RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's volleyball team hosted the Sabres of Marian University for the season finale. Despite winning the second set, the Cougars fell, 3-1.
Box Score:
- Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) led the squad with 18 points, 14 kills, four blocks, and two service aces.
- Marcin Hoffman (Inverness, Ill.) picked up 12 points, 10 kills, three assists, two service aces, and 10 digs.
- Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) recorded 12 points, 10 kills, 10 digs, two blocks, and a service ace.
- Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) had an all-around match with 24 assists and 10 digs.
- Michael Cardines (Chicago, Ill.) led defensively with 10 digs.
How It Happened
Set One
The Cougars started hot with a 6-0 run that started with a block from
Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) and
Ayaaz Arif (Bolingbrook, Ill.). Kills from Arif, Stella, and Armstrong kept the run going, along with an ace from Hoffman. The teams traded points, as the Cougars maintained a six-point lead, 13-7. The Sabres tacked on two points before Arif recorded another kill. The Sabres then went on a 7-1 run to take the lead, 16-15. An error from Marian tied the set up, but the Sabres reclaimed the lead, 19-16. An ace from Armstrong and a kill from Ford aided the Cougars in closing the gap to 21-20. Marian would reach set point first, but CUC would not lie down. Kill from Hoffman and Stella, and a block by Arif and Stella tied up the set and forced extra points. The Sabres came out on top, 27-25 and led the match 1-0.
Set Two
The Sabres went up early, but the Cougars made quick work of overtaking the lead, with kills from Ford, Stella, and
Grayson Arn (Beloit, Wis.) putting them up, 7-4. Kills from Hoffman, Stella, and Arif, and an ace from Arn extended the lead, 12-7. Marian tried to close the gap, but the Cougars kept poised continued to build their lead to as much as nine. Armstrong and Ford bolstered the offense, along with an ace from Stella, to lead 20-11. The Cougars never wavered as the end of the set neared and took the set, 25-14. The match was tied 1-1.
Set Three
The teams traded points as Ford, Arn, and Hoffman kept the match tied at 5-5. The Sabres were able to gain a small lead, 11-7, before Stella stopped their run with a kill. Ford and Stella kept the Cougars in the hunt, keeping the deficit at five, 16-11. A kill from Arif and an ace from Hoffman started a charge for CUC, as the Cougars brought the gap down to two, 19-17. Mosher picked up a kill, but it wasn't enough and the Sabres took set three, 25-20. The Sabres led, 2-1.
Set Four
Kills from Ford and an ace from Armstrong brought the Cougars to an early, 5-1 lead. Ford, Mosher, and Hoffman added to the lead, 8-3. Marian began to close the gap and get within one, 10-9. A block by Ford and Mosher as well as kills from Ford and Hoffman kept the Cougars in the lead, 14-11. The teams traded points and a kill from Hoffman put the Cougars up by four, 19-15. However, the Sabres went on a 4-0 run to tie up the set. Kills from Ford and Hoffman put the Cougars back in the lead, but it was quickly diminished. With the two sides tied at 23-23, the Sabres managed to secure the last two points to take the set, 25-23. Marian took the match, 3-1.
What's Next
This concludes the 2026 CUC men's volleyball season. The Cougars finished 11-13 overall and 3-9 in conference play. Men's volleyball wants to thank all the fans for their continued support throughout the season and looks forward to seeing everyone next year. All updates in the offseason from men's volleyball can be found on X @cuc_cougarmvb, on Instagram @cucmvb, and at cucougars.com.
