FOND DU LAC, Wis, --- After a 3-0 win over St. Norbert College on Friday night, the Concordia University Chicago men's volleyball team (4-12, 3-3) traveled an hour south for a Saturday matchup against the Marian University Sabres (18-4, 4-2). Despite a commendable effort, the Cougars dropped the NACC matchup 3-1, snapping their two-game win streak. 

Inside the Box Score

• Junior Luke Vozenilek (Westmont, Ill.) led the match in both kills and points, with 16 and 18.5 respectfully. 
• Sophomore Blake Rosen (Aldie, Va.) had a game high 15 digs. Teammate Tyler Holubek (New Lenox, Ill.) was not far behind with 13, the second most in the match. 
• Less than a day after setting the school record for most total blocks in a single season, junior Colby Campbell (Brookfield, Ill.) had another strong showing, racking up four total blocks.

Set one was about as close knit as they come. CUC struck first with a Virgilio Rodriguez (Cicero, Ill.) kill, but the match was quickly tied after a David Vales (Oak Forest, Ill.) service error. The two squads traded blows for a while until the score was set at 7-7.

The Cougars proceeded to go on a 9-5 run, establishing a four point lead at 16-12. A big block by Vozenilek and senior Erickberto Perez (Melrose Park, Ill.) highlighted the run.

Marian would go on a two-point swing to pull within two, 16-14, but another big Concordia block, this one from Holubek and Campbell, would kick the Cougar lead back up to three.

However, a Liam Skinner kill and two CUC attack errors would tie the match at 17 points apiece. Marian would then go on to take a 20-19 lead off a Keanu Ouranitsas-Hayes kill, but a Rodriguez kill to end an exhausting volley tied the match 20-20.

With both teams just five points away from claiming set one, the Sabres put out a four point swing to pull within one of the magic number of 25. With their backs against the wall, the Cougars were able to prolong the first set after Vozenilek followed up a Nick Stasch service error with a service ace, but a ball handling error by Rodriguez would end hopes of a Cougar comeback as Marian clinched set one, 25-22. 

Ties were aplenty in the beginning of set two. After ties at the one, two, three, four, and five point marks, Marian was able to grab the first multi-point lead of the set off an Aaron Velasco kill made the score 7-5. Concordia would proceed to knot things up at 7-7 before a huge Rodriguez kill gave CUC the lead.

A Ouranitsas-Hayes kill would soon give Marian a 10-9 lead. The Cougars responded well with a three-point swing, but a Sabre 4-1 run would tie the game once again, this time at 14 points. A block from Campbell briefly gave CUC another lead at 15-14, which was short lived after a Skinner kill for Marian tied the set at 15-15. 

A two-point Concordia run was swiftly followed by a three-point Marian run. Another string of ties was kickstarted by a Vales' kill, with Marian eventually pulling away a little, 23-21. Not wanting to fall into a 2-0 set hole, the Cougars scored three consecutive points to take a 24-23 lead. Vozenilek then used a highlight reel play to win set two for CUC, evening the match at one set apiece.

Set three was Marian's wire-to-wire. The Sabres jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before a Velasco service error awarded the Cougars their first point of the set. Five unanswered points put Marian's lead at 8-1, but a Holubek kill and a Holubek and Ricardo Ruiz (Lynwood, Ill.) block pulled the Cougars back within five. 

Using a gigantic 13-5 run, the Sabres drove the score up to 21-8. The Cougars proceeded to get things going, scoring seven of the next ten points. A kill from Cam Muller was the nail in the coffin for Concordia though, clinching set three, 25-15. 

Facing a do-or-die set, CUC came out much more competitive in set four. Vozenilek made sure Marian would not jump out to another big lead when his kill tied the set at one. The squads then traded two-point runs, finding themselves tied at five. 

The set was tied at 6-6 when a 8-2 Sabre run built their lead to six, 14-8. The Marian lead proceeded to grow larger, eventually settling at a nine-point advantage, 20-11. Much akin to set two, the Cougars put up quite an effort at the end of the set, using an 8-4 run to close the gap to five, 24-19. However, Muller once again provided the final blow for the Cougars, using his kill to win the Sabres the set 25-19, and the match 3-1. 

The Cougars will have to wait until after Spring Break to try and rebound. On March 16th, they will play host to the Illinois Institute of Technology. The team will also celebrate Parent's Night in Geiseman that game. First serve is set for 7 p.m., and coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.