LISLE, Ill. (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's volleyball team went 1-1 on Sunday afternoon, falling in five sets to North Central before completing a 3-0 sweep of Benedictine. Sophomore
Dylan Ross finished the day with 16 kills, seven blocks and five service aces to lead the Duhawks.
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Dylan Ross | As one of the leaders of this young Loras team, Ross turned in one of his best career performances against North Central, finishing with 11 kills (career-high) and four service aces (career-high). Ross' attack percentage of .348 was .002 points off his previous career-best (.350).
Jake Chudzik | The freshman made himself a major factor in Loras' first program win over Benedictine, finishing with eight kills, five digs, three blocks and two service aces, along with a .636 attack percentage.
SOUNDBITES | Dylan Ross & Jake Chudzik
SOUNDBITES | Jeremy Thornburg
UP NEXTLoras will use the next four days to prepare for its first home tournament which will kick off on Friday, Jan. 29. Among their opponents slated for the weekend, the Duhawks will see Illinois Tech and Lakeland for the second time this season, along with Briar Cliff and Calumet College of St. Joseph.
POST GAME NOTES | Loras vs. North Central - Playing in their first match as a team, North Central came out with high energy, which led to 11 attacking errors and five service errrors
- Loras maintained their composure and used good effective attacking, finishing with six kills
- Dylan Ross finished with three kills in set one
- The Duhawks executed a 6-1 run to take a 15-13 lead to 21-14 and put them in the driver's seat.
- Leading 24-19, Ross put his seal on set one with a kill off an assist from Greg Kinney
- North Central rebounded from set one to take a 5-3 lead in set two, but a 6-0 run earned Loras a 9-5 advantage
- The Duhawks held the uppper hand for most of the match, but the Cardinals' offense began to turn it up.
- Tied at 21, North Central benefited from a 4-1, with three of the four points coming as Loras errors, to take set two, 25-22
- In set three, with Loras and NCC tied at 6-all, North Central went on a 6-1 run to take a 12-8 lead.
- The streak continued for the Cardinals who eventually took a 15-14 advantage before Ross and the Duhawks went on a 7-0 run thanks to three kills and two service aces.
- Refusing to go quietly, NCC fought their way back, closing what once was a six-point gap to two at 22-20.
- After an attacking error by the Cardinals, Loras closed out set three with kills from freshmen Leo Peters and Ryan Galvan to win 25-22.
- Both sides went point-for-point for the first 21 points, but NCC ahead 11-10.
- Trailing 21-18, Loras rattled off a 5-1 run to tie the set at 22-all, headlined by four NCC errors.
- Two kills, combined with a Loras service error, was enough for the Cardinals to claim victory in set four, and even more importantly, the momentum heading into the fifth set.
- Unlike any of the previous four sets, NCC had the momentum from the start and used it to their advantage, racing out to a 8-3 lead, prompting a timeout from head coach Jeremy Thornburg.
- While Loras benefited from a pair of NCC errors, it wasn't enough to take the Cardinals out of their stride.
- Leading 10-7, NCC executed a 5-1 run to close out the set and claim victory, 3-2.
- Dylan Ross finished with a career-high 11 kills as well as a career-high four service aces
- Ross' four service aces ranks him second all-time in Loras history
- While North Central is a member of the MCVL, Sunday's match will not be counted as a conference match
POST GAME NOTES | Loras vs. Benedictine
- In what can only be described as a bizarre first set, Benedictine took their first timeout before a point had even been played.
- Throughout the first set, the Eagles struggled with their rotation, eventually resulting in the Duhawks earning points on the scoreboard.
- When play was in session, Loras was passing, setting and attacking with precision. As a team, Loras finished the first set with 11 kills and a .318 attack percentage.
- Sophomore Dylan Ross and freshman Jake Chudzik each recorded three kills in the opening frame.
- Chudzik added two assisted blocks, combining with Combs to stifle the Benedictine attack.
- While there were plenty of opportunities to lose their focus, Loras remained locked in and put away the Eagles in set one by a score of 25-15.
- Set two brought with it much of the same, as Loras ran out to a 12-3 lead.
- Eight of the Duhawks' first 12 points came by way of Benedictine errors, including six attacking errors.
- Trailing 17-8, the Eagles went on a 10-3 run to take what was a nine point deficit and turn it into a meager two-point deficit.
- Loras, though, maintained their composure and kept focused on what had gotten them to that point.
- Freshman Greg Kinney chipped in three of his nine total kills in the second set.
- Ross staked claim to set two for the Duhawks, powering down a ball from sophomore Shayne Marquez to give Loras the 25-22 win.
- Once again, set three brought with it a strong start for the purple and gold. The Duhawks raced out to a 7-1 lead, but again were caught by Benedictine, thanks to a 5-1 run by the Eagles.
- Set three played out in different fashion than sets one and two, as Benedictine kept matters close and held a 12-10 lead midway through the set.
- Level at 20-all, Loras took a 23-20 lead thanks to kills from Chudzik and Kinney.
- After a Benedictine timeout, the Eagles benefited from a kill by Jake Moran, but Loras responded immediiately, posting a triple block with Ross, Combs and Kinney, followed by a double block at match point by Combs and freshman Ryan Galvan.
- Combs' nine blocks set a new career-high for the Penfield, N.Y. native, while also setting a new school record.
- Ross' six blocks set a new career-high and puts him fourth all-time for blocks in a match
