Springfield, Ohio – The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's volleyball team (1-3, 0-0) picked up their first win of the season, and first win under Coach Greg Manos, with 3-0 sweep on the road at Wittenberg University (6-4, 0-0) behind strong play at the net.
Inside the Box
- Coming off a strong first two matches, Luke Vozenilek (Westmont, Ill.) picked up right where he left off with a match-high 17 kills to go along with seven digs and five blocks.
- Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) continued his strong freshman campaign with 22 assists and three kills.
- Tyler Holubek (New Lenox, Ill.) had a match-high 13 digs to go along with six kills and one service ace.
First Set
Set one started very close, both teams traded points until the Tigers broke the 8-8 tie and went on a four point run. The run was finally broken and it was time for the Cougars to go on one of their own, highlighted by this Vozenilek kill off the over pass.
After another two points from Wittenberg to make it 14-11, CUC found life again behind back-to-back kills by Vozenilek to tie it at 14-14. The teams traded the next few points until the Cougars broke through for a three point run to make it 18-16.
As the Cougars started to look as they had the set in hand, the Tigers found a three point run of their own to tie it at 22-22. Following a timeout to regroup, CUC took the next three points to win the set 25-22.
Second Set
The second set was filled with bigger runs, the first big one from the Cougars, getting up 6-2 off of a three point run. The Tigers quickly tied it with a four point run of their own. This trend continued as both team traded three and four point runs until the Cougars tied it at 18-18 and forced a timeout.
A kill following the timeout from Vozenilek would give CUC their first lead since it was 7-6. Although, it would not last long as Wittenberg tied it, and again the teams traded points.
A service error by the Tigers would be just the opening the Cougars needed as they took the lead at 23-22. They followed that with a block from
David Vales (Oak Forest, Ill.) and
Andrej Moller (Naperville, Ill.), and were then able to close out the set 25-22 off of an attack error.
Third Set
The third set started much like the first with seven ties through the first 14 points. The Cougars then broke through with a three point run to take a 10-8 lead. They followed that with another run, eventually stretching to their largest lead at 15-10.
The Tigers were not ready to quit there, as they fought back to tie it at 16-16. After trading some points, Wittenberg took the lead at 19-18. The Cougars answered that with a four point run, topped off by back-to-back kills from Vozenilek and took the lead back at 22-19.
After the Tigers fought to keep the match going, Vozenilek ended it at 25-21 with this shot off the block for his 17
th kill of the night.
The Cougars are back in action tomorrow as they travel to Berea, Ohio for the Baldwin Wallace Tri. They face host Baldwin Wallace at 12:00 p.m. then take on Medaille College at 2:00 p.m.. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com
