River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago men's volleyball team welcomed the nationally ranked No. 12 Spartans of Aurora University onto their home court. After a major battle between both sides, the Spartans swept the Cougars 3-0.
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Inside the Box Score:
- Leon Gudzovski (Des Plaines, Ill.) led the night's match with 8.5 points, eight kills, two digs, a block and 11 total attacks.
- Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) ended the night's match with 8.5 points, eight kills, a block and 18 total attacks.
- Tate Johnson (Plainfield, Ill.) concluded the night's match with 6.5 points, six kills, an ace, two digs, a block and 16 total attacks.
- Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) left the night's match with 6 points, six kills, five digs and led with 26 total attacks.
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Here's What Happened
Set One
The Cougars started off strong with a deep kill. The teams quickly tied up, 2-2. The Spartans took the lead with their strong blocks, putting the Cougars down by two. Johnson had put the Cougars within one with an attack on the right side of the Spartans' side of the court. The Cougars took back the lead with a block from Gudzovski and Johnson, 8-7. The teams battled against one another, the Spartans taking the lead once more. The Cougars continued to fight as blocks from Ford and
Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) had put the Cougars within two, 15-13. The Spartans built up a four-point lead but kills from Johnson and Armstrong halted them. The Spartans hit 20 with the Cougars on their tails. The Cougars, even in their efforts, remained in a three-point deficit as the set headed into its closing points. A kill from Ford gave the Cougars a point, but the Spartans made it to set point first. The Spartans took the first set with a score of 25-21, going into the second set, 1-0.
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Set Two
The Spartans took the first point of the set. Stella came in right after with a great kill. The teams exchanged points at the start of the set. The Spartans took the lead early on, but the Cougars accomplished a tie with an error from the Spartans and a kill from Gudzovski, 4-4. The Spartans gained a three-point lead; Ford went back-and-forth with the Spartans, delivering kills. The Spartans were at a six-point advantage, 16-10, before an attack from Johnson finally earned the ball back for the Cougars. However, they gave it right back as the Spartans furthered their attack. The Cougars continued to fall into a disadvantage. The Cougars pushed back, getting their deficit down to eight points. The Cougars sent kills over the net, trying to stay afloat. The Spartans took the second set with a score of 25-17, going into the third set in the lead, 2-0.
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Set Three
A kill from Stella had gotten the first point of the set for the Cougars. The teams tied early on after a kill was delivered from
Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio). With an ace from Mosher and an error from the Spartans, the Cougars took the lead, 4-2. The Spartans proceeded to go on a 3-0 run before an attack from Gudzovski cut that off. The Cougars stayed within one as Gudzovski put up a major fight.
Michael Cardines (Chicago, Ill.) joined the attack, as he was assisted by
Marcin Hoffman (Inverness, Ill.) in a close kill. Gudzovski and Armstrong had gotten the Cougars within two of their opponents, a Spartan error putting them within one, 14-13. The Spartans pushed forward and obtained a four-point lead, Gudzovski and Ford trying to eat away at the lead with attacks. A kill from Armstrong had put the Cougars within one, 22-21, as the set got closer to its conclusion. A kill from a Spartan sealed the deal. The Spartans took the third and final set with a score of 25-23, sweeping the Cougars, 3-0.
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What's Next
The team will make their way to Milwaukee, Wis. to go up against Milwaukee School of Engineering. The match will take place at the Kern Center at 1:00 pm. Coverage for all things CUC men's volleyball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
