Malika Andrews |
The volleyball team swept Grand Canyon University for their second win of the weekend in Chiles Center, extending their winning streak to four. This is the Pilots' second sweep of the season.
The Pilots won 25-19, 25-19 and 25-20 respectively. With the win, Portland advances to 4-1 on the season and the Antelopes drop to 0-5.
The Pilots came out strong in the first set. Building off the momentum they started in yesterday’s win, Portland was able to gain a 10-4 lead. With the help of sophomore Sarah Savoca's five kills, the Pilots navigated to a first set win.
In the second set, the momentum seemed to be with GCU as they were able to lead the Pilots by as many as six. The Antelopes seemed to figure out how to shut down Portland outside hitter Hannah Troutman, restricting her to five errors on five total attempts in set two.
With Jordyn Sanchez serving for Grand Canyon, the Antelopes were able to go on a run.
A kill from UP junior Katie Sullivan ended the Antelopes' serving streak. Freshman Mikaela Nocetti took over serving for Portland with the Pilots trailing 12-6. Nocetti led the Pilots on a 10-0 run, recording three aces. Portland’s confidence continued to build with back-to-back blocks from senior Emily Liger and junior Brittney Markwith putting the Pilots up 19-13 and 20-13, respectively.
The Pilots were the first on the board in the third set. With nine tied scores and four lead changes, the Pilots and Antelopes traded off leading by a handful of points. Savoca had the final say of the match, sending her kill to the center of the court to complete the sweep.
Troutman led the Pilots with 11 kills. Liger added 10 kills of her own.
Even with the sweep, assistant coach Dan Mathews said he doesn’t feel that a lot went right on the court. Portland’s serving, he said, kept them alive in the second set. Mathews said he is unsure of whether it was the quick turnaround from last night’s match, or the fact the this was a morning match, but the team needs to step up their game.
“We played well enough to win but we really didn’t feel like we played our best volleyball…our players are aware and we expect them to respond this afternoon," Mathews said. "We play a really good team and have to raise our level.”
The Pilots have mere hours to rest before playing in their final match of the weekend in Chiles at 7:00 p.m. against UC Riverside.
Malika Andrews is the sports editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at andrewsm17@up.edu or on Twitter @malika_andrews.
