DUBUQUE, Iowa – The No. 10-ranked Loras College men's volleyball team was defeated by the North Central College Cardinals in five sets in a closely contested CCIW matchup.  

Neither squad was able to pull away from one another early in the first set until an 8-3 Duhawk run put them up 17-10. North Central (7-6 overall, 1-1 CCIW) was able to come back, however, going on a 15-6 run which gave the Cardinals a 25-22 first set victory.  

The second set was a stalemate through the first 20 serves with the score tied at 10-10. A Cardinal service ace ignited a 6-1 run that put them ahead 16-11. Loras (12-2, 1-1) was unable to cut the deficit down to any less than four for the remainder of the second set and the Duhawks dropped the set 25-20 

North Central jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the third set before a duo of Duhawk kills from James Pirocanac and Elijah Passey paired with two Cardinal service errors gave Loras a 12-11 set three lead. North Central was able to reclaim this lead but quickly lost it after a kill from Bo Brainerd III assisted by Evan Dziadkowiec tied it up at 14-14. An attack error from North Central and a pair of Duhawk kills from Brainerd III and Connor Jaral gave the Duhawks a 17-14 lead. The Cardinals would be unable to come back, and Loras took the third set, 25-21, to make the score 2-1.  

The Purple and Gold controlled the fourth set from the start, jumping out to a five-point (10-5) lead thanks to a kill from Passey. The Cardinals fought hard, but they were unable to claim a lead for the remainder of the fourth set, and the Duhawks were able to tie the match 2-2 after taking a 25-18 fourth set victory.  

The fifth and final set was the most contested of them all as the set started out tied at six after 12 serves with neither team able to pull away. An error from the Duhawks gave North Central a 7-6 lead, and they never looked back taking a 15-11 fifth set victory and walking away with a 3-2 upset win.  

The Duhawks were led by Brainerd III with 16 kills and Jaral followed with 14 kills, eight digs, and two blocks. Roman Rothermel and Passey contributed 13 kills apiece and Dziadkowiec finished with a career-high 53 assists on the night.  

Up Next: The Duhawks will travel to Kenosha, Wis. to take on the No. 3-ranked Carthage College Firebirds in a CCIW matchup this Saturday, Feb 28. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m.