River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago men's volleyball team were on their home court to welcome the Eagles of Edgewood University. After an intense match-up, the Eagles beat the Cougars, 3-2.
Inside the Box Score:
- Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) led in the match with 21 points, 16 kills, an ace, 13 digs, seven blocks and led with 66 total attacks.
- Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) ended the match with 14.5 points, 12 kills, two assists, two aces, 17 digs, a block and 41 total attacks.
- Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) concluded the match with 13.5 points, 10 kills, two aces, a dig, three blocks and 22 total attacks.
- Marcin Hoffman (Inverness, Ill.) finished the match with 11 points, 10 kills, seven digs, two blocks and 26 total attacks.
- Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) ended the night with 51 assists.
Here's What Happened
Set One
The Cougars were first to score with a kill from Stella, followed up by a kill from the Eagles. Stella and Armstrong provided two more kills, taking the lead. Attacks from Ford and Stella kept the Cougars two steps ahead; a kill from the Eagles tied the teams up; the Eagles grabbed the lead - aces and kills left the Cougars in a three-point deficit. A kill from Stella and
Wyatt Anzenberger-Shea (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), along with a block from
Tristan Caminar (Bolingbrook, Ill.) got the Cougars back up. The Cougars brought their lead up by three. An attack from Mosher helped the Cougars break 20. Errors brought the Eagles disadvantage to six points. A block from Anzenberger-Shea closed out the set with a score of 25-19, the Cougars leading, 1-0.
Set Two
The Eagles took the first point of the set but quickly lost the next two points to errors. A kill from Armstrong solidified the lead of the Cougars. The tables turned early on when attacks on the Cougars provided the Eagles with a 6-0 run. This got broken up with a kill from Stella. Efforts from Stella and errors from the Eagles brought the Cougars within one. The Eagles remained two points in the lead as the set carried on. A kill from Stella and an ace from Mosher evened things out. The teams continued to exchange points, tying up repeatedly. The Eagles reached set point first. The Eagles took the second set with a score of 25-23, the teams tied up, 1-1.
Set Three
The Eagles took the lead by five to start the set. The Cougars gathered their first point off of a bad set. A kill from Anzenberger-Shea had put the Cougars within four. The Eagles grew their lead to seven points, leaving the Cougars trailing. Pushback from Stella and Ford earned the Cougars another point, but it wasn't enough as the Eagles surpassed 10. The Cougars fell to a nine-point deficit. A kill from Ford finally helped the Cougars cross 10 points. The Cougars tacked on some points, putting the deficit to five. The Eagles had set up a 3-0 run before Hoffman stopped it with a kill. Kills from Armstrong and
Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) had gotten the Cougars within five once more. Gudzovski delivered another kill, softening the blow of the deficit. The Eagles took the third set with a score of 25-19, going into the fourth set as leader, 2-1.
Set Four
A kill from the Eagles grabbed their first point of the set. Armstrong countered this with a good block. The teams eventually tied up at 6-6, the Eagles with a 4-0 run built up. Ford delivered a strong kill into the left side of the Eagles' side of the court, bringing the Cougars within one. Kills from Hoffman, Stella and Gudzovski brought the Cougars back up. The teams exchanged attacks, therefore exchanging points - remaining on each other's tails. Kills from Hoffman finally gave the Cougars the lead. The Eagles got into a five-point disadvantage, Ford proving to be a major contributor to it. Kills from Armstrong helped the Cougars approach set point. The Cougars took the fourth set with a score of 25-18; the teams were tied going into the final set, 2-2.
Set Five
The Eagles snatched the first point of the set with a sharp kill. Stella counteracted this with a high block at the net. The teams tied up after a tip from Hoffman, 3-3. Kills from Stella and Hoffman, along with an ace from Stella, pushed the Cougars past the Eagles. Mosher also sent in a kill, keeping the Cougars ahead. The teams switched sides; attacks from Ford and Gudzovski locked in a two-point lead. The Cougars remained with a four-point advantage with kills from Armstrong, Gudzovski and Stella, along with an ace from Mosher. The Eagles started to push back, coming within one of the Cougars. The teams battled for the top spot - the Eagles ultimately succeeding. The Eagles took the fifth and final set with a score of 20-18, beating out the Cougars 3-2.
What's Next
The team will travel to Virginia Beach, Va. to face off against the Hornets of the University of Lynchburg and the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan University. The matches will take place on Saturday, February 28th, at the Townebank Arena at 3 pm EST and 5 pm EST, respectively. Coverage for all things CUC men's volleyball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage
