LISLE, Ill. --- Making the important push towards the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) playoffs, the Concordia University Chicago men's volleyball team hit the road to take on the Benedictine Eagles on Wednesday night. The Cougars battled all night in a match that featured 25 ties and nine lead changes, but they ultimately came up short 3-0 to the Eagles.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Luke Vozenilek led the offense with ten kills and two blocks.
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Virgilio Rodriguez was just one kill shy of a triple-double (nine kills, ten digs, 14 assists)
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Erickberto Perez led CUC with five total blocks.
The Cougars came out strong in set one, scoring the first four points of the match which included a Rodriguez kill. After Benedictine got on the board, CUC quickly answered with a block by Vozenilek and
Colby Campbell to extend the lead to 5-1. The Cougars continued to add on early in the set, building their lead to 9-3 on a
Tyler Holubek and a Perez block. The Cougars continued to hold onto the lead into the late points of the set when Benedictine made their run. A 7-2 Eagles run pulled Benedictine even. The Eagles then were able to just push past the Cougars 26-24 in set one.
CUC started off strong again in set two, building the lead to 5-2 on a Vozenilek kill. Benedictine gained momentum back, taking a 10-8 lead midway through the set. Concordia answered with a 5-1 run powered by two Perez kills to take a 13-11 lead. The Eagles were able to fight back like in set one, closing out set two 25-22 by going on a 6-1 run to end the set.
Concordia continued their trend of starting strong in sets in set three. A Perez kill extended the CUC lead to 9-7 early in set three. The two sides traded points from there, with the set not being decided until Benedictine was able to go on a 9-1 run to close out the match in straight sets.
The Cougars will return to action on Friday afternoon when the University of California – Santa Cruz comes to River Forest for non-conference action. The Cougars are also raising money to help the fight against pediatric cancer all weekend long.
Click here to donate to the cause. Links to coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
