Box Score
 
PHONEIX, AZ – Grand Canyon won the deciding set, 15-8, and came away with a 3-2 victory over visiting NJIT in men's volleyball action Friday evening at Grand Canyon University Arena.
 
Grand Canyon improved to 2-2 on the season with its home opener victory while the Highlanders, who fall to 0-1 on the season, opened up its 2012 campaign.
 
In the final set, the Highlanders scored the first point on a kill by senior Adam Gustafson but the Lopes scored the next five points taking an early 5-1 lead.  Grand Canyon extended its lead to 13-5 on an NJIT attack error.  The Highlanders then rallied off three straight points but it was too late as the Lopes finished the set with a kill by Ben Ponnett and a block by Ponnett and Ryan Mather for a 15-8 win.
 
NJIT opened up the match with a 29-27 victory in the first set but the Lopes took the next two frames by identical scores, 25-18, 25-18 taking a 2-1 lead.  In the fourth set, NJIT bounced back to knot the match at 2-2 with a 25-21 win but the Lopes built an early lead and cruised to a 15-8 score in the final set.
 
The Highlanders were led by freshman TJ Jurko, a freshman from Weston, Florida with 20 kills and nine digs.  Jurko, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter, finished the match with a .308 hitting percentage in his college debut.
 
Aurel Griesshammer, one of seven freshmen on the Highlanders roster, combined for a .476 hitting percentage notching 13 kills on 21 swings with just three errors in his first collegiate match.  Senior Adam Gustafson added 12 kills for the visitors.
 
Setters Matthew Lui and Zak Robben split time at the setting position Friday with Lui piling up 29 assists and four digs while freshman Roben added 17 and two digs.  Libero Brady Smith dug-up a match-high 14 digs followed by Jurko with nine and Gustafson's eight.
 
Grand Canyon was led by Jordon Tarantino's 20 kills while hitting .375 for the match.  Ponnet added 19 kills and setter Keith Smith notched a career-high 58 assists.
 
The home team had a 15-3 blocking advantage led by Connor Dougherty, Smith and Tarantino with six total blocks.  The Lopes also held a slight advantage in service aces, 5-3, led by Tarantino with two.
 
NJIT will return to action on Saturday at 3pm (PT) and play UC San Diego and Grand Canyon at 7pm (PT).