DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – Returning to the Athletic & Wellness Center less than 24 hours after taking on Fontbonne, the Duhawks opened with immense energy against No. 15 Mount St. Joseph on Saturday. Leading from the get go, Loras earned the opening set win before falling 3-1 in a defensive battle.

Capitalizing on errors by the Lions (14-8, 7-3), the Duhawks (3-16, 1-9) opened the match with a 4-0 lead in the first set.

A series of hustle plays outworked the attack of the Lions, allowing Loras to push their lead to six (23-17) after a kill by freshman TJ Esporas.

Mount St. Joseph pushed late in the set, but the Duhawks held their own. A kill by Esporas moved the score to set point before a Lions' service error sealed the win, 25-21.
Feeding off their win, the Duhawks took charge from the start, taking a 7-3 lead to force an early Lions timeout. The break proved pivotal for the Lions, as they returned to the court and rattled off three straight points, pulling within one.

From there, the teams played through five ties before the Lions used a series of runs to take a 22-21 lead.

Fighting for the 2-0 lead in the match and trailing 24-21 in the set, the Duhawks called a timeout.

A perfectly passed ball by freshman Blair Anderson in serve receive allowed freshman Shayne Marquez to set freshman Jimmy Combs for a crowd pleasing kill. Combs' kill put the ball in his hands, as he fired a serve over the net.

The long rally, kept alive by diving digs, eventually ended in favor of the Lions. Mount St. Joseph's 25-22 set win, leveled the match at one.

The Duhawks never led in the third set, struggling to adjust to the defensive changes of the Lions, falling 25-11.

Having difficulty finding consistency on attack, the Duhawks trailed 13-7 midway through the fourth set. The deficit proved too much to overcome for Loras, despite pulling within four late, as they fell 25-20.

Game Changer
After falling in the second set, the Duhawks energy deflated, falling 25-11 in the third set

Key Stat
A match highlighted by stellar defense, the Lions held the advantage in blocks (13-7) and digs (55-46)

Notables

Quotable
Jeremy Thornburg, head coach
"We'll spend the next week getting some rest, working on improving as indivduals, and preparing for Lakeland. These guys need a break and with a week off we're able to do that. Early in the week, we'll work on getting better individually. Each player has something to work on that when we come together later in the week will help us as a whole. Then, the latter half of the week will be about getting ready to take on a very talented Lakeland squad."
"Next weekend's match will be a celebration of our seniors. They really are the foundation of this program. Tyler and Mike have been big parts of our progression this season, celebrating them will be fun."

Up Next
With a much needed break, the Duhawks will take the next week to rest and improve before hosting Lakeland College for senior day. In the first meeting, Loras played a tightly contested four-set match but fell 3-1. First serve for the Duhawks second crack at the Muskies is set for 7 p.m.