PHOENIX, AZ - Tarleton State Volleyball fell to Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon to split their road trip, 1-1. The Texans will have a week off before taking on Utah Tech in Stephenville next Saturday.
GCU (13-6 overall, 5-2 WAC), defeated Tarleton State (6-15 overall, 1-7 WAC) in straight sets (26-24, 25-20, 25-21). Halfway through WAC play this season, the Texans would be in line to enter their second-straight WAC Tournament with the Lopes holding onto second in the league.
Allison Bryant led the team with 12 kills and 12 digs, posting her seventh double-double of the season. Bryant notched her seventh consecutive match with a double-digit kill total and her third consecutive double-double.
Yuna Ansquer led the team with 14 assists, followed by Megan Hodges with 13. Hodges has recorded 10 or more assists in all 21 Texan matches this season.
Emma Burke led the team with three blocks. Burke has accumulated multiple blocks in all but three matches this year. She ranks in the WAC top ten in blocks per set and ups her average to .096 blocks per set following her match.
The Purple and White jumped to an early 5-0 lead in the opening stanza, a sequence which included an ace from Hodges and two kills from Tatum Busch, who is coming off a career-high 23 kills on Thursday. GCU responded with an impressive rally to tie the first game at the 10-10 mark, then both teams battled until the 24-24 point late in the first. The Lopes were able to sneak away with a first set victory, 26-24.
During the second period, Bryant was responsible for all three of Tarleton's opening points, leading them to an early 3-1 lead. Grand Canyon switched the momentum to their favor, rallying back to take an advantage of the set at the 10-9 mark. Despite three more kills from Bryant, the Texans were never able to rally back, dropping the second set, 20-25.
In the third and final frame, both squads went back-and-forth until the 7-7 point, where the Lopes took control shortly after. A 10-6 run from GCU would give them a 17-13 lead nearing the final stretch of the third set. Despite a kill from Burke and an ace from Busch, the Texans were never able to recover, dropping the third game, 21-25.
Tarleton State Volleyball will travel back to Stephenville to rematch Utah Tech in Wisdom Gym next Saturday. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with first serve set for 1 p.m. CT.
