LISLE, Ill. (Feb. 22, 2023) – Loras College men's volleyball didn't have to sweat too much on Tuesday night as the Duhawks swept their way past Benedictine University 3-0 on the road.
The Duhawks (8-1) held the Eagles (4-7) outside the 20s in scoring in each of the first two sets, then battled their way to a 25-23 win in set three to improve to 8-1 on the young season. This game was rescheduled from Feb. 9 due to inclement weather.
Loras trailed early in the first set as the two sides went back and forth, but a string of six straight points with senior setter
Joe Horn on the serve was part of a 9-1 run for the Duhawks that got them into rhythm and allowed them to run away with a 25-14 victory in the opening frame.
Sophomore hitter
Corey Mayotte tallied three straight kills at one point during the run before he ended the set with a service ace.
In set two, Loras never embarked on a big run like it did in the first. Instead, the Duhawks slowly built a lead by not allowing the Eagles to gain any momentum. The Duhawks took the set 25-18 and allowed the Eagles to score back-to-back points on only one occasion.
Benedictine looked poised to force a fourth set in the third as it led for most of the first half. With the Eagles leading 16-13, a kill for Horn gave the serve back to Loras and sparked a 4-0 run that put the Duhawks ahead 17-16.
That served as the turning point as Loras was able to control the match from there, but the Eagles kept things close as the score was tied on three more occasions in the home stretch. With the score knotted at 23-23, an attacking error for the Eagles gave Loras match point, and the Duhawks capitalized with a kill from senior hitter
Dorian Fiorenza to finish the set at 25-23.
Mayotte led all players with 12 kills while junior hitter
Tyler Kratochvil tallied a game-high .538 attacking percentage, totaling eight kills on just 13 attempts. Senior middle blocker
Patrick Mahoney also tallied six total blocks, including two solos, to lead all players.
The Duhawks will be on the road again this Friday, Feb. 24, when they play at Aurora University at 7 P.M.
