Penn State men's volleyball took another hit. Sunday night, the Nittany Lions got swept again by No. 15 Grand Canyon at Global Credit Union Arena. 5-10 record now. The struggle is real.
GCU Dominates Early
It was tight, but Grand Canyon just had that edge. Trevell Jordan missed early, but then nailed a kill to kickstart the Lopes' momentum. Penn State found an early 4-2 lead, but guess what? It vanished faster than a libero on a double block.
The Turning Point
Grand Canyon flipped the switch with a 4-0 run. Jarrett Anderson and Matthew Luoma were relentless. A 15-10 lead before the media timeout had Penn State scrambling. You could feel it coming. The Lopes refused to let go, sealing the first set 25-22.
Set Two — Same Story
Penn State tried to rally, but it felt like climbing a sand dune. They went up 3-0 early, but Grand Canyon answered with a 4-point punch. Trading blows wasn't enough for the Nittany Lions. Every time they got close, the Lopes just pulled away again.
Back-to-back points only teased the Lions, as Grand Canyon kept control. Set two ended in familiar fashion, with the Lopes holding firm, 25-22.
The Finale
Set three? Same script, different act. Penn State fought hard. Will Kuhns served an ace, but it wasn't enough to flip the narrative. Karter Rogers and crew were just too much. Every rally, every point, they had an answer. 25-22 again. That's consistency.
Mark Pavlik has work to do. The Nittany Lions need answers, and fast. Grand Canyon? Straight up dominant.
No. 19 Penn State has to regroup. Can they bounce back? Or is this the new normal?
That'll do it.
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- UC Irvine's Hosting Game? Next Level.
Source: onwardstate.com
