THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's volleyball put up a tough test, but was outlasted by UC Santa Cruz in four sets on Friday night. Scores of the match were 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 23-25.
The Kingsman recorded 53 kills, while hitting with a .253 percentage. Ben Weber led the way as he made 18 kills. He was followed by Logan Marks and Borys Horiuk with 10 kills each.
Taylor Marks orchestrated the offense and had 47 assists. He was one dig shy of a double-double and added three blocks and two aces. Sean Fitzpatrick had a team-high 11 digs and Horiuk had five total blocks.
Cal Lutheran started strong as they took an early 6-3 lead to start the first set. The Banana Slugs tried to close the distance but the Kingsmen kept going strong, up 14-9. UC Santa Cruz finally found the opening they were looking for and began to build a comeback as they were narrowly behind the Kingsmen, 19-17. In the end, Cal Lutheran pulled ahead and claimed the first set.
The Banana Slugs returned with a vengeance as they took the lead 4-3 in the second. The Kingsmen continued to stay close behind, but the Banana Slugs still held the lead at 13-11. Cal Lutheran kept trying to overtake UC Santa Cruz but fell short just as the Banana Slugs claimed the second set.
The Kingsmen came back itching to win as they pulled ahead 9-5 in the third set. UC Santa Cruz stayed on their heels as Cal Lutheran tried shaking them, going up 16-13. The Banana Slugs didn't stay down for long as they tied the Kingsmen at 20-20. Cal Lutheran tried to take back the lead, but UC Santa Cruz managed to take the third set
Cal Lutheran refused to fold as the Banana Slugs took an early 5-2 lead in the fourth. The Kingsmen quickly managed to tie the game 10-10, but UC Santa Cruz pulled ahead 13-12. The Kingsmen kept going as they tied the game once more, 17-17. Despite the Kingsmen's efforts, they fell in the fourth set as the Banana Slugs escaped with a hard-fought win
The Kingsmen's next game be against No. 3 Juanita on Saturday, March 18, at 3 p.m.
CLU Instagram: CLUSports
Sport IG: clumensvolleyball
CLU Twitter: CLUSports
Sport Twitter: CLUmVolleyball
CLU Facebook: CLUSports
Hashtags: #clusports #ownthethrone #goregals #gokingsmen #theSCIAC #ncaad3
