STEVENS POINT, WIS. --- Heading into spring break, the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's volleyball team (6-11, 1-3) made the drive up to Wisconsin to take on University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) (10-7, 0-0) for a non-conference matchup. In what was neck and neck competition on all sides of the floor, the Pointers walked away with the 3-0 win.
Inside The Box Score
- Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio)Â continued to be a dominant force for the Cougars. The sophomore picked up 38 assists, seven digs and two blocks.
- Leading the kills category were Marcin Hoffman (Inverness, Ill.)Â and Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.), who both had 12 kills each. Hoffman also added two blocks and one ace on the night.
- David Vales (Oak Forest, Ill.)Â followed behind with nine kills, six digs and one assist.
How It Happened
Set One
The Pointers started off the match hot with two easy points. However, great defensive play by the Cougars were able to respond quickly to even the playing field. With a little back-and-forth action, with a block by the Cougar frontline and a kill by Vales, they managed to take the two point lead with a score of 7-5. The Pointers did not back down, as they were able to fire back with points of their own.
The Pointers managed to build a 4-0 run to lead the set with a score of 14-10, which led to a Cougar timeout. Coming out the timeout the Pointers proceeded to expand on the lead with two quick kills. But it was no problem for Vales as he managed to get a kill at the end of the Pointer run. The momentum did not phase the Pointer offense as they went on another run to lead the first set 20-12. Following the second timeout from the Cougars, they were able to fire back with a kill fromÂ
Sean Beckman (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) With serving errors coming from the Pointers, the Cougars were able to bounce back to trail 24-18. The Pointers secured the first set win with a score of 25-18, taking the 1-0 lead.
Set Two
The Pointers struck first, securing the first three points of the set. The Cougars fired back with two points. Following defensive miscommunications, the Pointers were able to extend the lead with a score of 6-3. A hard kill and block by duo Mosher and Beckman were able to bring the Cougars back to tie the game up at six apiece. The two teams proceeded to exchange points back-and-forth until the Pointers front line were heating up and went on a 3-0 run that led to another Cougar timeout.
The Cougar offense started to come alive as they went on a 4-0 run. It didn't phase the Pointers, as they easily crawled back to stay in the set. Another block by the Cougars had them too stunned to speak, leading 21-20. The Pointers spark continued to ignite and rallied back to lead set two with a score 24-22. The Cougars tried to crawl back but it wasn't enough as the Pointers brought home the second set win with a score of 25-23, now leading the match 2-0.
Set Three
The Pointer offense returned like they never left and got the first point to start set three. The Cougars went on a 3-0 run to lead, but was quickly stopped by the Pointers defense. The Cougars lead 6-4 with a Vales swing, but the Pointers were not going down without a fight as they managed to chip down at the lead. With back-to-back kills coming from Hoffman, the Cougars started to take the early lead with a score of 15-11. Coming out of a UWSP timeout, the Pointers managed to tally two points out the gate.
Stella and Hoffman resumed to fire back with kills of their own to extend the lead with a score of 19-15. A block party happening within the Pointer front line offense led to a
Greg Manos timeout. After being down as much as seven, the Pointers dominated the final points of the match. They were able to take the final set 25-23, securing the 3-0 win.
The Cougars will have a little break before heading back to Geiseman Gymnasium to take on the visiting Edgewood College Eagles in a Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) match up. This game is scheduled for Saturday, March 9th with a start time of 1pm. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
