Eagles Slip Past Falcons in Home Finale

MEQUON, Wis. - The Concordia Wisconsin men's volleyball team sustained just its fourth conference loss of the 2024 season on Wednesday evening, falling to the Benedictine Eagles in three sets. The contest marked the squad's final home game of the regular season, which finished with a 7-4 record at the R. John Buuck Field House.

The Eagles surged to an early advantage in the opening set, but the Falcons managed to battle back to even late in the frame. A 4-0 run that included kills from sophomore Tate Miller (Anthem, Ariz.), senior Spencer Herman (Kimberly, Wis.) and junior Kellen Gonzales (Milwaukee, Wis.) knotted the score for the first time at 18 to pull the Falcons back within contention. Ultimately, Benedictine answered the call, assembling a stretch of its own that resulted in a 25-18 victory in the set. Herman led Concordia with three kills in the set while also collecting its lone service ace.

The second set proved to be an intense back-and-forth battle with a remarkable 14 ties between the two squads. At no point in the frame was there a lead of over two points, as deficits were erased just as quickly as they were built. There were five separate runs of three rallies or more in the set, leading to a track meet that saw a race not only to reach 25 points but to power ahead by two at its conclusion. The Falcons managed to overcome set point on four occasions, however, the Benedictine offense finally broke through to pick up the victory at 30-28. Herman and sophomore Will Wood (Savage, Minn.) combined for ten kills for the Falcons, while junior Logan Kebisek (Brookfield, Wis.) collected 11 of his 28 total assists in the stanza.

Senior Andy Ellingham (Burlington, Wis.) opened the third set with a kill for Concordia, which would end up taking the opening two points of the period. After the Eagles evened the game at two, Wood put the Falcons back ahead with a kill, and Miller then repeated the pattern to take a 4-3 advantage. Ultimately, Benedictine took 9 of the ensuing twelve points to seize a comfortable lead that Concordia was unable to surmount. Despite winning three of four rallies late in the set, the comeback attempt fell short as the Eagles saw a 25-18 victory.

The Falcons will look to close the regular season with a win in their next contest against the 1-18 Rockford Regents on April 5.