Marian University men’s volleyball (22-7, 8-3 NACC) fell to Benedictine 25-16, 25-16, and 25-19 to open the final weekend of the regular season.
The opening set opened with a 7-7 tie before Benedictine went on a 7-1 run to take a 14-8 advantage. The Sabres managed to cut their deficit down to three at 17-14 but the Eagles were able to close out the set with an 8-2 spurt. With the momentum of a strong finish in the first set, Benedictine jumped out to a 10-4 lead to open the second set and never looked back. This time, however, Marian would have a strong finish scoring five of the final eight points to build some momentum going into the third set.
The Sabres were able to jump out to an 11-8 advantage before Benedictine scored six of the next seven points to build a 14-12 lead and draw a Marian timeout. Marian wouldn’t go away quietly as the Sabres quickly tied the set at 15-15 and trailed just 19-18. The Eagles once again were able to put a strong finish together closing the match with a 6-1 run.
Marian was led offensively by senior Liam Skinner who hit .545 and had seven kills, while junior Cam Muller also added seven kills. Senior Carzell Combs paced the back row with seven digs.
Marian closes out the regular season hosting Illinois Tech tomorrow, Saturday, April 2, for a 5 p.m. first serve.
