Glendale, Ariz.- Arizona Christian went swing for swing with No. 6 ranked Menlo on Saturday as both teams hit over .250 and the kill differential was just 59-55 but the Firestorm came up short.  Serving turned out to be the difference in the match.

Match Info

• Match score: Menlo- 3, Arizona Christian- 1
  • Set 1: MC 25-21
  • Set 2: MC 25-20
  • Set 3: ACU 29-27
  • Set 4: MC 26-24
• Records: Arizona Christian- 2-3, 0-1 GSAC, Menlo- 10-0, 2-0 GSAC
• NAIA Top 10 Rank: Arizona Christian - not ranked, Menlo- 6
• Location: Firestorm Recreation Center, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ

ACU Stats 

• Chris Beck- 21 kills, 11 digs
• Cade McGee- 19 kills, hit .361
• Nate Mayfield- 8 kills, 6 blocks
• Thomas Johannesen- 47 assists

Inside the Box Score

• The teams tied at every point 1-5 in the first 10 points   
• Menlo then took the lead with a 6-0 run
• But a 4-0 run book ended by kills from McGee tied the match at 15-15
• A Beck kill made the set 16-16
• Menlo kept the lead with the next point 
• Set two started with a kill from Beck
• Two ties followed before Menlo moved ahead for good
• Trailing 4-2 in the third, ACU created a 5-0 run (four MC hitting errors in a row) to take the lead
• Despite several ties, ACU kept Menlo from the lead until the Oaks broke a 15-15 tie
• The Oaks reached set and match point before the Firestorm won five of the final seven points capped by a Beck kill to win the set
• Set five went back and forth and ACU held set point at 24-23
• But the Oaks secured the match win with the final three points
• Combining team aces and opponent service errors for service points- ACU lost that battle 21-9

Thoughts from Coach Bruns
"Really proud of the way we approached the game tonight.  Cade, Chris, and Nate led a tough demeanor that contributed to a lot of our success today.  Lots of good things from today. We are ready for our next battle."

Up Next
The homestand continues on Wednesday when No. 2 OUAZ will head over to the Firestorm Recreation Center for a 6:00 pm first serve.