RIVER FOREST, ILL. — Returning home for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's volleyball team (2-2, 0-0) faced off with the Wabash College Little Giants (2-1, 0-0) on Friday night at CUC. After a close two sets, Wabash proved too much for CUC in the third, cruising to a 3-0 match victory.
-Inside the Box Score
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David Vales (Oak Forest, Ill.) led the Cougars in kills with nine. He also had a team-leading two service aces and his five digs was tied for the game lead.
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Tying Vales for the digs lead was Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio). Mosher also dished out 18 assists, the most of any Cougar.
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Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) and Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) stood tall for CUC in the front line, securing three blocks each.
-How It Happened
First Set
The Cougars started the match strong, with a Stella kill and attack error from Wabash giving CUC a 2-0 lead, but Wabash grabbed the next two points to even the game up. Gudzovski temporarily gave Concordia the lead again, but another two Little Giants points made it 4-3 Wabash.
This kickstarted a 3-0 CUC spree, highlighted by a Vales ace, which gave Concordia a two point lead. The lead did not last long however after two straight Wabash points. Both squads traded points until it was an 8-8 game. Concordia then rattled off three straight points to take a 11-8 advantage.
The back-and-forth game resumed, with Mosher and Gudzovski combining for a huge block to make it 13-10. Here is where the Little Giants put their foot on the gas, taking eight of the next 12 points to go in front 18-17, but Van Gaetto (Darien, Ill.) got a cross-court kill to knot it back up at 18.
Another three-point Wabash spree put the score 21-18 in their favor, but the lead did not last long thanks to a 4-1 CUC run. Tied at 22, a kill and service ace brought Wabash to set point. Vales and his kill prolonged the set, but the Little Giants eventually finished the set with their 25th point, taking a 1-0 match lead.
Second Set
Wabash picked up right where they left off to start the second set, taking an early 10-5 lead. But a big run from the Cougars, highlighted by an Ayaaz Arif (Bolingbrook, Ill.) service ace, pulled CUC back within one, 10-9.
The domination continued for the Little Giants after the Cougar four-point run. Wabash put up 10 points while only allowing five to take a commanding 20-14 lead. Following their own timeout, Concordia grabbed seven points in the next nine volleys to make it 22-21.
Another point for each team made it 23-22, but back-to-back Wabash kills sealed the deal for the Little Giants in set, giving them a 2-0 lead in the match.
Third Set
The Little Giants came out firing in set three, going up 11-1 thanks to a nine-point run. That run was ended by a Stella kill, which then kicked off a three-point run for the Cougars.
That run did little to slow down a rolling Wabash team, who took six of the next seven points to stand atop of CUC 17-5. A kill from Vales was the first of back-to-back points for Concordia, which was followed by two points from Wabash, which was succeeded by yet another CUC two point spree, putting the score at 19-9.
That lead eventually shrank to nine when a trio of Wabash errors made it 21-12. The Little Giants were not ready to play any games however, taking four of the final five points needed for Wabash to win set three, 25-13, and the game, 3-0.
-Up Next
The Cougars do not have too much time to reflect on the loss, as they are back at it tomorrow, Jan. 27, when Fontbonne University pays Geiseman Gymnasium a visit. First serve is set for 5 p.m., and coverage can be found at
cucougars.com.
