River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago men's volleyball team was at home to welcome the Vikings of Augustana College. After a strong offensive battle, the Cougars took their first win of the season 3-2.
Inside the Box Score:
- Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) bodied the afternoon's game with 18 points, 16 kills, five digs, three blocks and led with 54 total attacks.
- Tyler Holubek (New Lenox, Ill.) ended the afternoon's game with 11.5 points, eight kills, an assist, six digs, five blocks and 30 total attacks.
- Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) left the afternoon's game with 11 points, four kills, 12 total attacks and led with six blocks.
- Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) ended the afternoon's game with 6.5 points, three kills, a dig, four blocks and 13 total attacks.
Here's What Happened
Set One
The Vikings obtained the first points of the set with some kills. Blocks from Gudzovski and Stella got the ball into Cougar territory. The team went on to exchange points before tying up at 6-6. The Cougars took the lead with kills from Stella and Gudzovski. The Vikings were right on the Cougars' tails, but attack errors hindered their progress. A kill from
Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) kept the Cougars afloat. The teams delivered kills back-and-forth before the Cougars gained a lead with a kill from Holubek. The Cougars continued to build their lead, putting the Vikings in a four-point deficit. Kills from Holubek and Ford had put the Cougars within set point, a bad set from a Viking sealing the deal. The Cougars took the first set with a score of 25-18, going into the second set 1-0.
Set Two
The Vikings got in the first point, gaining a quick lead in the start of the set. The Vikings went on a 4-0 run before a service error gave the ball back to the Cougars. The Vikings continued to stack points onto their lead, but kills from Stella had put the Cougars within two. The Vikings bit back by putting the Cougars in a five-point deficit. Holubek had put up a fight against the deficit with some well-timed blocks. The Cougars were still trailing behind the Vikings; the Cougars were at a seven-point disadvantage, the biggest of the day. A kill from Stella attempted to break up the gap, but the Vikings surpassed 21 points. Errors from the Vikings, along with an ace from Gudzovski, helped the Cougars collect some points. Kills from the Vikings helped them take the set with a score of 25-19, the teams going into the third set tied at 1-1.
Set Three
The Cougars received the first points of the set after some errors from the Vikings. After some brief back-and-forth, the Vikings got the lead, but the Cougars remained close behind. The Vikings gained a three-point advantage, but errors and a kill from Holubek had put the Cougars within one. A block from Stella tied the teams up. The Vikings came back with a three-point lead. After a timeout, the Cougars came back with a vengeance. Kills from Holubek, Stella and
Tristan Caminar (Bolingbrook, Ill.) tied the teams up at 15-15. The Vikings got back into the lead, quickly putting four points on the board. Gudzovski earned the ball back for the Cougars. The Vikings broke 20, but a kill from Caminar kept the Cougars within one. The teams continued to tie at the final points of the set. The Vikings took the set with a score of 26-24, going into set four at 2-1.
Set Four
A kill from Stella started out the set, followed by a block from Gudzovski. The teams collected points, tying up consistently throughout the first half of the set. The Cougars finally began to build a steady lead, with aces from
Michael Cardines (Chicago, Ill.), a block from Ford and a kill from
Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio). Those efforts, plus some errors from the Vikings led to a four-point advantage for the Cougars. The Vikings slowly started to catch up, kills and blocks putting them within one. The teams fought for the top spot, the Cougars breaking 20 first. Ford pulled out his amazing kills for the last couple of points, putting the Cougars up by four. An ace from Ford wrapped up the set as the Cougars took the fourth with a score of 25-22. The teams went into the fifth and final set tied at 2-2.
Set Five
The Vikings got the first point of the last set, the Cougars quickly followed up with a point of their own. The Vikings went into the lead after some aces, but the Cougars caught up with a kill from
Marcin Hoffman (Inverness, Ill.) and an ace from Cardines. The tables turned and the Cougars took the lead after a block from Ford and an error from a Viking, 8-6. After switching sides, the Cougars continued to lead by three points, kills from Stella eating away at the Vikings. An ace from Ford and a kill from Caminar put the Cougars closer to match point. The Cougars took the final set with a score of 15-9. The Cougars walked away with their first win of the season 3-2.
What's Next
The team will make their way to Grand Rapids, Mich. to play against Calvin University on January 30th. The game will take place at the Van Noord Arena at 7 pm EST. Coverage for all things CUC men's volleyball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
