RIVER FOREST, ILL. — Today marked the official opening day for the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's volleyball team in their 2024 season. What was originally supposed to be a tri-match for the Cougars, it was changed to a double header due to weather. Maranatha Baptist University (MBU) fought CUC in two separate games this afternoon, and the Cougars remained victorious in both, with scores of 3-0 and 3-0.
Game One: 3-0 W
Inside the Box Score:
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In his freshman debut, Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) led the way offensively with 15 kills
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Returning as the Cougars main setter, Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) tallied 30 assists
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Joining his freshman counterpart, Marcin Hoffman (Inverness, Ill.) led with nine digs
The Cougars would start off aggressive to begin set one, as Van Gaetto (Darien, Ill.) had a seven-point rally from the service line. This included two Gaetto service aces and kills from multiple Cougars 7-0. CUC would keep the foot on the pedal, with a Stella-Mosher block, Hoffman ace, and kills from David Vales (Oak Forest, Ill.) and Stella 12-1.
The Sabercats tried to begin tallying their points together, but the Cougars would stand in their way. Timothy Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind.) picked up a kill to have CUC in the lead at 16-6. Kills from Stella and Vales, followed by a Hoffman ace, would pull the Cougars ahead to 22-10. MBU would not be able to tie together a set one win, with Vales delivering the killing blow 25-11.
Set two would begin with a bit more of a back-and-forth battle between these competitors. Stella would go on a rampage, picking up three kills and a service ace to lead 6-4. The Cougars used this momentum to go on a five-point rally with kills from Vales, Hoffman, and Ayaaz Arif (Bolingbrook, Ill.) 11-6.
MBU would not go silently, as they continued to try and find ways past the CUC defense. Hoffman then picked up three back-to-back-to-back kills and Arif had a service ace to pull away at 18-9. Hoffman grabbed another two kills at 21-11. To finish off set two, Stella and Mosher would pick up kills, with Arif finishing it off 25-13 CUC.
The third set would begin with kills from Hoffman and Stella to have it tied at 3-3. The Sabercats would take the lead for the first time on the day 7-6. But it would be short lived, with back-to-back kills from Stella to make it 9-7 CUC.
Johnson would join in on the fun with Stella, pulling away to 12-8. Stella continued his dominance both at the net and behind the service line to make it 18-10. Making positive moves off of MBU mistakes, CUC continued to carry the momentum in the third set.
Vales and Hoffman would find room on the court, before MBU began tho battle back on the score of 21-15. But CUC shut this down quickly, thanks to two aces and a kill from Arif 25-15. The Cougars would win the first game on the day with a final score of 3-0.
Game Two: 3-0 W
Inside the Box Score:
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Hoffman would be the freshman to lead offensively in game two with 11 kills and six service aces
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Johnson showed off with a career-high 23 assists
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Dionte Garcia (Aurora, Colo.) and Johnson tied with eight digs apiece
Set one started off very similarly to game one, with three Hoffman kills to begin a lead of 5-4. Arif would pop a kill in as well, before CUC went on a four-point rally. This consisted of efforts from Hoffman, as well as a Johnson kill and ace 10-6.
Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) would open up his day on offense with a kill and block with Stella to make it 13-7. He continued this showing with a service ace and kill from Hoffman to pull away at 17-10. The Cougars would go on a big run, with Hoffman and Stella leading the way 22-12. The Sabercats would capitalize on some Cougar miscues, but CUC would take set one with a score of 25-15.
Set two would start off with an MBU rally, tying the game up at 4-4. Stella would pick up another two kills on the night, but the game would remain tied at 7-7. However, CUC would go on a huge run of nine points to take the lead. Kills came from almost every Cougar on the court, including Gaetto and Johnson, to make it 16-7.
Vales had two kills, then Hoffman concluded with one for himself, to make the score 22-9. The Cougars finished off set two in style with a Vales kill to win it 25-10.
With a full sweep on the day in focus, CUC began to look for another win in set three. Stella and Johnson would get the Cougars started, along with a Gaetto kill and ace, to take the lead 6-4. However, MBU went on a rally and took the lead back 8-6.
The Sabercats would stay out in front, with the Cougars trying to gain momentum off of their mistakes. It would go to a 13-11 MBU lead before CUC tied it back up at 13-13. The Cougars would finally take the lead of 19-16. Hoffman would grab an impressive three service aces in this bout of points.
The Cougars would shut this game down quickly over the Sabercats. Kills from Johnson and Vales, plus two Arif service aces, ended set three with a final score of 25-17. The Cougars would win this game with a final score of 3-0 and sweep MBU on the day.
The Cougars will be on the road this week at Augustana University on Thursday for a 5 p.m. game. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
