DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - After taking the opening set against Greenville on Saturday, the Loras men's volleyball team suffered a five-set defeat, falling to 5-14 in the MCVL. Sophomore
Austin Kuchenbecker totaled 11 kills and hit .667.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Set One
- A service ace from sophomore Leo Peters put the Duhawks in front, 12-8, midway through the opening frame.
- Loras continued to stretch this advantage as the set progressed, finishing off the Panthers in set one by a decisive 25-17 score.
- The Duhawks hit at a .360 clip compared to an .097 attack percentage for Greenville in the first set.Â
Set Two
- A Panther attacking error gave Loras its first significant margin of the second set, leading 16-13.
- Greenville made its push late in the frame following a timeout with both sides tied at 22-all, scoring three of the final four tallies to take set two, 25-23.
Set Three
- Deadlocked at 13-all, the Duhawks used a 5-2 run to force a Panther timeout, up 18-15.
- Both sides traded points to the set's completion with kill from sophomore Aaron Miller finishing off Greenville in set three, 25-23.
Set Four
- A couple errors from Loras staked the Panthers to a 15-10 advantage at the halfway point of the fourth set.
- A kill from sophomore Alfredo Lopez brought the Duhawks within one at the 21-20 mark.
- Loras couldn't get over the hump after this early deficit, dropping the frame, 25-23, sending the match to a deciding fifth set.
Set Five
- With both sides tied at 5-all following a Lopez kill, Greenville made a critical 4-0 run to take a 9-5 lead.
- After the teams switched sides, a 7-2 run from Loras, capped by a kill from sophomore Greg Kinney, evened the frame at 12-all.Â
- Set five needed extra volleyball to be decided, but a two-point spurt from the Panthers at 19-19 finished off the Duhawks in the fifth, 21-19.
NOTABLES
- Loras falls to 8-16 overall and 5-14 in the MCVL's Western Division
- After four digs on Saturday, Lopez passed the 200 mark for digs in his career and now sits at 201
- Miller set a career-high for kills, finishing with 11
- Peters finished with nine kills and two service aces, tying career-bests in both categories
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Austin Kuchenbecker | The sophomore from Muskego, Wis. racked up 11 kills, a career-high, and 4.0 total blocks (1 BS, 3 BA), hitting at a blistering .667 clip in the match.
SOUNDBITES | Head Coach
Jeremy Thornburg
UP NEXT
The Duhawks will return to Lillis Court next Saturday for their last match of the 2017 campaign, facing off with Olivet at 3 p.m. for Senior Day.
