CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Loras College men's volleyball team earned three wins at the Mount St. Joseph Tournament over Saturday and Sunday, giving the Duhawks the best start to a season in program history with its 11-0 mark.
Loras 3, Marian 0
The Duhawks raced out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set, which came about from a couple of Sabre errors, a pair of
Joe Horn service aces and a
Dorian Fiorenza kill. Marian (6-2) was able to rattle off three straight points to get within two (5-3), but Loras (9-0) would not let them get any closer throughout the remainder of the set. The Purple and Gold cruised to a 25-13 set one victory.
The Sabres went up by as many as three multiple times during the second set, but the Duhawks were able to break the ninth and final tie of the set at 20-20 with a 5-2 run to take the set 25-22.
In set three, Loras jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Marian put themselves on the board with a kill by Keanu Ouranitsas-Hayes. The Sabre offense was never able to get in rhythm, allowing the Duhawks to extend their lead from six (12-6) to 12 (18-6) after three unforced attacking errors and a pair of Loras blocks. The Purple and Gold completed the sweep with ease with a 25-11 win in set three.
Corey Mayotte led the Duhawk offense with 10 kills, while Fiorenza followed closely behind with nine kills. Horn dished out 28 assists and totaled a team-high 11 digs in the win. As a team, Loras hit .284, finishing with 33 kills and 12 errors in 74 attempts.
Loras 3, Mount St. Joseph 0
Loras (10-0) broke an early 3-3 tie with a 7-0 run to give them a lead they would never relinquish. The Duhawks took set one by a score of 25-17.
The Purple and Gold dominated in the second and third sets as well. Loras used two four-point runs and a six-point run over the course of set two to grab a 25-12 victory, before using that same momentum to score seven consecutive points to start the third set. Mount St. Joseph (3-5) was never able to get closer than within five, giving the Duhawks a 25-16 win in the final set their ninth sweep of the season so far.
Loras was led by Mayotte who finished with 11 kills, while
Tyler Kratochvil added in six kills. Horn totaled 25 assists and two blocks, while Fiorenza contributed a trio of service aces and blocks for the Duhawks. Loras hit .309 as a team, which featured 35 kills and 14 errors in 68 attempts.
Loras 3, Hilbert 0
Loras completed its unblemished weekend with one final sweep against the Hilbert College Hawks by scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-15.
Anthony Schwarz put down a team-high 10 kills, while
Clayton Nix chipped in six kills and a pair of blocks.
Ryan Floyd tallied 13 assists, while
Cameron Menini led the team in digs with 10. The Duhawks hit .171, finishing with 25 kills and 12 errors in 76 attempts.
Up Next: The Duhawks return to Lillis Court to begin College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play against Carthage College on Friday, Feb. 23. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
