MEQUON, Wis. (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's volleyball team cruised to it's first win in the Duhawks season opener. On Saturday Loras defeated Concordia-Wisconsin in straight sets (25-8, 25-15, 25-19). Junior Jake Chudzik led the Duhawks offensively with eight kills on 12 swings and a .500 hitting percentage.

PRESS CONFERENCE (Link)


SERIES NOTABLES
- Saturday marked the first meeting in program history … Loras now owns series record at 1-0

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Set One
- Junior Alfredo Lopez started the match with a six-point serving run that included kills from junior Leo Peters, senior Greg Kinney and senior Dylan Ross to stake Loras to an early 6-0 lead
- A kill from junior Austin Kuchenbecker sent the Muskego, Wis. native back to the service line where he rattled off 13 consecutive serves to earn the Duhawks set point
Set Two
- The Falcons tied the set at 6-all until Lopez ended the CUW run with a kill of his own … Chudzik went on a 4-0 run at the service line to open an 11-6 advantage
- Freshman Patrick Hollander served out the end of the set with four straight Loras points which included a kill from fellow freshman Jon Quinn
Set Three
- Two kills and a block from Kuchenbecker earned the Duhawks a 7-5 lead
- The first collegiate kill from freshman Joe Jendra gave Loras a five-point advantage
- A kill from sophomore Ian Walsh, an ace from freshman Mihajlo Gomez and a service error from the Falcons earned the Duhawks their first win of Loras' 2018 campaign. 

TEAM NOTABLES
- Loras recorded 10 team blocks for an average of 3.33 per set while Concordia Wisconsin recorded four in the match
- In the first set, the Duhawks did not allow a single kill from the Falcons, holding CUW to hitting -.500 in the opening frame
- Loras tallied 35 total kills while holding the Falcons to nine, one more than Chudzik totaled

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES
- Chudzik's eight kills led the Duhawks on the night and tie a career-high for the junior
- In his Loras debut, Hollander finished with a team-high 15 assists, while adding five digs and two aces
- Peter's six blocks were more than CUW had combined as a team

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME - Austin Kuchenbecker
One of Loras' multiple lethal middle threats commanded the center on Saturday night, finishing with six kills and a .556 hitting percentage while adding four digs, three blocks and two service aces

UP NEXT
Loras hosts Judson on Thursday in the Duhawks' home opener. The Duhawks and Eagles are slotted for a 7 p.m. first serve from inside the Athletic & Wellness Center.