DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - In the 2017 season finale, the Loras men's volleyball team defeated Olivet in four set (25-15, 16-25, 25-23, 25-11) on Senior Day. Sophomore
Aaron Miller and senior
Paul Kraus combined for 16 kills and an .542 attack percentage to lead the Duhawk offense.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
- Kraus led off the match with a back-row kill to put Loras ahead, 1-0.
- Tied at 7-all, the Duhawks ran off three-straight tallies which included a service ace from Kraus and kill from sophomore Greg Kinney.
- A 10-6 run for Loras opened a 20-13 advantage and prompted a timeout from Olivet.
- Sophomore Leo Peters finished off the opening frame with a kill from the middle, securing the set one victory for the Duhawks, 25-15.
Set Two
- Tied at 5-all, multiple Loras attacking errors from an adjusted Duhawk lineup allowed the Comets to make an 8-2 run, prompting a timeout from head coach Jeremy Thornburg.
- With this margin in hand, Olivet finished off Loras in the second frame, by a final score of 25-16, tying the match at 1-all.
Set Three
- A two-point spurt off a service ace from junior Blair Anderson and subsequent block from Peters and sophomore Alfredo Lopez forced an Olivet timeout, leading 8-6.
- Both sides traded points for the duration of the third frame, but a critical push from the Duhawks with the score tied at 23-23 closed out set three for Loras, 25-23.
Set Four
- With the momentum back on their side, the Duhawks got out to a fast start in the final frame, taking a 7-2 lead following a back-row kill from Kinney.
- Olivet burned its second timeout of the set after falling behind 14-4 following a 7-2 Loras run.
- Fittingly, Kraus finished off the final set of his career with a kill at 25-11, resulting in a four-set victory for Loras.
NOTABLES
- The Duhawks finish the year at 9-15 overall and 6-13 in the MCVL's Western Division
- Kinney set a new personal best with 183 kills this season, eclipsing last season's total by three
- Kraus closes his career with 11 kills, a .529 attack percentage and one service ace
- Heading into his final season, Marquez needs 25 assists to reach 1,000 for his career
- Miller concludes his sophomore season with 100 kills … On Saturday, Miller tied a career-high for kills in a match with 11
- Junior Dylan Ross crossed the 300-dig threshold for his career, finishing with 179 this season
- In total, nine individual season records were broken this season
SOUNDBITES | Aaron Miller, Paul Kraus and Head Coach Jeremy Thornburg
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Aaron Miller | The sophomore from Auburn, Calif. delivered his best offensive performance in Purple & Gold, racking up 11 kills and a .625 attack percentage in four sets.
