AURORA, Ill. – The No. 12-ranked Loras College men's volleyball team defeated the No. 15-ranked Aurora University Spartans in five sets on Friday night inside Thornton Gymnasium.  

The first set was a back-and-forth affair to start. A service ace from Elijah Passey gave Loras (10-1 overall, 0-0 CCIW) a three-point lead early in the first set (7-4). Aurora (6-3 overall, 2-0 NACC) kept it close for the majority of the first set until a three-point Duhawk run that was capped off by a Connor Jaral kill gave them a six-point lead. Loras dominated the rest of the first set, going on an 8-3 run to give the Purple and Gold a 25-16 first set victory.  

The Spartans jumped out to a 6-3 lead to start the second set, but a pair of kills from Jaral kept the contest within three points. The set remained a closely contested affair throughout the set until a 6-2 run put the Spartans ahead 22-15. The Duhawks would not be denied, going on a 4-0 run late in the second set. This effort was not enough, however as Aurora took the second set, 25-19. 

The Spartans controlled the beginning of the third set, jumping out to a 10-4 lead right away. Aurora increased its third set lead to as many as nine, but the Duhawks continued to fight. This proved to be too little to overcome the Spartan attack, and Aurora would claim the third set, 25-17.

The fourth set was hotly contested, the score changed hands four times, and the set was tied 10-10 with neither team having a lead greater than one point in that span. The Duhawks began to pull away after some back-and-forth play thanks to a kill from Bo Brainerd III, which sparked a 7-3 Duhawk run that gave them a comfortable 17-13 lead. The Spartans kept it close for the rest of the set, but a Roman Rothermel kill followed by a service ace by Evan Dziadkowiec gave the Purple and Gold a 25-22 fourth set victory, which forced a fifth set.  

The fifth and final set started off with a pair of Duhawk attack errors, which gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead. Loras was able to tie the set at 3-3 on a Rothermel kill and a Spartan attack error. The set was hard-fought with neither team backing down. The score remained within one until another kill from Brainerd sparked a 4-1 run for the Duhawks, which sealed their fifth set victory, 15-11.  

Up Next: Loras will take on No. 20 Dominican University on Sunday, Feb. 15 inside the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.