SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The Concordia Wisconsin men's volleyball team opened its 2026 season with a 3–0 loss to host and No. 13 UC Santa Cruz in the opening match of the Slug Slam Tournament.
 
The Falcons struck first in the season opener, as senior Chase Ammons (Elm Grove, Wis.) recorded a powerful kill to open the scoring. The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle early, but the Slugs' offense gained momentum and pulled away to claim the first frame.
 
In the second set, Concordia trailed 15–9 before responding with renewed energy. The Falcons put together an 8–3 run to close the gap to 18–17, forcing a UC Santa Cruz timeout. During the surge, CUW tallied three service aces—one from Ammons and two consecutive aces from sophomore Parker Butterfass (Shakopee, Minn.). The Slugs regrouped out of the timeout and closed the set with a 25–20 win.
 
UC Santa Cruz jumped out to an early advantage in the third set and maintained control throughout. Concordia attempted a late push, but the deficit proved too large as the Slugs secured the sweep.
 
Sophomores Reid Scott (Chandler, Ariz.) and Owen Kolozsy (Carol Stream, Ill.) paced the Falcon offense with eight kills apiece. Sophomore setter Hayden Hurley (Gilbert, Ariz.) orchestrated the attack, recording 15 assists on 21 total team assists.
 
Defensively, freshman libero Cooper Dammann (Altadena, Calif.) led the way with five digs. Senior Tate Miller (Anthem, Ariz.) and Scott each added four digs. Butterfass made an impact at the net, finishing with two solo blocks and two block assists.
 
Concordia Wisconsin returns to action on Saturday in day two of the Slug Slam Tournament, facing two top-10 opponents. The Falcons will take on No. 9 Cal Lutheran at noon PT before squaring off against No. 8 NYU at 6:00 p.m. PT.