River Forest, Ill. — The Concordia University Chicago men's volleyball team improved to 4-3 in conference play on Wednesday night following a 3-2 win over the Scarlet Hawks of the Illinois Institute of Technology. Each set provided its share of excitement, and the Geiseman Gymnasium crowd was treated to a thrilling back-and-forth battle.
The most exciting set of the night was the fifth final one. It was the first set of the night where the Cougars got out to an early lead, winning the first three rallies. They'd cling to that early advantage throughout much of the set, with big kills from junior Luke Vozenilek helping them maintain the advantage.
For the most part, the teams traded points, with Illinois Tech grabbing their first lead at 10-9, forcing a CUC timeout. The Cougars tied things back up on a block from junior Colby Campbell (Brookfield, Ill.), but the Scarlet Hawks eventually regained the lead at at 13-12.
After the Scarlet Hawks won the following rally, the Cougars took a timeout with their backs against the wall and the match point looming. A long rally followed, ending in a kill from Vozenilek. They proceeded to even things up immediately after thanks to a kill from fellow junior Tyler Holubek (New Lenox, Ill.).
The teams played even over the next six rallies, sending the match deep into sudden death. CUC gained a 18-17 advantage on a kill from sophomore David Vales (Oak Forest, Ill.), and finally sealed the deal one rally later on Vozenilek's 24th kill of the night.
There were no shortage of highlight plays from the Cougars in the first set of the evening. After falling behind 8-5 early on, the team pieced together a 5-0 scoring run to take a 10-8 lead, which they never relinquished.
Though the Scarlet Hawks kept it close, even pulling within one on three occasions, the Cougars always had an answer. A lot of this was due to their ability to convert big plays, such as a kill from Vozenilek to make it 13-9.
Holubek added a big play of his own with a block three rallies later to give the Cougars their biggest lead of the set at five.
The Cougars narrowly clung to their lead down the stretch, gaining some breathing room when a service error from IIT made it 19-17. Another big kill from Vozenilek followed, and senior Erickberto Perez (Melrose Park, Ill.) added a kill of his own on the ensuing rally.
With a three-point advantage, Vozenilek provided an incredible over-the-back hit that was perfectly placed on the other side of the net. This forced a Scarlet Hawks timeout and put the Cougars in the driver's seat.
Just for good measure, the junior added another kill on the next rally, his fifth of the set, to make it 23-19 Cougars. Holubek followed with his third kill, and two rallies later the Cougars emerged with a 25-20 victory thanks to a service error.
The Cougars fell behind early 7-2 very quickly in the second set. They trailed by as much as seven on more than one occasion, but managed to keep some pressure on down the stretch.
They pieced together a 3-0 run that was highlighted by a big block from Vozenilek, helping cut the lead back to three. The Scarlet Hawks answered this with a run of their own, however, taking a commanding 18-11 lead and forcing a CUC timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Cougars won four straight rallies. A kill from Holubek and another block from Vozenilek once again cut the deficit to three. Holubek led the team with four kills in the second set.
It would get as close as two (23-21), as the Cougars fought all the way back into the set. Following an IIT timeout, however, the Scarlet Hawks regained their composure and took the set 25-21.
Set three was yet another thriller, as the Cougars scored eight of the final nine points to cruise to a 25-20 victory.
They once again found themselves behind early, trailing 4-0 right out of the gate and facing a similar deficit through much of the early going. The flip switched on back-to-back kills from Vozenilek and senior Virgilio Rodriguez (Cicero, Ill.), bringing the Cougars within two at 15-13.
Yet another kill from Vozenilek two sets later tied things at 15. He and Rodriguez led the way with four kills apiece in the third set. Their first lead came shortly after at 17-16.
The lead appeared to be short-lived, as the Scarlet Hawks won the next three rallies to go ahead 19-17. Despite once again trailing, the Cougars knew they were right in the set. A block from Perez and Holubek tied things at 19, and a service ace from Vozenilek put CUC ahead for good.
The junior added another ace on the following serve to give the Cougars a cushion. That's when Holubek took over, providing a block and an ace to set up match point. The Cougars would eventually win on an IIT service error.
For the fourth time in as many sets, it was the Scarlet Hawks who jumped out ahead early on. They led 7-2 before the Cougars were able to generate any sort of momentum. They chipped away from that point on, but never quite managed to even things up.
CUC pulled within one four different times but never quite got over the hump. It was a very evenly fought set, and the Cougars never let IIT get comfortable. A Kill from Rodriguez made it 20-17, and a block from Vales even made it 23-22.
This was the last rally they'd win, however, falling 25-22. This of course was followed by the fifth set, which the Cougars took 19-17 to secure the victory.
They'll be right back in Geiseman this Friday night at 7 p.m. for another conference battle with Wisconsin Lutheran College. A Senior Night ceremony will take place prior to the game. Coverage for the game will be available at cucougars.com/coverage.
