COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Grand Canyon beach volleyball team went 2-0 on the second day of the Gamecock Challenge at South Carolina, defeating UAB and Mercer 4-1. The Lopes are now 8-2 on the season.

"I was really proud of how we not only bounced back from a tough loss to South Carolina yesterday, but how we dealt with the tough conditions today," Head Coach Kristen Rohr stated. "The girls played both matches in the snow and that's not something many people can say about beach volleyball!"

Rebecca Conrad and Jessica Stansfield kicked the victory off against UAB with an easy 21-12, 21-17 match point to give the Lopes the lead. The No. 4 and No. 5 pairs both forced their opponents to three sets, with Kelli Iverson and Emily Reinking falling 11-21, 21-12, 15-13 while Jessica Clark and Leigh Stonerook bounced back after a 14-21 deficit in the first set to win 21-17, 15-10 in the final two. Tjasa Kotnik and Molly Turner dominated once again, defeating UAB No. 1 pairs 21-9, 21-16. Hannah Towne and Jordyn Sanchez had the highest scoring match, winning 21-15 in the first set and battling for a close 25-23 victory in the final set.

After defeating UAB, the Lopes quickly jumped into their second and final match of the day against Mercer, with all four of the winning pairs going to the tiebreaker third set. Emily Reinking and Kelli Iverson faced their second loss off the day when they were narrowly defeated 21-16, 21-19 during the first contest. Rebecca Conrad and Jessica Stansfield dominated in the second and third sets after an initial loss to ultimately secure an 18-21, 21-10, 15-11 victory. The No. 3 pairs, Hannah Towne and Jordyn Sanchez, fought back after a large deficit in the second set for the final match point, winning 21-16, 12-21, 15-13. Tyanna Roy and Jessica Clark continued the Lopes winning streak with a solid 21-12 victory in the first set and fighting back from an 18-21 loss to secure the match with a final score of 15-12 in the third set. The match ended on a high note with the No. 1 pairs going head to head in a high-scoring three set match. After Tjasa Kotnik and Molly Turner fell 17-21 in the first set, they fought hard for a 23-21 victory in the second set and ultimately took the contest with a third set score of 15-3.

"We had some trouble closing out third sets yesterday, but today we had four matches go to three and we won all of them," Rohr added. "We have a lot of work to do this week before we head to San Jose State."

After going a successful 3-1 on the tournament this weekend, the Lopes will rest up before facing three more schools in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, March 18.

GCU 4, UAB 1

1. Tjasa Kotnik/Molly Turner (GCU) def. Avei Logoleo/Erika Zembyla (UAB) 21-9, 21-16

2. Rebecca Conrad/Jessica Stansfield (GCU) def. Avery Hoven/Emily Martinez (UAB) 21-12, 21-17

3. Hannah Towne/Jordyn Sanchez (GCU) def. Morgan Smith/Katarina Jovicic (UAB) 21-15, 25-23

4. Rachel Evans/Gabbi Moreno (UAB) def. Kelli Iverson/Emily Reinking (GCU) 11-21, 21-12, 15-13

5. Jessica Clark/Leigh Stonerook (GCU) def. Kenley Adams/Haley Jared (UAB) 14-21, 21-17, 15-10

Ext. Anna Unnasch/Tyanna Roy (GCU) def. Kalah Jones/Brittney Munro (UAB) 21-13, 21-7

GCU 4, Mercer 1

1. Tjasa Kotnik/Molly Turner (GCU) def. Tori Penrod/Emily Krogman (MER) 17-21, 23-21, 15-3

2. Rebecca Conrad/Jessica Stansfield (GCU) def. Sophie Peel/Emma Peel (MER) 18-21, 21-10, 15-11

3. Hannah Towne/Jordyn Sanchez (GCU) def. Claire Waliczek/Danielle Faust (MER) 21-16, 12-21, 15-13

4. Gretja Otten/Jessica Johnson (MER) def. Emily Reinking/Kelli Iverson (GCU) 21-16, 21-19

5. Tyanna Roy/Jessica Clark (GCU) def. Amber Gibson/Madison Kerr (MER) 21-12, 18-21, 15-12

Ext. Anna Unnasch/Leigh Stonerook (GCU) def. Abigail Moss/Marina Chavez (MER) 23-21, 21-12