Marian University men’s volleyball (6-8, 0-3 NACC) fell to No. 13 Benedictine in straight sets with set scores of 27-25, 25-17, and 25-20.
The first set was a nail biter with neither team leading by more than four points when the Sabres held an 11-7 advantage. The Eagles were able to rally using a 10-3 run to take a 17-14 advantage. Marian would have an answer tying the set with three straight points only to have Benedictine once again open a three-point lead at 21-18. The Sabres once again had a response taking the lead at 23-22. The Sabres would manage to hold off on set-point opportunities but also failed to convert one of their own to bring the set to a 25-25 tie. Benedictine then was able to close out the set with two consecutive points.
Back-and-forth action opened the second set as well with Benedictine holding a slim 17-14 lead. The Eagles then closed out the set with a strong finish scoring eight of the final 11 points. The third set proved to be similar to the second set with the two squads playing to a 17-17 stalemate to open the set. Benedictine was once again able to close out the set strong with an 8-3 run to complete the sweep.
Senior Jacob DeGroot hit .409 in the match with a team-high 10 kills, while sophomore Carzell Combs paced the back row with a team-high 11 digs. At the net, sophomore Liam Skinner recorded a solo block to go with four assisted.
Marian takes on Concordia Chicago in NACC action Friday, March 6 for a 7 p.m. first serve.
–FightBlueFight—
