PHOENIX, Ariz. –  It was billed as a battle and it lived up to the hype as No. 12 UC San Diego fell at No. 10 Grand Canyon, 3-1, Friday in Arizona.

Scores from Global Credit Union Arena were 25-23, 25-20, 12-25, and 26-24 in favor of the Lopes.

UC San Diego is now 9-3 while Grand Canyon improved to 8-1.

The two teams meet again Saturday at 6 p.m. Pacific in Phoenix.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
The match was close most of the way as it featured 29 tie scores and just nine lead changes.

For the 10th time this season, UC San Diego put up a better attack percentage than its opponent, .265 (52-21-117) to .139 (39-25-101). However, tonight's loss was the first for the Tritons when out-hitting their opponent.

UC San Diego had a 13-7 advantage in blocks. The Tritons also led in kills (52-39) and assists (50-37). Grand Canyon held a 34-31 edge in digs.

UC San Diego opposite Anthony Cherfan finished with a match-high 21 kills. It was the second time in 2025 he produced 20+ kills. He hit .350 (21-7-40) and also contributed six blocks and four digs. Outside Josh Schellinger had 10 kills, seven digs, and four blocks. Setter Bryce Dvorak had 48 assists and Peter Selcho had a match-best seven blocks.

Offensively, the Lopes were led by Cole Ottmar, who finished with 10 kills.

WHAT HEAD COACH BRAD ROSTRATTER HAD TO SAY
"It was definitly a good battle tonight. It was a little strange in the sense that we played so well at times and then not so well at times. Finding that competitive consistency is something that definitely is an area that we are working towards upgrading and improving as the season continues on. Serving was a huge area where we weren't quite good enough tonight and that clearly showed, but we're pretty happy with other phases of our game. Our offense was pretty smooth and fluid and our blocking ended up being pretty good throughout the night. All in all we played well but just not good enough in the moments where we needed to close it out."

TRITON TIDBITS
• It was the first time this season that the Tritons did not record a service ace
• UC San Diego is now 1-2 in four-set matches this season
• The Tritons are also 1-2 on the road

UP NEXT 
UC San Diego and Grand Canyon go at it again Saturday in Phoenix. The match is set for a 6 p.m. Pacific start. It can be followed live on the Big10 Plus and with live stats as well.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics 
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.