DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's volleyball team opened its season on Sunday with a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Mount Mercy and Illinois Tech. Junior
Dylan Ross led the Duhawks with a team-high 13 kills and was accompanied by sophomore
Austin Kuchenbecker's .625 attack percentage.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Loras vs. Mount Mercy
Set 1
- Behind the serving of Ross, Loras opened a 13-10 lead after three straight Mustang errors, forcing a timeout from Mount Mercy.Â
- Freshman Andrew DeKok sealed the first set for the Duhawks as the Beloit, Wis. native served Loras to a 25-21 win.Â
Set 2
- Sophomore Alfredo Lopez brought another run for the Duhawks from the service line, as Loras converted on five straight Mustang errors.Â
- A service error paired with a Kuchenbecker kill gave Loras the lead late in the second at 19-18.
- Mount Mercy committed back-to-back errors late to seal the 25-21 win for the Duhawks.
Set 3
- Both sides exchanged points for the beginning of the first set until sophomore Greg Kinney went back to the service line and delivered three-straight service aces to give Loras a 13-6 lead.Â
- Two kills from junior Kyle Zacok and four service aces from Ross extended the Duhawks lead to 22-10 late in the third set.Â
- Loras finished out the match with kills from freshman Ian Walsh and Kinney to complete a sweep of Mount Mercy in their first outing of 2017.Â
Loras vs. Illinois Tech
Set 1
- With Lopez back at the service line, the Duhawks began their second match of the day with a 6-1 lead after two straight service aces.
- Three consecutive errors from the Scarlet Hawks during a serving run from sophomore Leo Peters put Loras in control, leading 17-9.Â
- The Duhawks forced an Illinois Tech timeout after a 4-0 run with a kill from Kinney and three straight service aces from Kuchenbecker.Â
- A kill from Peters from junior Shayne Marquez sealed the set for Loras at 25-15.Â
Set 2Â
- Two Duhawk attack errors gave the Scarlet Hawks a 12-9 lead early in the second.Â
- Loras regained its composure with Ross at the service line with a 6-0 run highlighted by five Duhawk kills, two kills from Kinney assisted by Lopez, to go up 19-15.
- With a lead established, Loras saw the second set out, trading points with Illinois Tech to the end, winning set two 25-21.
Set 3
- Kills from Ross and Lopez put Loras ahead 19-13 thanks to a 6-1 Duhawk run with Lopez and Peter pacing Loras from the service line.Â
- The Duhawks sealed their second win of the day with a 4-1 run including a service ace from freshman Joe Berka and kill from Lopez, to win their final set of the day in extra points at 27-25.Â
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Dylan Ross | The Oak Forest, Ill. native paced a well-balanced Duhawk offense with six kills while hitting .462 in Loras' win against Mount Mercy. Ross added four aces and two blocks to his stat line.Â
Austin Kuchenbecker | The sophomore hit a team-high .636 while recording seven kills in Loras' second match of the day. Kuchenbecker added three aces, one solo block and two block assists in the Duhawks' win over Illinois Tech.Â
NOTABLES
- First 2-0 start in Loras men's volleyball history
- The Duhawks recorded 19 service aces between the two matches and limited its opponents to six service aces of their own
- Loras recorded 12.5 total blocks in two matches, averaging over two per set
UP NEXT
The Duhawks take a 10-day break until their next competition. Loras is set to face off against Quincy, an NCAA Division I program on Wednesday, Jan. 25. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
