KENOSHA, Wis. – The No. 11-ranked Loras College men's volleyball team fell, 3-1, to the sixth-ranked Southern Virginia University Knights in a Sweet 16 matchup of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament on Friday evening. 

The first set saw Loras (20-7 overall, 6-4 CCIW) come out firing as it was able to jump out to an early 4-1 lead. The Duhawks were able to maintain this lead until a pair of Loras errors paired with a Southern Virgina (29-5, 7-0 CVC) kill tied the set at 8-8. The set remained close with neither team able to gain a lead greater than two, until a 5-1 run by the Knights put the Duhawks down 24-20. A pair of Southern Virginia errors paired with a kill from Nolan Krygsheld cut the lead to one (24-23), but it would be too little too late and the Knights would take the first set, 25-23.

The second set was closely contested with neither team able to earn a significant lead. A 6-1 run from Southern Virginia put the Knights up 15-11 halfway through the set. The Purple and Gold were able to battle back and close the lead to one (20-19) thanks to a block from Evan Dziadkowiec and Bo Brainerd III. A pair of kills from Roman Rothermel and Krygsheld eventually tied the second set at 23-23, however, this would not be enough for the Duhawks to secure a second set victory. The Knights took a 2-0 lead in the match with a26-24 set two win. 

The early portion of the third set belonged to the Knights as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead. They would maintain this lead until yet another kill from Krygsheld tied the set at 9-9, before a Southern Virginia error gave the Duhawks a one-point lead (10-9). After a Knight kill, Rothermel answered right back to make the score 11-10. After this point, a tornado warning put the game on hold for close to an hour. Coming out of the break, the Purple and Gold put together a 6-3 run to extend their lead to four (17-13). The Knights were unable to halt the Duhawk offensive and Loras would take the third set, 25-19.

The fourth and final set was closely contested throughout. The Knights were able to gain a two-point lead (9-7), but that would not be enough to put the Duhawks away as they continued to fight and kept the score within two. A 6-3 run gave Southern Virginia an 18-14 lead and the Purple and Gold were unable to answer back. The Knights secured a fourth set victory, 25-21.

The Duhawks were led by Connor Jaral with 18 kills, four digs, and an ace. He was followed by Krygsheld and Rothermel who contributed 11 and 10 kills respectively, while Brainerd put down nine kills on the night. Evan Dziadkowiec dished out 46 assists to become the first Duhawk in recorded history to eclipse the 1,000-assist mark in a season.