MEQUON, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin men's volleyball team faced another challenging test on Friday night, hosting the nationally-ranked UC-Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, who are currently ranked 17th in the country.
For the Falcons, playing top-tier competition has been a consistent theme this season, as this marked their fourth match against a nationally-ranked opponent in just their ninth game of 2025.
Despite a strong effort, CUW was unable to capture a set, falling 0-3 to the Banana Slugs. The set scores were 25-23, 25-17, and 25-21, bringing the Falcons' record to 2-7 on the year.
The first set was the closest of the match, featuring 10 ties and two lead changes. Lucas Beres led the charge for CUW, registering four kills on a perfect attacking percentage.
The Falcons came out strong, taking an early 9-4 lead, forcing UCSC to call a timeout. Highlights of this run included kills from Beres, freshman Hayden Hurley (Gilbert, Ariz.), freshman Reid Scott (Chandler, Ariz.), and junior Tate Miller (Anthem, Ariz.).
The timeout proved effective for the Banana Slugs, as they began chipping away at CUW's lead, eventually tying the set at 20-20.
From that point, the two teams traded points, with a block by junior Chase Ammons (Elm Grove, Wis.) and freshman Owen Kolozsy (Carol Stream, Ill.) tying the set at 22-22. Later, a kill by Kolozsy made it 23-23. Despite the back-and-forth battle, UCSC would edge out the Falcons 25-23 to take the first set.
In the second set, the Banana Slugs rode the momentum from their first-set win, cruising to a 25-17 victory. Kolozsy led CUW with a .571 attacking percentage, registering four kills and a block assist.
UCSC established a lead early, leading 14-10, 17-12, and 20-14 before closing out the set with the final four points to go up 2-0 in the match.
The third set was another competitive one, with five ties and two lead changes.
CUW jumped out to a 12-9 lead, thanks to a block from Miller and Ammons.
However, UCSC went on a run, taking a 15-13 lead.
The Falcons responded, tying the set at 19-19 with back-to-back blocks from Hurley and Beres.
Despite CUW's late push, UCSC rattled off four straight points to close out the set 25-21 and complete the sweep.
Individually, Beres had a team-high nine kills on a .600 attacking percentage and was a force defensively with four block assists. Ammons also contributed four block assists, while Hurley added three kills on just four attempts and dished out a team-high 17 assists.
On the defensive end, junior Parker Pearson (Keller, Texas) tallied 11 digs and 27 service receptions.
Looking ahead, the Falcons will wrap up their tough non-conference schedule next week with matches against more Carthage on Tuesday and Cal Lutheran on Thursday before heading to St. Norbert on February 18th to begin Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.
