WITTENBERG, Ohio (Duhawks.com) - In their first of two weekend road matches in MCVL competition, the Men's Volleyball team fell in a tightly-contested five-set match to Wittenberg (25-21, 26-24, 25-27, 22-25, 15-10). The Duhawks were paced by the play of sophomore
Austin Kuchenbecker, who totaled eight kills, five blocks and a .457 attack percentage. Sophomore
Aaron Miller turned in a standout performance as well, totaling 15 assists, 5 kills, 6 digs and a .556 attack percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
- Both sides jockeyed for position early on, but Loras took its first lead at the 15-14 mark, prompting a timeout from the Tigers.
- Tied at 21-all after a kill from junior Kyle Zacok, Wittenberg ran off four-straight points to defeat the Duhawks in set one, 25-21.
Set Two
- Loras got off to a hot start in the second frame, taking a 5-1 lead following a kill from junior Greg Kinney.
- With the Duhawks leading 9-6, a five-point string from the Tigers prompted a timeout from head coach Jeremy Thornburg.
- A 5-2 run at the 19-all mark gave Loras some breathing room towards the end of the frame, forcing Wittenberg to call its second timeout at this juncture.
- After the break in action, the Tigers ripped off five-straight points to take set two, 26-24.
Set Three
- Using the momentum from their late-set push, Wittenberg raced out to a 10-6 lead in set three.
- The Duhawks continued to chip away at this margin, eventually leveling at 24-24 following a kill from junior Dylan Ross.
- Another Ross kill sandwiched by two Tiger errors allowed Loras to close out the third frame on a 3-1 run, winning the set, 27-25.
Set Four
- A 4-0 start which included back-to-back service aces from Ross staked the Duhawks to an early advantage.
- Loras continued to stretch this margin in the middle of the frame, using a kill from junior Greg Kinney to go ahead, 17-9.
- Despite a 13-8 Wittenberg run to close the set, the Duhawks' hung on to seal the victory in set four, 25-22.
Set Five
- In the deciding frame, the Tigers used an early 6-1 cushion to dispatch Loras by a 15-10 final.
NOTABLES
- Miller recorded career-highs in kills (5) and digs (6) in the match
- Sophomore Christopher Paige racked up a career-high 17 digs on the night
- The Duhawks fall to 3-3 and 1-2 in the MCVL
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Aaron Miller | The sophomore from Auburn, Calif. came on in set three for Loras and made an immediate impact, racking up 15 assists, six digs, five kills and a .556 attack percentage.
UP NEXT
Loras will take on the Mount St. Joseph Lions tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. CT in Cincinnati, Ohio.
