DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – An Athletic & Wellness Center full of purple and gold set the stage for Loras College Men's Volleyball's inaugural match on Friday night. The Duhawks strong start kept fans on their feet as they took on the Lynx of Lindenwood-Belleville in their season opener. Out of the gates, Loras started out strong before falling 3-1 (30-28, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20).
In the first set, freshman
Jimmy Combs led the Duhawks (0-1) to an early 5-2 lead. From that point, the teams traded points with neither team leading by more than one until an error by the Lynx (1-0) pushed Loras to set point, 24-22. With the packed Athletic & Wellness Center fans on their feet, the Lynx thrived under pressure eventually taking the set 30-28.
The second set had a similar tone to that of the first, with the Duhawks in front in the early goings. Lindenwood-Belleville took their first lead of the set, 18-17, when Tyler Boring crushed a shot cross-court. The kill swung the momentum in favor of the Lynx as they rolled to a 27-25 win, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
Senior
Michael Kreiser paced the Duhawks in the third set, pacing them to a 14-9 lead behind four kills by the senior outside hitter. Loras held off a Lynx come back, holding a 24-23 lead, forcing a timeout by Lindenwood-Belleville. Out of the timeout, freshman
Dylan Ross and Dawid Kasprazak combined for a set ending block as Loras took the set, 25-23.
A young Duhawk squad ran out of gas in the fourth set, while the Lynx hit a match-high .222 on their way to a 25-20 win.
Despite the loss, the Duhawks showed promise for the future, leaving purple and gold supporters hungry for the rest of the season.
Match ChangerAlthough the Duhawks escaped with a win in the third set, the comeback by the Lynx gave them the momentum heading into the fourth set where they finished the match.
Key StatThe serving game controlled the match with Loras recorded three aces while committing 11 service errors. Lindenwood-Belleville totaled 10 aces while committing 18 errors.
Notables- Senior Michael Kraiser recorded a double-double in the loss (19 kills, 10 digs). He also hit a team-high .326 for the match
- Freshman libero Blair Anderson led Loras with 16 kills
- Freshman Danny Krasich led the way in assists, tallying 19
- Freshman TJ Esporas recorded the first kill in program history
Next UpThe Duhawks return to the court on Wednesday, January 21 when they travel to Lisle, Illinois. Loras' first of two matches will start at 4:30 p.m. against Benedictine before the Duhawks take on Milwaukee School of Engineering later in the evening.
