LISLE, Ill. (Duhawks.com) – The Loras Men's Volleyball team continued their season on Wednesday night with a triangular against Benedictine University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. After falling in three sets to Benedictine, the Duhawks responded with a five-set thriller against MSOE, but fell in the end 3-2.
In Loras' first match of the day, the Duhawks felt the effects of the long bus ride, as they came out flat and Benedictine was quick to take advantage. Led by Lewis Stein who finished with nine kills and five blocks from the middle position, Benedicitne traded blows with Loras throughout the first set, but established a bend and not break mentality.
Following a deadlock early at 4-4, the Eagles grabbed the lead and held on for most of the match. Refusing to go down quietly, the Duhawks fought their way back and leveled at 25 on a kill from senior
Michael Kreiser. On the very next serve, Benedictine went ahead on a kill from Eric Tarnow which gave them the momentum to eventually grab the first set win, 28-26.
After sitting at 12-12 in set two, Benedictine went on a 13-4 run to put Loras behind the 8-ball, 2-0. The Duhawks were held to just eight kills on 32 attacks.
With their backs to the wall, Loras responded late in the third set to draw close, going on a 8-4 run to cut into the Eagles' lead. However, it was too little too late as Benedictine closed out the third set and the match, 25-22.
Facing a quick turnaround, the Duhawks prepared themselves for their showdown with MSOE. The Raiders, who came in with a 1-1 record, came out as the stronger of the two sides, highlighted by hitting .242 in the first set and taking the win 25-21.
Hoping to avoid a three-set sweep for the second time on the night, Loras responded with force in set two, putting themselves ahead 15-10. A 5-2 run by MSOE brought the Raiders to within striking distance, but the balanced attack from the Duhawks kept the lead in tact.
MSOE's seven errors and five service errors aided the Loras resurgence, but it was a kill from Kreiser that gave Loras the win in set two.
Feeling the momentum growing, the Duhawks kept it business as usual, capitalizing on the numerous errors MSOE made. In set three alone, the Raiders committed 10 attack errors and eight service errors. Despite only hitting .167, the Duhawks limited their errors and took a 2-1 lead heading into set four.
Looking to close out the match and earn their first win in program history, Loras let their excitement get the best of them, as MSOE opened on an 8-3 run.
A 5-0 run midway through the fourth set prompted a timeout from head coach
Jeremy Thornburg, catalyzing a 8-3 run for Loras to make it 20-18.
The Duhawks came as close as 21-20 before MSOE's Nick Manning's kill gave him the serve. From there, the Duhawks could not stop Manning. His deceptive serve, evident in the set-ending ace that evened the match, matched his strong presence on attack. The ace gave MSOE the set, 25-20, and leveled the match at two.
Playing for the match in set five, the two teams traded points to a tie at five after Kreiser and Combs combined to block the Eagles' Joe Humpal. With Manning attempting to take control of the set, freshman
Shayne Marquez set Kreiser for the kill.
The kill proved to be a match changer, with MSOE responding with three straight points to take a 10-7 lead, forcing a Loras timeout. Despite winning the first point out of the break, the Eagles closed out the set on a 5-1 run. The 15-8 set win lifted the Eagles just over the Duhawks, 3-2, in the match.
Loras will take the weekend off from competiton before embarking on a roadtrip next week for contests against Lindenwood-Belleville on Thursday and Culver-Stockton on Friday.
