Ladyjack Strike First but Fall in Four Versus Grand Canyon University

Saturday, October 23

Phoenix, Arizona

1:00 PM

Stephen F. Austin

14-6,5-3WAC

Grand Canyon

14-4,6-3WAC

SFA

Grand Canyon

Ladyjack Strike First but Fall in Four Versus Grand Canyon University

10/23/2021 7:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

PHOENIX, AZ -- The SFA volleyball team opened its match against Grand Canyon University with a victory in the first set, but couldn't sustain the momentum, falling in the next three sets by narrow margins en route to a 3-1 loss at the Phoenix POD event on Saturday. SFA falls to 14-6 overall on the season and 5-3 in WAC play with the loss.

SET ONE
After finding itself trailing the Lopes by a narrow 5-4 margin early in the set, SFA took control of the set with a 9-1 run, beginning with blocks by Valeria Rosado and Ielan Bradley and capped off by kills from Rosado and Leah Powell and a block by Kelsey Harrington to open up a 13-6 lead. Undeterred, GCU clawed back into the match with a 7-2 run, and would take a 21-20 lead thanks to a 6-2 run late in the set. SFA would respond with kills by Rosado, Powell and Payton Cerny, along with a pair of Harrington blocks to rattle off five straight points and claim a 25-21 victory.

SET TWO
SFA would begin the second set with a 6-3 lead, courtesy of three straight GCU attack errors. The next few minutes were punctuated by back and forth play, however, and GCU would build out a small lead later in the set before the 'Jacks tied the set up at 19 apiece with a Cerny kill and Harrington block. The 'Jacks would turn around a 24-23 deficit to take a 25-24 lead on kills by Taya Mitchell and Ielan Bradley, but would cede four of the next five points to GCU en route to a 28-26 win for the Lopes.

SET THREE
GCU opened the third set on a 6-2 run, building a lead that they would not yield throughout the set. Later, a 7-1 run increased the home lead to 15-7, and the Lopes would weather an 8-4 spread by the 'Jacks which clsoed the lead to 19-15. Facing set point at 24-19, SFA responded with four straight points, including kills from Bradley and Harrington, to trim the margin to 24-23, only to have GCU close out the set with a kill to take a 2-1 lead.

SET FOUR
Much like the set before it, set four featured a run right out the gates by GCU, which took an 8-2 edge early in the stanza. Undeterred, the 'Jacks mounted a comeback which saw them take seven of eight points to tie the set up at 11 apiece, buoyed by two kills from Rosado and another from Cerny. GCU would take the lead for good midway through the set, gradually building the leading out to five at 21-16, and despite a rally by the 'Jacks to close the score within two at 24-22, the Lopes would close out the match with a 25-22 victory.