River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University men's volleyball welcomed two Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) teams onto their home court, securing two wins to extend their win streak out to five consecutive games. After a tense battle, the Cougars took their first match of the day at 3-1 against University of Mount Union and swept their second match 3-0 against Wabash College. In the sweep over Wabash,
Tyler Holubek (New Lenox, Ill.) highlighted his career by collecting his 1,000th career kill,
Match One: 3-1 W vs Mount Union
Inside the Box Score:
- Holubek concluded the match with 15.5 points, 15 kills, eight digs, a block and 33 total attacks.
- Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) ended the match with 15 points, 13 kills, a block and 32 total attacks.
- Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) wrapped up the match with 14 points, 12 kills, two assists, 11 digs and led with 34 total attacks.
Here's What Happened
Set One
The Purple Raiders got in the first point of the set, quickly followed up by a kill from
Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.). The Cougars took the lead early on, an ace from Ford and blocks from
Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) and
Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) getting the Cougars up. Kills from Holubek helped keep the Cougars on top. The Cougars gained a three point advantage against the Purple Raiders. Errors from the Purple Raiders pushed the Cougars to a six-point lead. A kill from Stella helped the Cougars surpass 20 on the scoreboard. The Purple Raiders struggled to catch up with the Cougars. An attack from Holubek got the Cougars to set point. A final kill from Holubek locked in the first set with a score of 25-19, where the team traveled into the second set at 1-0.
Set Two
An amazing kill from Armstrong grabbed the first point of the set. The Cougars obtained a three-point lead after some strong attacks from Stella. Errors from the Cougars had put the Purple Raiders within one. The teams tied up at 8-8. The teams had put up a fight for the top spot, a surprise kill from setter Mosher firing up the Cougars. Armstrong continued to show his strength with some powerful kills and multiple aces, keeping the Cougars in the lead. The Cougars pasted up 20 points while the Purple Raiders remained in a five-point deficit. A block from Stella had put the Cougars within set point. A kill from Holubek sealed the deal and the Cougars took the second set with a score of 25-20, going into the third set in the lead at 2-0.
Set Three
Kills from select Purple Raiders earned the first points of the set. The teams flipped as the Purple Raiders took on the lead from the start of the set, up by four against the Cougars. An attack from Armstrong helped earn the ball back for the Cougars. Blocks from Ford and Holubek brought the Cougars within one. The Purple Raiders continued to capitalize on the Cougars' missteps and led by five. The Cougars finally broke 10 after a kill from Stella. The Cougars reached their highest deficit of the match, trailing by 10 points after multiple attacks from the Purple Raiders. Armstrong tried to break into the point deficit with two sharp kills; a block from Ford and an ace from Gudzovski had put the Cougars within six. An error from the Cougars had put the Purple Raiders within set point. The Purple Raiders took the third set with a score of 25-16, going into the fourth set at 1-2.
Set Four
An error from the Purple Raiders lended the first point to the Cougars. The Cougars gained the lead. The teams tied up, but a kill from Holubek and an error from their opponents kept the Cougars up. The Cougars continued to stack their points, putting the Purple Raiders in a six-point disadvantage. The teams fought for dominance as they exchanged kills. The Purple Raiders got the deficit down to three points. The Cougars began to push back and attacks from Holubek, Ford and Stella brought the lead back up to five points. The Cougars continued to score, inching closer to the end of the set. An attack from Stella had put the Cougars within match point. Holubek ended the fourth set with a score of 25-23. The Cougars took the match with 3-1.
Match Two: 3-0 W vs Wabash
Inside the Box Score:
- Holubek led the match with 12.5 points, 11 kills, an assist, six digs, three blocks and led with 23 total attacks.
- Stella concluded the match with eight points, eight kills, an assist and 16 total attacks.
- Ford ended the match with eight points, five kills, two blocks and nine total attacks.
Here's What Happened
Set One
A serving error from the Cougars, along with a kill from a Little Giant, gave the Little Giants the first points of the set. A kill from
Wyatt Anzenberger-Shea (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) earned the Cougars their first point. The Little Giants were the first to take the lead. The Cougars fought back with attacks from Stella and Holubek. The team exchanged points, trying to see who would really take the lead. The teams went back-and-forth with kills, Armstrong and Anzenberger-Shea putting in that effort. Ford continued to throw down major kills, but the Little Giants did not let up. The teams continuously tied up; they reached 25-25, both teams still pushing. The Cougars took the first set with a score of 27-25, going into the second set with a much-earned 1-0.
Set Two
Mosher got up a great set and Anzenberger-Shea was able to get it down, earning the first point of the set. Attacks from Ford and Holubek locked in the lead for the Cougars. The Cougars proceeded to go on a 9-0 run against the Little Giants, making use of the mistakes happening on the court. The Little Giants began to add points to the board after successful kills and an ace were made. The Cougars had hit a 10-point advantage after errors from the Little Giants and attacks from Stella and Mosher. The Little Giants continued to fall into a 12-point deficit, blocks from the Cougars making it hard to get the ball over the net. The Cougars reached 20 while the Little Giants had yet to reach double digits.
Van Gaetto (Darien, Ill.) came in with a kill. The Cougars took the second set with a score of 25-12, traveling into set three at 2-0.
Set Three
A kill from Armstrong had gotten the first point for the Cougars in the set. The Cougars gained the lead, but the Little Giants were on their tails. Kills from Ford and Holubek got the Cougars up by three. The Cougars made sure to stack onto their points with kills from Stella and aces from Ford. The Little Giants finally had hit double digits with an ace, the Cougars still leading by five. The Little Giants bit back and lessen the point gap to two. The consistent errors that came from the Little Giants continued to push the Cougars into the top spot. The Cougars took the third and final set with a score of 25-20, sweeping the Little Giants with 3-0.
What's Next
The team will take a short break before traveling to Chicago, Ill. on February 12th to face off against North Park University. The match will take place at Carlson Gymnasium at 7 pm. Coverage for all things CUC men's volleyball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
