March 18, 2023 – (RV) Loras College men's volleyball celebrated its senior class on Saturday afternoon, and boy did the Duhawks celebrate as they easily stormed past the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans in a 3-0 rout.
The Duhawks (14-3, 3-2 CCIW) played a senior-heavy lineup throughout the game as everyone got involved in this drumming of the Titans (9-11, 0-5 CCIW), which keeps the Duhawks undefeated versus IWU in the all-time series history.
Seniors
Jake Filotto,
Keegan Godwin,
Joe Horn, and graduating junior
Michael Dziewior all got the start in set one while
Cameron Menini and
Kevin Kessell split the libero duties for the afternoon. All six played a huge role throughout the match that saw the Duhawks lead the way in all major categories.
The new lineup for the Duhawks created a few problems early on as it took a while for everyone to settle into their roles and rotations. Illinois Wesleyan kept things close as a 3-0 run late in the first frame knotted the score at 18-18. Loras was unphased and finished the set with an 8-3 run to take it 25-21.
It was smooth sailing for the Duhawks after that point as they flew through set two, at one point holding a 22-9 lead over the Titans. Of the Titans' 13 points in the set, six came courtesy of Loras service errors.
The third set was much the same as the Duhawks got out ahead early and never let it get close again on their way to a 25-14 victory.
Dziewior led the Duhawks with 11 kills on just 15 attempts as he also helped lead the way with a .600 attacking percentage as part of Loras' total clip of .400. Filotto had an extra bounce to his step on Saturday as he ranked second on the team with six kills and led the way with four total blocks, including one solo.
Per usually, Horn led with 28 assists, but he also got his turn as a hitter on Saturday as he tallied three kills, two coming on traditional attacks. Godwin filled in in his place to dish out three assists.
The Duhawks hit the road on Wednesday, March 22, to face Augustana College for the second time this year. Loras will go for the regular season sweep at 7 P.M. in Rock Island, Ill.
