RIVER FOREST, ILL.- Following a brief Easter break, the Concordia University Chicago men's (8-15, 3-8) volleyball team took a trip down Division Street to take on the Dominican University Stars (15-7, 10-1) in an Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference matchup. The Stars would end up sweeping the Cougars with a score of 3-0.
Inside the Box Score
- David Vales (Oak Forest, Ill.) would lead the kills category with eight. The senior also picked up two aces and two blocks.
- Following behind is Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) and Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) with five and four kills, respectively. Stella would also record five digs, three blocks and one ace.
- Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) would dominate with 16 assists, four digs and two blocks.
How it Happened
Set One
Concordia would strike first with a fast 2-0 lead. The Stars would quickly respond with two points of their own. Off a Dominican service error, the Cougars would obtain the early 5-3 lead. The Stars would eventually bounce back and chip down at the Cougar lead. With back to back kills thanks to
Sean Beckman (Hoffman Estates, Ill.), the Cougars would take a 3-0 offensive run.
The Cougars would eventually build a lead as much as five, but was quickly dismantled by the Stars to now trail with a score of 15-14. With back-and-forth play happening on both sides of the court, the Stars would take the lead 23-22. With more competitive play, the Cougars were not going down without a fight and had a response for every Dominican play. However, Dominican would secure the first set with a score of 25-16, leading 1-0 in the match.
Set Two
The Cougars would come out firing, securing the first point to start set two. The Stars would again respond with a kill to tie things up early. Dominican was unaffected as they went on an offensive rampage to take a 6-1 lead. Another Cougars timeout was followed by an easy two-point lead for the Stars. The Cougars were presently behind by five points as they gradually reduced their lead.
In order to keep within five points, the Cougars defense kept up with the Star offense by being active in all areas of the court. Hoffman and Vales have both recorded kills, allowing the Cougars to close the gap to two. Stella and Gudzovski were outstanding on the front line and received a crucial block to trail 15–11 at this point. After the Stars went on a 6-0 run, the Cougars rapidly cut into their lead, to only be down by eight. The Stars won set two with a score of 25-16, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Stars would again take set two with a score of 25-16, now with a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set Three
Once more, the Cougars took the opening points of the set without letting up. With each Cougar point, the Stars were able to respond and hold their own. The Cougars took a timeout as Dominican began to pull away, leading 11–6. They continued to press forward offensively and never let up. The Cougars persisted in their fierce defense to remain inside seven points. The Cougars would snag the lead with a score of 18-17. The Dominican Stars, however, would proceed to build up the momentum and take charge.
In the end, the Stars did not relinquish control right away, and they would win the last set 25–23 after a fierce struggle. They would defeat the Cougars 3-0 to win the game.
The Cougars will close the regular season back in Geiseman Gymnasium as they host the visiting Marian University Sabres and will also be senior day. This game will take place April 6th with a start time of 4:00 pm, with senior day events taking place prior. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
