Men’s Volleyball battles No. 7 Benedictine

LISLE, Ill. – The CUW men's volleyball team once again put up a valiant fight against one of the top-ranked teams in NCAA Division III. The Falcons came up short with a 3-1 loss at No. 7 Benedictine. The Eagles claimed a 25-18, 20-25, 25-17, 25-22 to send CUW to

The Eagles opened the match on a 6-1 run. The Falcons did not hold and closed the gap to 9-8. Benedictine used a 10-4 run to get some separation and take the first set, 25-18.

The Falcons broke open the second set at the 16-16 point. The serve of senior Zach Smith (Massillon, Ohio) gave the seventh-ranked Eagles issues and helped push the lead to 20-16. A kill from junior James Althoff (Kenosha, Wis.) put the set away at 25-20. Althoff finished the set with seven kills.

The Blue and White hung with the Eagles early in the third set and took a 9-8 lead with a kill from sophomore Andy Ellingham (Burlington, Wis.). The Eagles retook the lead and never looked back to take the set at 25-17.

The Falcons rallied behind the serve of James Althoff to propel the Falcons to a 13-8 lead. Benedictine continued to battle and tied the set at 17. The Falcons cut the deficit to 22-21, but the Eagles claimed the set at 25-22.

James Althoff led the flock with 13 kills and eight digs on the evening.

Freshman Nathan Petrus (St. Louis, Mo.) dished out 34 assists at Benedictine.

Freshman Spencer Herman (Appleton, Wis.) finished the night with 15 points on 10 kills, two service aces and three total blocks.

The Falcons will host a non-conference match against California-Santa Cruz on Friday night.