DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's volleyball team brought its record back to .500 with a five-set win over Marian on Wednesday (25-19, 25-23, 15-25, 25-27, 17-15). Junior
Dylan Ross along led the way with 17 kills and 17 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
- The Duhawks came out of the gates hot and opened a 5-1 lead which resulted in a Marian timeout.
- Midway through the opening set, the Sabres worked their way back to a one-point deficit at 14-13.
- Loras responded with an 11-6 run to close out the set at 25-19.
- Both Ross and sophomore Alfredo Lopez put away four kills in the opening set to lead the Duhawks to a .324 attack percentage.
Set Two
- Loras used the momentum from set one and opened a 10-6 lead after a kill from sophomore Leo Peters.
- After a Marian timeout, the Sabres stormed back and brought the set level at 15-all.
- A double-block from Marian's Ben Walter and Jon Sattersten tied the game at 23 before kills from junior Kyle Zacok and Lopez sealed the win for the Duhawks, 25-23.
Set Three
- The third set started out with both teams trading points back and forth until Marian went on a 12-3 run to open 16-7 advantage. Five of the Sabres' eight points came via kill.
- Loras managed to slow the momentum with a 5-1 run, but it wasn't enough as Marian maintained control on its way to the set victory at 25-15.
Set Four
- Both the Sabres and Duhawks matched each other point-for-point to 10 before Marian opened a three-point lead after a kill from Sattersten.
- Trailing 20-15, Loras mounted its comeback thanks to a 6-2 run and force a timeout from the Sabres.
- The Duhawks held a brief lead at 25-24 but a Loras service error coupled with a pair of Marian kills pushed the match to a fifth set.
Set Five
- Another back-and-forth start set the tone in the fifth with Marian ahead at the turn, 8-7.
- Down by two at 9-7, the Duhawks benefited from costly errors by the Sabres to take the lead at 11-9.
- The lead was short-lived for Loras, as Marian once again stormed back and held match point at 15-14, which prompted a timeout from Duhawk head coach Jeremy Thornburg.Â
- His call proved to be vital as Ross' kill swung momentum back in Loras' favor.
- With junior Danny Krasich at the service line, back-to-back attacking errors from the Sabres sealed the win for the Duhawks, 17-15.
NOTABLES
- The Duhawks improved to 5-5 and 3-4 in the MCVL
- Loras held a perfect reception percentage, committing zero errors in serve receive, for the second time this season
- Kinney reached the 250-kill mark after finishing 11 on Wednesday
- Lopez set the Loras single-match assist record (34)
- Ross tied the program record for digs in a match (17), junior Blair Anderson totaled 17 against Mount St. Joseph on March 14, 2015 and sophomore Chris Paige later recorded 17 on Feb. 3 against Wittenberg
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAMEÂ
Dylan Ross I The Oak Forest, Ill. native was a force on each side of the ball tonight totaling 17 kills and 17 digs while hitting .261.
SOUNDBITES | Dylan Ross, Alfredo Lopez and Head Coach Jeremy Thornburg
UP NEXTÂ
Loras return to action on Friday when Dominican travels to town. The Stars enters with a 7-1 overall record and a perfect 4-0 form in the MCVL after defeating North Central on Tuesday. First serve from Lillis Court is set for 7 p.m.
