CUW Sweeps Maranatha in Home Opener

MEQUON, Wis. – In their 2024 home opener, the CUW men's volleyball team swept the Sabercasts of Maranatha Baptist with scores of 25-9, 25-11, and 25-15.

In the first frame, CUW jumped out to an 8-0 lead, which featured a kill from sophomore Tate Miller (Anthem, Ariz.), sophomore Will Wood (Savage, Minn.), and junior Lucas Beres (Germantown, Wis.), all from junior Logan Kebisek (Brookfield, Wis.).

The Falcons held their advantage throughout the set and closed it out with a 5-0 run, which featured a kill and a pair of service aces from senior Andy Ellingham (Burlington, Wis.) and a pair of Tate Miller swings.

The second set played to a similar tune as the Blue and White quickly took an 8-2 lead.

Junior Benjamin Groll (Oak Park, Ill.) extended the CUW lead to nine with his kill on a set-up from freshman Zach Koeferl (Germantown, Wis.) to make the score 16-7.

Later, two kills from sophomore Chase Ammons (Brookfield, Wis.) gave the Falcons a 22-9 advantage, giving CUW momentum to secure the second set victory at 25-11.

The multidimensional offensive attack for Concordia continued in the final set, as four Falcons recorded a kill in the team's first 10 points.

Once again, the Falcons went on two 4-0 runs, which included a service ace from Benjamin Groll and kills from Tate Miller, Chase Ammons, and Will Wood.

To close out the match, CUW took four of the last five points, as a block from Benjamin Groll and Chase Ammons put the finishing touches on the match to secure the third set 25-15.

In the sweep, the Falcons .357 as a team, featuring a .385 hitting percentage in the third and final set.

Chase Ammons led the way for CUW as he totaled a career-high nine kills. Also setting a career-high in kills was Will Wood with eight.

In the assist category, Benjamin Groll set a career-high with 12. Logan Kebisek also recorded 12 assists in the effort.

Meanwhile, Andy Ellingham and Logan Kebisek had three aces each.

Defensively, Lucas Beres, Will Wood, and Chase Ammons all totaled three blocks, while senior Matthew Hinderberger (Tucson, Ariz.) racked up a team-high eight digs.

The Falcons will look to defend the Buuck again on Saturday, Feb. 10th, as they host the Firebirds of Carthage College, with the first serve slated for 6 p.m.