SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's volleyball wrapped up the UC Santa Cruz Slug Slam Tournament on Saturday and took on North Park in the morning and Fontbonne in the afternoon. 

The Kingsmem played in their first five set match of the year and came up just short as they fell to North Park 25-16, 17-25, 23-25, 25-18, 12-15. In their second match of the day, against Fontbonne, Cal Lutheran responded and won 17-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-17

Cal Lutheran vs. North Park

With North Park up 12-11, Cal Lutheran went on a five-point run and took a sizable lead. The teams exchanged points over the next few plays and Cal Lutheran was up 21-15. The Kingsmen ended the first set with a four-point run and had momentum.

North Park came back strong and took the second and third set. Cal Lutheran needed to respond in the fourth set and they did just that. The Kingsmen took an early lead and had breathing room with the score being 15-13. Cal Lutheran then took over and scored four straight to go up 19-13. The Kingsmen won thew fourth set and pushed the match to five. 

The fifth set was tied seven times early on. With the score knotted at 7-7, North Park went on a 5-2 run and had a 12-9 advantage. North Park held off the Kingsmen and took the fifth set and the match.

Ben Weber and Logan Marks both had a team-high 13 kills. Connor Crawford and Noah Rigo were next with eight kills each and Taylor Marks and Borys Horiuk had six kills each. T. Marks helped move the ball around and dished out 46 assists. T. Marks also led the team with three service aces, Weber had the most digs with 11 and Rigo had the most blocks with three. 

Cal Lutheran vs. Fontbonne

Fontbonne took the early lead and claimed the first set. Cal Lutheran fired back in the second and third set and had a 2-1 lead heading to the fourth. Runs made the difference in the second and third set. Cal Lutheran scored nine straight points in the second set and then scored nine of 11 points in the third. The Kingsmen carried that momentum into the fourth and took the match. 

Weber and Fitzpatrick led the way with 12 kills each and Rigo added eight. T. Marks continued to impress at the setter position and gad 39 assists, five digs, four kills, four aces and one block. Weber led the defense with 12 digs.

The Kingsmen continue the season on the road. Cal Lutheran is at the R-MC Invitational on Friday and Saturday. 

Box Score: NP 3, CLU 2; CLU 3, FB 1
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