DUBUQUE, Iowa – The top-seeded Loras College men's volleyball team defeated the No. 4 seed, North Central College, 3-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday evening inside the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.

The Duhawks broke an early 3-3 tie with a 3-0 run, which featured kills by Corey Mayotte and Joe Horn as well as a visiting team attack error. That run would give Loras (23-1 overall, 9-1 CCIW) a lead that they would hold onto for the remainder of the set. The Duhawks took set one by a score of 25-19.

In set two, the Purple and Gold were unable to create a comfortable lead as every time the Duhawks would increase their lead to four, the Cardinals would respond by cutting the lead back down to just one or evening the score. Tyler Kratochvil helped secure the set two win for Loras, putting down three kills in the final four points to give the Duhawks the 25-20 set win.

The Duhawks led the final set from wire-to-wire, successfully fighting off a couple of North Central (14-10, 4-6) comeback attempts that cut the deficit to a single point.  Loras completed the sweep with a 25-19 set three win to advance to the CCIW Tournament Title game for the first time in program history.

Cooper Lundal led the Cardinal offense with eight kills, while Austin Scott followed closely behind with seven of his own. Tyler Donovan dished out 22 assists to go along with a game-high nine digs and a pair of service aces. As a team, North Central hit .081, finishing with 27 kills and 20 errors in 86 attempts.

Dorian Fiorenza and Mayotte paced the Loras offense with 11 kills apiece. Horn handed out 32 assists, while Ryan Floyd and Mayotte each tallied eight digs in the win. The Purple and Gold hit .330, which included 39 kills and 10 errors in 88 attempts.   

Up Next: The Duhawks welcome the No. 2 seed, Carthage College, to Lillis Court for the CCIW Championship match on Saturday, April 13. Timing for the contest has yet to be announced.