STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Texans defeat the no. 2 team in conference in a nail biting four set match.  
 
Grand Canyon took set one, 25-17 but from there, the match belonged to Tarleton State. The Texans took the reins and stole the next three sets 25-22, 25-18, and 25-20, to shut out the no. 2 team in conference, 3-1.
 
Tarleton Volleyball continued the pattern for the state of Texas, handing another Arizona team their second major loss of the week. The Texans slashed a six-match winning streak for the Lopes to see the first ever victory for Tarleton State over GCU. Grand Canyon is now 18-6 overall and 11-2 in conference after the loss in Stephenville. The Texans are now 14-13 overall and 5-8 in conference. 
 
Rajini Fitzmaurice led the team in kills with 13. Following closely behind, Grayson Schirpik tallied 12 and Emma Burke claimed eight for Tarleton State. Melina Maldonado Ortiz and Megan Hodges compiled four aces each and Schirpik contributed two. 
 
Hodges amassed 20 assists on the match and Maldonado Ortiz tallied 15. Burke put up eight blocks on the night for her second highest match of the season. Breanna McDonough added four blocks for the Texans and Schirpik claimed three. Matti Theurer compiled 17 digs to lead the team. Hodges contributed 10 digs and Schirpik followed with 10 of her own for a new season high. 
 
In the opening frame, the visitors claimed the first three points. McDonough laid down a kill to see the first point for Tarleton State. Although the Texans never backed down, the Lopes led the entirety of set one. A couple of four-score runs from GCU saw the home team at an eight-point deficit, 22-14. An error from the Lopes and kills from Burke and Fitzmaurice tallied the final points for Tarleton State but back-to-back kills from Grand Canyon sealed the deal for the first stanza at 25-17.
 
The Lopes came out hot in set two, claiming the five points before an error from the visitors added a point for the Texans. A four-score run put the home team back in the game to close to gap to a one-point deficit. Grand Canyon saw three consecutive points to regain a four-point lead. The Lopes led for the majority of the second frame, but at a 22-18 score, a kill from Isabel Gonzaba lit a fire for Tarleton State that GCU couldn't put out. The Texans took the next seven points to steal the set 25-22.  
 
Set three saw the visitors claim the first point but back-to-back kills from McDonough and Burke gave Tarleton State the lead. The third stanza saw four ties until an error from GCU tipped the scale in favor of the home team and the Texans capitalized with a kill from Schirpik and a block from Schirpik and Madison Frank to see Tarleton State up by three. From there, the Texans saw a pair of three-score runs and four consecutive points for a comfortable lead at 22-13. The Lopes continued to fight kill for kill but Allison Bryant and Burke blocked a kill from Tatum Parrott to close out the set, 25-18. 
 
In the fourth and final set, the home team claimed the first two points. A four-score run from GCU took the lead for the Lopes at 4-2, but another kill from McDonough began a seven-score run for Tarleton State, consisting of three aces from Maldonado Ortiz, a kill from Fitzmaurice and some solid defense by Fitzmaurice, Frank, and Bryant to see the visitors down by five, 10-5. The Texans remained in control for the rest of the set with a four-score run to see the home team ahead by five at 18-13. Grand Canyon fought back but a pair of kills from Bryant and Schirpik sealed the deal for the Texans for their first win in program history over the Lopes. 
 
Tarleton State will host California Baptist Saturday as Texan Volleyball will honor six seniors. The senior recognitions will begin at 12:51 p.m. on Saturday prior to the match at 1 p.m. The battle between the Texans and the Lancers can be found on ESPN+.