes will have a bye week prior to April 17-18 matches at Stanford to round out the regular season ahead of the April 21-16 MPSF Championships at Pepperdine.

"We played the game the right way tonight," GCU coach Jon Girten said. "We did the things that we need to do to put ourselves into situations to make plays and sometimes those plays go your way. I think last night, a lot of those 50-50 balls found its way through for us, whereas tonight, we were just a little short. We put ourselves in the moments. We played hard, and we just didn't make the plays that we needed to, but we approached it the right way tonight. That's why we're proud of kind of how we competed."