THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's volleyball and Endicott College both received votes in the preseason top-15 poll, making it a powerful matchup on Saturday night in Gilbert Arena. The Kingsmen won the match 3-1, with the set scores being 25-16, 24-26, 25-18, 25-20.
It was the second game of the season for the Kingsmen, and their home opener, as they hosted the Gulls. Cal Lutheran moved to 1-1 and dropped Endicott to 0-1.
The Kingsmen got off to a quick start, and after four straight points, took a 14-5 lead in the first set. Borys Horiuk served an ace and Logan Marks recorded a kill to cap off the run. Cal Lutheran kept the points coming and took the first set.
After the Gulls took a close second set, 26-24, the Kingsmen fired back in the third. Down 7-3, Cal Lutheran scored five straight and took the lead. Horiuk recorded two kills and combined with Taylor Marks for a block. Ben Weber recorded a kill and served an ace. The set was then tied six times before being all knotted up at 14-14. Cal Lutheran then scored three straight points and had breathing room. Weber recorded a kill and Jake Tucker had a kill and an ace. The breathing room was what the Kingsmen needed as they took the third set.
Cal Lutheran looked to close the match out in four. Up 20-19 in the fourth set, the Kingsmen made their final move. L. Marks recorded back-to-back kills to grow his team's lead. After the Gulls committed an error, Weber and Horiuk combined for a block and the rest is history.
T. Marks orchestrated the offense and recorded 30 assists. His brother, L. Marks, led Cal Lutheran with 13 kills and had a hitting percentage of .370. Tucker was next with 10 kills and matched L. Marks with a team-high five digs.
The Kingsmen tallied seven service aces with L. Marks having the most with two. T. Marks recorded five total blocks, two of which were solo, and Horiuk had six block assists.
The Kingsmen hit the road for their next nine contests. First up, Cal Lutheran is at UC Santa Cruz on Thursday with first serve set for 5 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 3, EC 1
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