THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's volleyball faced a tough NAIA opponent as they took on Ottawa University (AZ) on Saturday afternoon. The scores of the match were 25-19, 18-25, 18-25, 18-25. The loss brings their record to 18-10.
The Kingsmen had 103 attacks and made 35 kills for a percentage of .165. Ben Weber led the way for the offense with 10 kills and Borys Horiuk was next with six. Taylor Marks kept the offense moving with 23 assists and added 11 digs for his seventh double-double of the year.
Cal Lutheran started strong as they pulled into an early 3-0 lead in the first set. The Spirit managed to score once, but the Kingsmen kept their momentum going and went up 6-1. The Ottawa players tried making a comeback, but Cal Lutheran kept the heat coming and increased their lead to 15-7. The Kingsmen never looked back and won the first set.
The Spirit came out strong in the second set and went up 3-1. The Kingsmen refused to fall behind as they stayed close at 10-7. Despite the Kingsmen's efforts, the Spirit went up 16-10. Cal Lutheran tried to make a comeback, but Ottawa took the second set.
The Kingsmen opened the third set with a point, but the Spirit were able to continue their momentum and went up 7-1. Cal Lutheran began a comeback as they closed the distance at 10-6. The Spirit held strong though as they carried their lead to 18-11. The Kingsmen attempted another comeback, making the score 21-18, but they weren't able to keep it up as Ottawa took the third set.
Cal Lutheran came back swinging in the fourth and both teams found themselves in an early tie at 4-4. The Kingsmen and Spirit stayed neck and neck as Cal Lutheran barely held a 10-9 lead. Ottawa stayed on the Kingsmen's heels and eventually tied the game at 16-16. The Kingsmen attempted to take their lead back, but the Spirit pulled ahead and took the final set.
The Kingsmen's next game is against Pepperdine on Saturday, April 1, at 5 p.m.
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