Graceland Opens Heart Challenge with Straight-Set Loss to St. Ambrose

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Graceland University men's volleyball dropped its opening match of the Heart of America Challenge in straight sets to St. Ambrose, falling 25-19, 25-13, 25-22 at UHSP Gym on Friday evening.

The Yellowjackets fell to 0-5 overall, while the Bees moved to 3-0.

Freshman Andrew Youssef led Graceland with 10 kills and a .474 hitting percentage, the highest individual match percentage for the Yellowjackets this season. As a team, GU hit .211, their best efficiency of the year. The third set was the strongest showing, where the Jackets hit .346 and pushed the Bees to the final points.

Service struggles were a key factor, as Graceland committed 16 service errors to just 2 aces. The serve-receive game also faltered, surrendering 11 aces to St. Ambrose.

Head coach Eric Majors pointed to both execution and growth:

"Youssef was outstanding — I think that's the first time anyone's hit over .200 since I've been back," Majors said. "But you can't miss 16 serves and expect to stay in matches like this. Our serve and pass game wasn't good enough, and that's part of being a young group. We'll get better. We just have to keep working to climb the mountain."

Graceland totaled 34 points, including 28 kills, 6 block assists, and one solo block. Setter Andrew Cziep distributed nine assists, while Luis Garcia led the team with 14 total assists and seven digs.

Graceland will return to the court on Saturday, January 31, for the final two matches of the HOA Challenge. The Yellowjackets face Brescia University at 11:00 a.m. CST, followed by a matchup with Campbellsville (Ky.) at 3:00 p.m. CST. Both matches will be played at UHSP Gym in St. Louis, Missouri, on Court 1.

For more information on Graceland Cross Country and all Yellowjackets athletics, visit GUjackets.com.