NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The No. 5 Loras College men's volleyball team secured a 3-1 victory over the No. 11 North Central College Cardinals on Saturday afternoon inside Gregory Arena.
 
The opening set featured five lead changes and seven ties. Neither team was able to pull away early in the set, but it was the Cardinals that made the first run. With the score even at 10, the Cardinals used a 6-1 run to take a 16-11 lead. The Duhawks would continue to fight and were able to cut the North Central (12-4 overall, 2-2 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) lead to just one (20-19). The two teams would trade points before a kill by Cooper Lundal would give the Cardinals the 25-23 set one win.
 
Loras (17-0, 4-0) started off slow in set two, falling behind 4-1 early on. Midway through the set, trailing 12-9, the Purple and Gold went on an 8-2 run to regain the lead (17-14). North Central would cut the lead to one (20-19) late in the set, but the Duhawks would hang onto their lead and take set two 25-21.
 
Set three saw the score tied 13 times as neither team was able to take a sizeable lead. North Central took a 15-12 lead in the set before Loras responded with three quick points to even the score at 15. Both squads would trade points the rest of the way before a service error by the Cardinals and a block by Dorian Fiorenza and Sean Wenzel would give the Duhawks a 25-23 win.
 
Set four continued to be a back-and-forth battle as the two teams would trade points early in the set. However, it was Loras that was able to pull away late. Leading 15-12, the Purple and Gold would end the set on a 10-7 run to ultimately win the set 25-19.
 
Loras was led by Fiorenza who had a match-high 20 kills. The fifth-year senior also had a team-high 10 digs and pitched in three blocks on the night. Corey Mayotte had 17 kills to go along with nine digs, while Joe Horn dished out 46 assists for the Duhawks. As a team, Loras hit .268, which featured 52 kills and 19 errors in 123 attempts.
 
The Cardinals were led by Jared Moser who had 17 kills, followed by Lundal who had 14 kills and added four blocks. As a team, North Central hit .164, which included 52 kills and 30 errors in 134 attempts.
 
Up Next: The Duhawks return home to face Augustana College on March 13. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.