River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago men's volleyball team celebrated their Senior Day by welcoming the Saints of Aquinas College onto their home court. After some good efforts, the Cougars swept the Saints, 3-0.
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Before the match, the Cougars honored their seniors,
Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) and
Ayaaz Arif (Bolingbrook, Ill.).
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Inside the Box Score:
- Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) led the night's match with 14 points, 11 kills, an assist, two aces, nine digs, two blocks and led with 29 total attacks.
- Arif ended the night's match with 12.5 points, a career-high 10 kills, three digs, four blocks and 22 total attacks.
- Tristan Caminar (Bolingbrook, Ill.) concluded the night's match with nine points, eight kills, an assist, eight digs, two blocks and 23 total attacks.
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Here's What Happened
Set One
The Cougars gained the first point of the set with a kill from Armstrong. Arif landed some kills, but the teams exchanged points throughout the beginning of the set. Both teams went attack-for-attack, as kills from Armstrong and Caminar kept the Cougars tied up with the Saints. The Cougars took the lead, taking advantage of the Saints' errors, 9-8. The Cougars extended their lead, including Armstrong achieving an ace. The Saints broke up the Cougars' 4-0 run with a kill. Attacks from Caminar built the Cougar lead up to six points, an error made it seven, helping the Cougars break 20. An error by the Saints and an ace made by
Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.), had put the Saints in a nine-point deficit. A kill from Armstrong got the Cougars to set point. A kill from Arif closed out the set. The Cougars took the first set with a score of 25-17, going into the second set, 1-0.
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Set Two
A kill from Arif opened up the set. Arif and
Marcin Hoffman (Inverness, Ill.) got the next few attacks in, extending the lead for the Cougars. The Cougars maintained their 9-0 run with well-placed hits. The Saints finally broke that up with a strong block. The Cougars earned the ball right back with an attack from Hoffman. The Saints pushed the score gap down to seven. The Saints went on a 3-0 run with good blocks before Mosher delivered a kill. The Cougars continued to lead by five. Armstrong and Ford got in some good attacks. The Saints delivered some kills, bringing the Saints within three. The Cougars pushed back with attacks from Caminar and Armstrong, bringing the lead back to five. A hit from Arif had put the Cougars in the view of set point. Hoffman ended the set with a kill. The Cougars took the second set with a score of 25-18, going into the third set in the lead, 2-0.
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Set Three
Kills from Armstrong grabbed the first points of the set. The Saints caught up with the Cougars at 2-2. The teams traded a pair of points, but the Cougars took the lead after a Saint error and a kill from Hoffman. The Cougars gained a five-point advantage; Ford showcased his eagerness to win with a solo block and a strong kill. The Saints continued to push back against the Cougar lead, coming within three, 16-13. Attacks from Caminar and Hoffman, along with an error by the Saints, pressed the Cougar lead up to six. The Cougars capitalized on the Saints' errors, pushing the lead to eight points. Errors from the Saints sealed the deal, the Cougars gaining the match point. The Cougars took the third and final set with a score of 25-16, sweeping their opponents, 3-0.
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What's Next
The team will travel to De Pere, Wis. on Saturday, March 14th, to battle against the Green Knights of St. Norbert College. The match will take place at the Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center at 12:00 pm. Coverage for all things CUC men's volleyball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
