BOX SCORE

TUCSON, Ariz. – Nikki Drost and Celina Sanks notched double-doubles for the Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team in it's five set loss against Grand Canyon University on Saturday afternoon at the McKale Center at the University of Arizona.
 
The Colonels fell by scores of 25-17, 25-22, 18-25, 14-25 and 12-15.
 
In the first two sets EKU gave up the first point, won it back and never trailed again, but the Antelopes came firing back taking the final three sets.  
 
Both teams struggled during the opening of the third set with 7-of-16 points coming off of errors, but a kill from GCU's Maria Adams gave the Antelopes a 10-7 lead. EKU made multiple attempts to cut into the Lope lead but were unable to come back, dropping the set 25-18.
 
In the fifth set the teams exchanged points through the duration of the set, but an attack error on the GCU side of the net made EKU the first team to reach eight, 8-6. After the teams switched sides the Lopes went on a 3-0 run to take a 9-8 advantage. A pair of attack errors and a kill from Adams closed the set and match for Grand Canyon.
 
Back-to-back kills from Drost and Sanks pushed EKU to a 3-1 lead in the first set and they never looked back. A kill from Claire Kovensky drew the Lopes within one, 13-12, but Drost cracked the whip to respond with a 9-1 Colonel run that ended on a kill from Cassie Knutson, moving the score to 22-13. Just as the set began Sanks and Drost found a duo of kills to end the set, 25-17.
 
The second set seemed to be a copy of the first with the Colonels being down 1-0, but back-to-back kills, this time from Knutson and Sanks, helped give EKU another 3-1 advantage. Again, the Lopes were not able to snuff the Colonels.
 
Sanks finished with 14 kills, paired with 18 digs while Drost notched 17 kills and 12 digs. Three other Colonels: Chloe Rojas (19), Knutson (11) and Kennedy Wilson (10) also finished with double-digit digs.
 
Woody finished with 37 assists.  
 
EKU falls to 2-5 on the year while GCU improves to 4-2.
 
The Colonels will be back in action on September 8 at the University of South Carolina for the Carolina Classic.