Falcons Set Program Record in Sweep Over WLC

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Tuesday night saw the CUW men's volleyball team jump to 10-8 overall and 6-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play with a 3-0 victory over the Warriors of Wisconsin Lutheran, 25-17, 25-9, 25-21.

In the win, the Falcons set a program record for attacking percentage in a single match, as Concordia registered a .507 hitting percentage with 43 kills, surpassing the previous mark of .459 and 42 kills set in 2021 against Rockford.

Early in the first frame, CUW went on a 5-0 run to go up 14-8, as senior Spencer Herman (Kimberly, Wis.), junior Lucas Beres (Germantown, Wis.), and sophomore Tate Miller (Anthem, Ariz.) all recorded a kill in the run.

But the Warriors were able to scratch their way back into the contest and put the score at 17-14 in favor of CUW.

The Falcons were first to cross the 20-point mark as Lucas Beres delivered a monster of a kill on an assist from junior Logan Kebisek (Brookfield, Wis.).

Three straight errors from WLC would extend CUW's lead to 23-16.

In the next play, a swing from Spencer Herman that found the other side of the floor would bring up a set point for the Blue and White.

The Falcons would take the first set 25-17 in the next play as CUW applied pressure on the WLC offense, forcing a poor swing and an attacking error.

Sophomore Will Wood (Savage, Minn.) won a joust at the net to give CUW its first lead of the second set, 2-1. Later in the set, Wood would go cross-court to put the Falcons up 6-4.

In the following play, Logan Kebisek made a heads-up play near the net to redirect the ball away from the WLC block to find the court for his first kill of the contest.

CUW continued to dominate near the net as the Blue and White reached the double-digit mark first on a swing from senior Andy Ellingham (Burlington, Wis.), forcing a timeout.

CUW would extend their lead to double digits with a kill from Tate Miller down the sideline.

Junior Kellen Gonzales (Milwaukee, Wis.) then had a service ace to go up 11, 16-5.

A Logan Kebisek service ace, a kill by Spencer Herman, and an error from the Warriors moved CUW closer to the 25-point summit as they led 22-9.

Two straight points, including an ace, courtesy of Lucas Beres, once again brought up set point for the flock, while an error from WLC clinched the second set with a score of 25-9.

Lucas Beres kicked off the third set with a kill that landed inside the 10-foot line.

Later in the set, Beres continued to be active around the net, partnering up with Will Wood for a block to lock the score at 5-5.

The score continued to be close as Wisconsin Lutheran remained poised, looking to take one set on their home court.

After trailing by a short margin, kills from Herman and Ellingham and a block from Logan Kebisek tied the game at 16-16.

Following another Falcon's point, Concordia led 17-16, forcing a timeout from the Warrior's bench.

The Falcons and Warriors continued to go back and forth as the score was tied at 20-20.

From this point, the Falcons recorded three straight points as Herman, Wood, and Miller all had one, establishing a 23-20 lead.

A successful swing from Will Wood and an error from WLC put the finishing touches on the match, as CUW secured the 3-0 victory behind the third set 25-21 win.

As a team, the Falcons had four service aces compared to Wisconsin Lutheran's one. The Falcons also had two solo blocks and 11 block assists, while WLC had one solo block and just four block assists.

On an individual level, three Falcons hit over .625, as Andy Ellingham had six kills for a .625 hitting percentage, while Spencer Herman hit .632 with a game-high 13 kills. Meanwhile, Lucas Beres hit a whopping .818 with nine kills.

Assisting on those plays was Logan Kebisek, who totaled 34 assists.

Defensively, Spencer Herman led the team in digs, with eight, while Ellingham and Kebisek both tallied a solo block.

Concordia will return to action on Thursday to take on the 13th ranked in the country in the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz from the R. John Buuck Fieldhouse with the first serve schedule for 7:00 p.m.