Griffins Earn Redemption Win Against Loras

DUBUQUE, Iowa.—The Fontbonne University men's volleyball team extended its winning streak out to 13 and swept its ninth straight opponent after defeating Loras in straight sets.

Score: Fontbonne 3, Loras 0 (28-26, 25-22, 25-20)

Location: Dubuque, Iowa

Records: Fontbonne 13-0 (1-0 MCVL), Loras 11-4 (1-1 MCVL)

How It Happened

After missing the postseason last year due to a loss against Loras, the Griffins had hopes for a better outcome tonight. Both teams brought it offensively in the first set. The Griffins had 11 kills and just one error for a match-high .345 hitting percentage. The Duhawks countered with a match-high 19 kills in the set.

It was back-and-forth play throughout as a kill from Mark Klusman tied it up at 18-18. Loras registered the next two points, but kills from Brendon Schwartze and Emir Hadzisalihovic had the scoreboard even once again at 20-20.

They went point-for-point the rest of the way until a kill from Klusman and a Loras attack error gave Fontbonne the 28-26 win.

In the second set, the Griffins rattled off a 9-4 lead on Josh Farley's kill. They stretched it out to 18-10 and seemed to be in control, however, the Duhawks stormed back with a 12-6 run to make it a 24-22 contest. That'd be as close as they'd get, though with Klusman finishing off the set with a kill.

In the third, the two teams were all square at 12-12. Fontbonne went on a 5-0 run as a solo block from Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell gave them a 17-12 lead. They never looked back the rest of the way en route to the 25-20 set and match win.

Inside The Numbers

• Fontbonne totaled 39 kills and a .294 hitting percentage.
• Loras had 40 kills and a .198 hitting percentage.
• The Duhawks had its struggles from the service line with 15 errors.

Fontbonne Leaders

• Klusman led with a team-high 11 kills and .308 hitting percentage.
• Farley added 10 kills and a .217 hitting percentage.
• Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell handed out 35 assists.
• Zach Rothstein led defensively with 12 digs.

Loras Leaders

• Jake Chudzik posted a match-high 12 kills and Mihajlo Gomez added 11.
• Setter Alfredo Lopez finished with 34 assists.
• Joe Berka concluded with a team-high six digs.

Up Next

• The Griffins are back at it tomorrow afternoon when they'll take on Augustana on the road. Action begins at 3 p.m.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the men's volleyball team.

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